Kath Irvine: apple picking and autumn in the garden
From Saturday Morning, 11:35 am on 19 March 2022
Organic gardener Kath Irvine returns to share some autumn gardening tips and to answer your questions. This is a time in the garden for both harvesting and preparing for winter. Kath shares some advice on apple picking and storing, and planting your winter crops.
She also discusses potato storage and using green cover crops to replenish soil which has had heavy feeders growing in it over summer.
Irvine runs workshops from her permaculture home garden in Ōhau, in the Horowhenua. Her practical guide to growing organic fruit and vegetables, The Edible Backyard was published last year.
Send your gardening questions through to saturday@rnz.co.nz or text 2101.
I’m wolfing through your blogs at an alarming rate – and will be ordering your book.
I’ve come so late to veggie gardening – a too big section sheltered but on the SouthCoast Wellington now feels possible..
I’ve been adding contained beds but now ,after reading your post, am intrigued by borderless beds
I have a big pile of wood chips and leaves from cutting the deadwood out of the magnolia tree in March and there will be more when the feijoas (getting 5-17Kgs a day) finally stop! I wonder if cardboard and wood chips and leaves would work as well – or would I still need a dusting of sawdust between the cardboard and the chips?.
How exciting Susan! Yes borderless beds are way more space efficient and cheaper too. Woodchips are awesome for both beds and paths, sawdust isnt a must have – just use what you’ve got. You can mulch the area entire and then form beds on top of the mulch in a backwards fashion – paths first kind of style. The main thing is to make it work for you. As long as the woodchips are friendly to walk on you are all good. How wonderful to be right by all that epic kelp, that’ll really get your vegie beds growing strong! Enjoy K
HI Kath, I have a few fruit trees, up to 50 years since I planted the first, and I’ve been asked to talk about basics of pruning. I’ll say a bit, but I’m thin on good knowledge, and I’m going to recommend your book ‘Pruning Fruit Trees’ and hold it up.
Do I just say to get it on line by googling, and I can tell them about this ediblebackyard site, but what’s the best for getting the book?
I’ve got 2-3 copies off you a while ago, look like a great book to me.
Cool one Tony – yip its for sale in various bookshops but online from Nationwide book distributors. The link is here on my website, on the book tab https://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/pruning-fruit-trees-a-beginners-guide-v2/ or go straight to NBD. Have a great pruning session!
Hi,
Do you have any tips of getting rid of codlin moth in my dad’s apple trees, he lives in Putaruru.
Thank you so much
Wendy
Hey Wendy – I really like the approach of this article here https://thisnzlife.co.nz/organic-methods-control-codling-moth.
Hi Kath, great to see you today at Blueskin Bay Nursery! I didn’t get around to asking about the underplanting of fruit trees – what mix of plants would you recommend please? I was just going to do comfrey but you got me thinking!!
Hey Jessica – great morning! So glad to get you thinking 🙂 Loads of options for herbal ley – choose the herbs you use and the herbs you love. If you are running chooks, grow stuff for them. A great space for leafy greens and pumpkins too. Read this post here https://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/my-healthy-fruit-tree-game-plan/ and this one too – https://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/introducing-guilds/. And comfrey is also totally awesome!