Gardening with Simon - Autumn Gardening

Published on April 17, 2023

Since the last ‘Gardening with Simon’ I have moved houses – an exciting opportunity to establish a new garden!

I’ve moved into a lovely two bedroom flat in central Foxton, with a great space to nurture my green thumb.

It took twelve trips back and forth on my mobility scooter, but I have successfully moved my pots and garden bags from my old home to my new one, and I’m enjoying the challenge of shaping the new space to be my own.

I chose to position the pots and garden bags next to the southern wall of my property and they have flourished, especially the tomato plants I transferred.

While the heat of summer is behind us, it’s a great time to get your garden ready for planting while it’s comfortable outside. I plan for this new home to be my last, and I have big plans for the garden.

If you’ve been following my column, you’ll know that I enjoy growing garlic. For the first time in a decade, I have had to buy some to add to my crop. I chose ‘Te Mata Fire’ for its strong taste and ‘Te Mata Royale’ which is known as the chef’s choice due to the size of its cloves. I’m looking forward to comparing the two varieties as they grow.

Autumn gardening tips

• Autumn is the perfect time to care for your existing lawn or sow a new one. 
• Replace lost nutrients by adding compost, blood and bone and sheep pellets to keep your soil healthy and prepare it for your autumn and winter crops.
• Now is an ideal time to plant broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beetroot, spinach and Chinese cabbages.
• Keep snails and slugs at bay with your regular remedy. If egg shells aren’t doing the trick, try leaving out a little bit of beer in a small container next to your seedling crops.
• Aphids and white fly are about in Autumn. Keep them at bay with a spray of warm soapy water.
• New season fruit trees are making their appearance in garden centres. Now’s the time to prepare planting sites with compost and begin or add to your existing orchard.
• Now is the time to mulch your flower beds to slow down those pesky weeds and protect plants from the cooler months ahead.

That’s all for now, happy gardening everyone.

Simon Broad
sf.broad@xtra.co.nz