Gardening: It is time to plant all the winter greens

We have had a spectacular summer in terms of heat, a wet half and now a dry half. Now the seasons are starting to change, the nights are noticeably longer and the early morning dew heavier. Both signs that autumn is on its way.

However good or bad you consider this, it is a prompting to all vegetable gardeners that it is time to get your winter vegetables planted out before cooler temperatures arrive and growth slows and later halts.

Even if you have a small garden there are some good reasons to plant some winter vegetables; firstly the freshness of the product and knowledge of what has been sprayed on them, secondly cost; the cost of vegetables especially heads of broccoli and cauliflower skyrockets during the winter months.

There is also much fulfilment from harvesting and serving up plants from your own garden.

It is time to plant all the winter greens including broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. Successions of lettuce should be continued, plantings of celery, spinach, silverbeet and rainbow beet, beetroot, carrots, swedes, turnips, radishes, peas

There are some important considerations when growing brassicas.

The areas of the vegetable garden or plots where brassicas are grown must be rotated from crop to crop.

This will help to avoid club root and the spread of other soil diseases. Brassicas enjoy high levels of nitrogen and potash as it is the flower that is eaten in its immature form. Fertilisers such as 'Ican Vegetable Food' give great results.

Keeping plants well watered also encourages faster maturity. A problem with growing brassicas in late summer and autumn can be a prevalence of white butterflies and their hungry caterpillars.

To give good protection from these hungry critters you can use bug net to stop the butterflies laying eggs on your plants.

Otherwise you can use one of a number of chemicals that are successful in controlling these voracious pests. Spraying bee friendly 'Yates Mavrik' is highly effective method of control.

Late summer and autumn is often one of the most rewarding times of the year for the vegetable gardener as the fruits of ones labour are ripe for the harvest. Tomatoes can be continued for a while longer with regular feeding.

A fortnightly with a fertiliser high in potash such as 'Tui Tomato Food' or 'Yates Thrive Liquid Tomato Food' combined with regular watering will ensure that your tomatoes continue to produce.

For those where late blight is common, continue with preventative copper sprays using 'Grosafe Freeflo Copper' or use 'Yates Tomato Dust' if there are signs of it on your plants.

Spraying with 'Yates Mavrik' or 'Yates Success Ultra' will protect against psyllid as well as caterpillars which often pillage the plant and fruit at this time of the season.

Zucchini plants continue to produce, as will beans. It is best if you do a regular 'harvest' every second day to avoid some large marrows and beans which will become tough and stringy.

Potatoes that were planted in October and November will be coming ready now, if you want to store potatoes for use later in the year they can be dug as the tops die down and put in paper bags in a dark cool place to store.

Have a great week

Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre