Spring in

Spring in the garden - November

As we head into summer the weather is heating up and there are more daylight hours to spend in the garden! Plant summer-loving crops for a continuous supply of delicious homegrown veges, pick and plant more berries, and keep planting vibrant flowers for a beautifully bright garden.

As the weather warms in your region plant summer-loving crops including tomatoes, chillies, courgettes, capsicums and sweetcorn.

In the warmest areas of the country the first berry crops are ready to be harvested and it’s a great time to plant more for continued harvests over the summer season. Don't forget to feed your fruit trees too!

There's plenty of bright flowers to plant and pick this month. Feed with Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser to keep them blooming for stunning summer show.

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

Passionfruit Growing Guide

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

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The Canterbury 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 and squash, radish, rhubarb, rocket, silverbeet, spring onions, sweetcorn, tomatoes.es.

HaRVEST

Asparagus, basil, beetroot, bok choi, beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, coriander, kale, lettuce, mesclun, onions, parsley, parsnip, peas, radish, rhubarb, rocket, silverbeet, tomatoes.

Maintenance

Potatoes are gross feeders so keep feeding them once a month with Tui Potato Food if they are planted in the garden. If your potatoes are planted in pots and containers feed with Tui NovaTec Premium which will feed for up to four months.
Mound up the soil around potato plants as the leaves appear through the soil. This will encourage a bigger harvest and protect the crop from the sun.
For tomatoes planted in garden beds, feed with Tui Tomato Food to replace nutrients and promote big juicy fruit.
Regularly plant salad greens such as lettuce, mesclun, radish and spring onions for summer salads.
Feed vegetables with Tui Vegetable Food or Tui NovaTec Premium to give them the nutrients they need to grow.
Birds love juicy tomatoes – put up netting to protect your fruit.
As your tomatoes grow, remove the laterals to encourage bigger and better fruit. Laterals are the shoots that grow out from the side of the stem.

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The Canterbury Fruit Gardener's Diary

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Plant

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

HaRVEST

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

Maintenance

Add a layer of Tui Mulch and Feed around the base of fruit trees, this will enable the soil to maintain moisture throughout the summer and keep the area weed free.
As you harvest your berry crops it's a great time to plant more for continued harvests over the summer season.
Fertilise strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, gooseberries, blackberries and currants planted in the garden with Tui Strawberry Food.
As the citrus harvest ends, prune your citrus trees to open up the framework of the plant to allow more light into the centre of the plant. Fertilise with Tui Citrus Food around the drip line after pruning.
Thin out fruit where it has set too thickly.
Plant passionfruit - as a climbing fruit, passionfruit needs something to climb up and support all its tendrils.
Keep orchards and the areas around fruit trees weed free.
Protect apples and pears from codling moth by hanging traps in the branches of the trees. The aim of these is to trap the moths and prevent the caterpillars from borrowing into the skin of the developing fruit.
Aphids, whitefly and scale insects may be about, blast off with a hose or select a suitable spray from your garden centre.

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The Canterbury Flower Gardener's Diary

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Plant

Alyssum, gazania, lobelia, fuchsia, foxgloves, ageratum, aster, chrysanthemum, poppy, carnation, cosmos, dahlia, dianthus, lisianthus, Everlasting daisy, gazania, geranium, gerbera, godetia, gypsophila, honesty, impatiens – in frost free areas, marigold, petunia, nasturtium, phlox, Queen Annes Lace, salvia, snapdragon, statice, sunflower, sweet pea, verbena and wallflower.
day lily, dahlia, cistus, canna lily, calibrachoa, abutilon, ligularia, iris, hibiscus, daisy, lavender, anemones, Peruvian lily, Felicia, arctotis, penstemon, delphinium, campanula, scabious, nemesia, diascia, roses, verbena, rhododendrons, Daphne, camellias, azaleas, wisteria, clematis, bougainvillea, mandevilla.

PICK

Roses, penstemon, iris, peony roses, geums, delphiniums, larkspur, Queen Annes Lace, stock, snapdragons, lavender, chrysanthemum, gerbera, sweet pea, poppies, anemones, freesias, daisy.

Maintenance

Apply Tui Bulb Food to Christmas lilies and gladiolus ensures good flower bud development for summer displays.
Apply Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser to flower borders and pots and containers to give plants a much needed boost for the upcoming season.
Apply Tui Bulb Food to spring bulbs as they finish flowering to ensure best flowering for next year.
If aphids are a problem try blasting off with the hose, or warm soapy water. If the infestation is large, check at your local garden centre for a suitable spray.
Keep an eye out for slugs and snails looking for food. Lay Quash every few weeks to keep them at bay.
Keep weeds under control by weeding, mulching or spraying.
In dry areas begin watering, the best time to water is in the morning or early evening. Water the soil not the plants. Incorporate compost or Debco SaturAid to help the soil hold onto more moisture.
Tie up sweet peas and clematis as the tendrils start to run.