Fragrant orange blossom

I’m into the spring planting as well as harvesting the vegetables that have matured over the winter months, like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbages and leeks.

Some of last year’s deciduous tree plantings are looking well. Meanwhile citrus and fruit trees are in flower and for the first time I have a colourful flower garden, even potted tulips!

My main task this month apart from pruning and maintenance is to seed out trays of more vegetable and flower seeds to be planted halfway through to the end of the month. This will be the Christmas crop. Below is a selection of seeds that can be sown or planted now for the first summer harvest.

Gardening Guide (following Moon Planting)

☽ Waxing Moon 5 September at 3:40am

Sow direct: grain crops.
Sow or plant out: leek, spring onions, chamomile, ageratum, dianthus, snapdragon and verbena.
In a cold frame, sow: capsicum, eggplant, pumpkin, rockmelon, summer squash, watermelon and zucchini. Also: bush and climbing beans, cucumber, sweet corn, tomato, flannel flower, celosia, cosmos, everlasting daisy, livingstone daisy, African and French marigold, nasturtium, petunia, phlox and sunflower.
Prune: dwarf tibouchina. Lightly prune mature fig trees. Dead-head roses regularly.

☺ Full Moon 12 September at 7:28pm

Sow direct: carrot, jerusalem artichoke, potato and radish.
Sow or plant out: beetroot (pre-soak seed), burdock, catnip, chives, echinacea, hyssop, meadowsweet, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, yarrow and shasta daisy.
Plant: potted grapes, lavender, herbaceous perennials, pelargonium, potted roses and evergreen trees, shrubs and vines.
Divide chives, lemon balm, Virginia scullcap, French tarragon and gerbera, also globe artichoke and shasta daisy in cold areas.
Sow: asparagus seed, sweet potato, pyrethrum, dahlia seed and gerbera.
After frost risk, sow or plant out: avocado, blueberry, citrus, cherry guava, macadamia, lemon balm, marjoram, rue, Virginia scullcap, French tarragon, Valerian, watercress, bromeliad, chrysanthemum, dahlia tubers and gazania. Also sow lawn seed or lay turf.
Sow or plant out: banana passionfruit,  passionfruit and tropical guava.
After watering, fertilise: mature pawpaw, tropical guava, olive, pecan, plum, gerbera, also established lawns after aeration and rain.
Lightly fertilise: fig, cherry guava, pistachio, bay, lemon grass, rosemary, sage, thyme, frangipani, pelargonium and palms.
Prune: remove unwanted suckers from globe artichoke.

Harvest crops for storage on non-fertile days.

☾ Waning Moon 20 September at 11:40pm

No sowing or planting this phase, but weed, dig or plough, prepare beds and prune back unwanted growth, if required.
Mulch: fig, mulberry, with compost and/or well-rotted manure and pineapple, ceratopetalum, camellia and protea with well-rotted manure. Lightly mulch macadamia with compost and manure. Mulch as required to keep compost damp.

☻ New Moon 27 September at 9:10pm

Sow direct: headed and open Chinese cabbage, grain crops, lettuce, mizuna, rocket, NZ spinach (pre-soak seed), tatsoi, sweet basil and parsley and coriander.
Sow or plant out: celery, leek, lettuce, silver beet (pre-soak seed), spring onions, chamomile, motherwort, dianthus, snapdragon and verbena, also dill, actinotis (flannel flower), celosia, cosmos, everlasting and livingstone daisy, African and French marigold, nasturtium, petunia, phlox and sunflower.
Grow a green manure or cover crop of chickpea, clover, barley or millet. ln suitable soils, grow alfalfa, amaranth or buckwheat.
On damp soil, apply fertiliser tea to: young rhubarb, asparagus seedling and young crowns, also celery, leek, lettuce and silver beet, if necessary.
Apply seaweed tea to: tropical guava, pistachio, established rose. Apply at half-strength to pineapple, established natives and gerbera.


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