Spring in

Spring in the garden - October

October signals mid-spring and there is plenty to do in the garden. Spring crops and flowers will be starting to appear so it's time to plant more to ensure a continuous supply of delicious veges, juicy fruit and fragrant floral displays that will last you into the summer months!

Keep filling your patch with delicious spring veges including salad greens and herbs. Labour weekend is traditional planting time for tomatoes, so get yours in for a bumper crop of flavoursome tomatoes in summer!

Continue planting a variety of berries for summer snacking and desserts. Plant up pots with citrus to enjoy trees laden with juicy lemons, oranges, limes and mandarins ready to be plucked from the branch.

Plant vibrant blooms in the vege patch to brighten things up. Flowers in the vege garden also encourage bees, helping pollinate vegetables like tomatoes and beans!

Harvest time is from seedling planting to harvest. For seeds, depending on variety, it will take an extra 6-8 weeks from germination to planting.

Download our planting poster

Our handy calendar shows you when to plant in your region, including harvest dates.

When should I plant

Lemon Growing Guide

This time of the year's great to start planting:

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The Wairarapa Vegetable Gardener's Diary

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Plant

Asparagus, basil, beetroot, bok choi, beans, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, celery, chilli, coriander, courgette, cucumber, eggplant, leek, lettuce, mesclun, parsley, parsnip, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, radish, rhubarb, rocket, silverbeet, spinach, spring onions, sweetcorn, tomatoes.

HARVEST

Basil, beetroot, bok choi, cabbage, coriander, kale, leek, lettuce, mesclun, onions, parsley, parsnip, peas, radish, rhubarb, rocket, silverbeet, spinach.

Maintenance

Feed potatoes planted in the garden with Tui Potato Food which contains high levels of phosphorus and potassium promote healthy tuber production and plant growth. If you are growing potatoes in pots and containers feed with Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser.
Mound up the soil around potato plants as the leaves appear through the soil.
Garlic and shallots - keep the area around plants weed free.
Herbs - cut back sage, thyme and mint to encourage fresh new growth for the summer harvest.
For tomatoes planted in garden beds, feed with Tui Tomato Food to replace nutrients and promote big juicy fruit. For pots and containers feed with Tui Enrich Vege, Tomato & Herb controlled release fertiliser.
Apply Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic once a month to give plants a boost and kick-start for the season.
Look out for aphids and white cabbage butterfly caterpillar as they will also be actively looking for food. Squash these insects, hose off or wash with warm soapy water.

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The Wairarapa Fruit Gardener's Diary

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Plant

Raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, feijoa, lemon, orange, mandarin, lime, passionfruit, grapes, kiwifruit, tamarillo.

HARVEST

Strawberries and other berries including blueberries, boysenberries, raspberries and blackberries.
Start picking the last of the citrus crops - lemons, limes, mandarins, oranges.

Maintenance

Keep planting a variety of berries for summer snacking and desserts. Plant in Tui Strawberry Mix.
Plant up pots with citrus to enjoy trees laden with juicy lemons, oranges, limes and mandarins ready to be plucked from the branch.
Fruits require a position in full sun. Shelter from prevailing winds is preferable.
Stake all young fruit trees to enable to roots to anchor themselves into the soil for the first few seasons.
Add a layer of mulch around the base of fruit trees, to help retain moisture over the warmer months.
Fertilise fruit trees with Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser.
Spray citrus at the pre-blossom stage with copper to control verrucosis scab and brown rot.
Apply Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic every 4 weeks or so to promote strong root growth and increase fruiting and flowering capacity.