The garden is really coming to life! Dahlias are starting to flower and all other perennials have doubled in size from last year. So much lush and frothy growth. It is finally the time of year that you can walk around on a mild evening watering the plants with a drink in your hand. The birds are chirping like crazy and the smell of freshly mown lawns is always in the air. 

There are still lots of jobs in the garden, but if you have been ticking off your spring jobs then you will hopefully be able to sit back and admire your garden instead. 

Potato Harvesting

One of the best feelings is bandicooting for the first potatoes of the season. Bandicooting is the process where you put your hand under the soil and grab the potatoes without disturbing the mother tuber potato. By doing this you take a few potatoes from each plant and this means that the plants will keep producing for weeks to come. You don’t need to pull the whole plant out! 

White Butterfly Control

These little pests will destroy any brassica plants you plant out within 24 hours … They can be devastating and really frustrating to deal with. There are a few ways to deal with them which will allow your brassicas to keep growing over summer without being gobbled up. 

The most sustainable option is to net your brassicas with a fine mesh so that the butterflies can’t get through it. Another is to use Derris Dust which is a bit more labour-intensive. It is a powder that you put on the leaves of the plants when they are wet so that it sticks. This will deter the butterflies but it needs to be regularly applied every couple of weeks. You can also spray for white butterfly, but I do try and avoid sprays where I can unless I am really struggling with a pest or nasty weed. 

It’s a special time of year to be in the garden and also a busy time for all of us, so make sure you remember to stop and smell the roses.

Garden Jobs for December

• Sow direct into the soil – zinnias and cosmos 
• Plant out more vegetables – broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, celery, leeks
• Direct sow more seeds that are prone to going to seed like coriander, lettuce and rocket
• Pinch out and disbud dahlias 
• Water your garden strategically to conserve water and enhance root growth 
• Start white butterfly control 
• Harvest first potatoes 
  
  

With an agricultural degree from Lincoln University, along with an entrepreneurial mindset, Flora Brons was inspired to develop Flora Grow to educate and influence the community on sustainable living through her knowledge of plants and the ecosystem. Her passion for plants, nature and people drives her continued success. floragrow.co.nz