Prepping for Winter
Hello everyone! I have to admit that it is only Wednesday when I am writing this. I hope the weather improved (I go away on Fri night so I don’t have my usual writing time set aside). Let’s crack in!
What I am obsessed with this week: Putting a garden to bed
This is a very English idea, where the weather cools enough that the weeds stop growing, but essentially, at this time of year, many Brits will have finished up their seasonal tasks, spread a load of compost or fertiliser, spread a lot of mulch, and told their garden that they will see them for brief pruning time but otherwise, not until Spring.
The problem with this concept in NZ is that, in the bulk of the country, our weeds never stop growing.
We’ve been talking about what we can/should do instead, and my general strategy for the past 10 years has held- weed, put down some solid fertiliser (sheep pellets, mulch, anything that isn’t granules or liquid), put down some (but not heaps) of mulch, and then repeat that process in August with a thicker layer of mulch before the weeds start up with aggression.
Now, if you like to have a self-seeding garden, or a wildflower garden, where your flower seeds fall and the garden regenerates, you can’t put a thick layer of mulch down because it will stop your flower seeds from germinating just as it will stop your weed seeds from germinating.
When I mulched my garden with wool and the spinach seeds germinated straight through it, which means that all of the weeds will too..
What affects weeds affects other plants in good measure. There is no weed identifier when it comes to techniques- except for a keen human eye and a lot of caution! So-
Yes, the denser the mulch, the fewer weed seeds germinate. But if you have left any of your plants to self seed, they are less likely to grow.
If you think, hey, that won’t grow/get any bigger/might just die- the same can be said of your desireable plants in that spot. So really think your decisions through!
Either way I think the idea of putting your garden to bed is pretty defunct in a lot of the world, which is a bit of a pain for those who don’t enjoy the cold.
Overwintering specific plants
This year I am overwintering my capsicum, instead of throwing it out and getting a new one next year. In my world this means that I am pruning it a little, digging it up, popping it into a pot and bringing it inside.
The guides I found online said to keep it in a dark place so it goes dormant, but staff member Jesse (who overwinters a lot of peppers) said he just treats them like indoor houseplants! So I’ve put it in the spare room (which is where we are currently storing everything related to the renovation, so it is warmer than outside, but pretty cool and has dappled sunlight).
Then I found a sweet cloche for $4 from the tip store! So I’m wondering if there is something else that would benefit from being kept warmer over winter. I am tempted to jam my lemon tree into it.
Not my photo- but this is what I found at the tip shop. Available at the Gubba store, where I found this pic.
Then I wondered if it would help keep my daphne alive. I doubt it… gardenias?
It doesn’t really matter- living in Wellington, this will have blown out of my garden and into the neighbours in a few weeks regardless of how many pegs I try to use!
Between the final cutbacks, weeding, mulching, fertilising, it has been a busy few weeks in the garden. I can’t wait to do the roses as they look ridiculous at the moment! I hope you all have a good week :)