Gardening and DIY: Let it seed

Photo / Paul Thompson

Don't entirely rip it up before you start again
The change in season often spurs a big clean-up in many gardens as spent plants and foliage are removed and space is made for a wide range of autumn plantings. It's great to get stuck in as you contemplate all sorts of new sowing and planting possibilities but don't be too hasty and tear out all the potential of plants that might happily go to seed and provide you with a whole range of free seeds and seedlings in the weeks and months to come.

A lettuce flower

Leave one or two specimens of each plant so they can complete their lifecycle, which may well involve producing beautiful flowers (even on the humble lettuce), and seed pods to generate the next bunch of plants in your garden and may be helpful to feed the birds too.

Dwarf and runner beans, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, squashes, beetroot and rocket will all produce good seed as will companion flowers and herbs like calendula, borage, coriander, parsley, poppy and viola. (More on seed saving in the coming weeks folks.)

Throw yourself back into your garden
It's time to throw yourself back into your garden as a cooler month and potentially more rain create new planting opportunities.

Broad beans

So think broad beans, winter carrots and lettuces, mizuna, parsnips, peas, silver beet and spinach that can all be sown directly into the garden now if soil is not too hard and rain-deprived.

If soil in your garden is still too unworkable for sowing seed then sow some swift greens - rocket, mesclun, cress, corn salad and mizuna - in a few pots close to your kitchen. They'll be easier to water and look after until wetter weather opens up other parts of the garden.

Many crops can also be sown into punnets or trays. If you get on and sow brassicas like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage and cauliflower and transplant into beds when seedlings have at least two sets of leaves then you should be harvesting them come winter and spring.

For seeds go to http://www.podgardening.co.nz/seeds.html

Gardeners on the go:
Sow broad beans
Harvest pumpkins when skins have hardened or foliage has wilted - in colder areas a light early frost will do this.
Start thinking of fruit trees you might want to add to your garden - these can be ordered from nurseries as bare root stock soon.
Cover berry crops and stone fruit with mesh to protect them from birds.
Trim water shoots from all your stone fruit trees once they have fruited.

For full-scale, seasonal edible gardening advice and inspiration see www.podgardening.co.nz or check out Pod Gardening on facebook.