We fortunately missed any significant effects from Cyclone Hola as it passed New Zealand. We have some good autumn weather and, boy do the weeds keep growing and the lawns looking lush! It is certainly a good time to be taking advantage of the autumn planting season.
Autumn is well known as the best time of year to be planting new gardens and renovating existing ones. The advantage of planting during the autumn season is that plants have a much greater rate of success and establishment. Planting through these months enables plants to get their roots well established during the cooler months when soil moisture is greater before next summer arrives and the dry weather puts stress on plants.
After a very dry start to summer and much stress on plants, the latter part of summer has been an easier one for many trees and shrubs as regular rainfall has meant little summer stress has occurred for many plants and gardens.
The prolonged warmth this summer has been highly favourable in the vegetable garden, record temperatures and high sunshine hours has resulted in high yields in crops such as beans and corn. My cucumbers also performed super well and the tomatoes too have had a long and high yielding fruiting period. The high sunshine hours meant my 'day neutral' aromas variety of strawberries that performed so poorly last summer, have produced a great crop of berries this summer.
My summer crop of broccoli has grown very well with a spray of Mavrik while spraying the tomatoes has kept the white butterfly caterpillars at bay. It has certainly been a great summer for the garden!
