Gosh February went by so fast, even with the extra day. It feels like one moment we were all on holiday and the next summer’s over and it’s a bit cold. If you go by the equinox we still have another 3 weeks of summer, but I think we’d just be kidding ourselves. It definitely feels autumnal out there. It even smells different.
I’ve harvested my pumpkins – it was a bit early, but they were ready and the combination of powdery mildew and a howling hoolie from the east and the leaves fried to a crisp prematurely. The harvest was, while modest, was perfect for us as new empty nesters – we don’t need a squillion pumpkins. Having said that the butternut are still in the garden doing their thing and there are a lot of those!
I’ve also pulled up my melons and sown a mustard cover crop in it its place. I have a garden group coming to visit next month so I need to march across the garden, taking down summer and making it look fresh, alive and vibrant. Which means getting as many cover crops started as I can. This is probably a good thing as I normally procrastinate in a state of end of summer denial and the garden just ends up looking super scruffy.
I’ve started sowing my cool season crops, although I completely forgot about kohlrabi, cauliflower and swede so I need to get out there again with the seed tin.
There are some interesting Yates seeds I’ll be trying this autumn as well. I have picked up some of the native seeds that I think will suit my environment and I’m excited to give them a go. I have Rengarenga Rock Lily – which had a magnificent display around the country this spring, Astelia Kakaha, which I know grows well here as I’ve seen it in the wild and Hebe Napuka, which I have high hopes for. I understand this may be a bit of a challenge as there is a warning on the packet that native seeds can take between 2 weeks and 2 months to germinate. But I’m up for it!
Hopefully the current weather is just a reminder of what is to come and nicer days will return to ease us through this season. I need as many nice days as I can get – I’ve got a lot to do!
I hope your gardens continue to flourish as the summer crops come to an end and as always – if you want to get in touch leave a comment below.
Sarah the Gardener : o)
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