October in the Vegie Patch + Greenhouse + Thinning Plums + Weeding Smarter #2

Game on! It's the great summer-crop wait out! Has your garden hit the tomato, pumpkin, bean or corn planting sweet spot? If not, I'm sending you the strength to resist rushing in! The day is coming, my friend. As the air slowly warms, the soil soon follows.

Be guided by temperature and the state of your soil, not by the stand of seedlings at the supermarket! Night temps that are colder than 13°C and soil that feels soggy or cold, or measures less than 18°C is far from an ideal environment for heat loving crops. My temperature chart will help you decide.

You are your garden are far better placed by sowing a mixed living mulch on the bed while you wait. Leave your plants in pots, toasty and warm until soil temps align. What a difference when we plant seedlings, into soil that’s at the perfect temp for them - seedlings boost away with strong growth and turn into hearty adults... well worth the wait.

Yours in the earth,
❤️

October in the Vegie Patch + Greenhouse

The October vegie patch is pretty dam exciting with seedling raising in full swing and crops boosting away in the warming soil and air. Don’t rush into planting summer crops on the first fine day! Its hard, I know, but wait it out until soil temperatures are ideal.

Edible Backyard NZKath Irvine

October Fruit Tree To-Do List

We’re thinning plums, pruning passionfruits and tamarillos, planting new citrus, and feeding established citrus for the growing season ahead.

Edible Backyard NZKath Irvine

Weed Smarter Not Harder #2

Here are my 6 baseline strategies for working with your weeds. These strategies suit all the cruisy weeds, and many of the tricky weeds as well - though not all of them. We’ll dive deeper into the tricky guys next month.

Edible Backyard NZKath Irvine

How To Prune Redcurrants And Blackcurrants

Pruning currants makes the wickedest difference to the amount and quality of fruit. Left unpruned, the harvests become increasingly pathetic - too much old unproductive wood!

Edible Backyard NZKath Irvine