What is happening in NZ gardens for April

Hi folks in NZ,
I have started this thread so that you might post what is happening in your garden each month.
The forum is really valuable if members contribute what is going on and anything interesting that you might be learning.
It will be great if you can get this post up and running.
Cheers Ray

I'm trying to figure that out myself, today! The long weekend seems like the perfect opportunity to rip out a few of the summer plants that I've given up on, and sort out a few seedlings for the winter.

I'm going to sort out my sprawling strawberry bed and plant some of the runners in their own squares. We did 1m2 of strawberries this year and they were amazing, so I'm going to expand that to 2m2 for next year.

Other than that, the following are on the agenda:
- onions
- leeks
- silverbeet
- cabbage
- carrots
- and probably a couple of other things that catch my eye at the garden centre

The winter garden doesn't excite me as much as the summer one did (not a big veggie eater, but I love cucumbers, tomatoes, and capsicums) but I'm still going to make a go of it. This is our first year doing SFG and I'm interested to see how it works over the colder weather.

Looking forward to reading what everybody else is up to!

Hi Daisyhill,
Welcome to the forum. It is interesting to hear what you are growing. I have put in similar things for winter. Keep us posted how your plants produce.
It is so much different to the northern hemisphere where they get covered in snow and have a shorter season in summer.
How big is your garden ?
I have 126 squares in 7 beds with about half still with summer veg's and the rest in winter things.
I have been appointed as regional host for Aus and NZ so will try to put up some interesting discussion topics from time to time.
There are a few photos of my garden in the "gallery" section on the forum, would love to see some of your garden sometime.
Off on holiday for 10 days so look forward to hearing more of your garden soon.
Cheers Ray

Hi there,

I live in New Plymouth and have been SFG for eight years now. I'm currently in the throws of shifting my gardens from the city to a life style block so I'm building three new 6m x 1.2m SFGs and once they are all up and running I will be adding 3 more SFGs of the same size giving me a total of 480 sq ft of SFG.

It is currently May and this week I plan to sow into the new beds, seeds of Broad beans, Cabbage, carrots, Cress, Kale, Lettuce, Onions, Salad leaves such as Mizuna/Mesclun mix, Spinach, Spring Onions, Radish and Silverbeet. Sue B.

Hi Sue B
Nice to hear about your winter sowing plans. We really do have an advantage over the northern countries.
I notice you have been sfg gardening for 8 years, have you any suggestions for new gardeners with what you have learnt over the years ?
Ray

daisyhill wrote:I'm trying to figure that out myself, today! The long weekend seems like the perfect opportunity to rip out a few of the summer plants that I've given up on, and sort out a few seedlings for the winter.

I'm going to sort out my sprawling strawberry bed and plant some of the runners in their own squares. We did 1m2 of strawberries this year and they were amazing, so I'm going to expand that to 2m2 for next year.

Other than that, the following are on the agenda:
- onions
- leeks
- silverbeet
- cabbage
- carrots
- and probably a couple of other things that catch my eye at the garden centre

The winter garden doesn't excite me as much as the summer one did (not a big veggie eater, but I love cucumbers, tomatoes, and capsicums) but I'm still going to make a go of it. This is our first year doing SFG and I'm interested to see how it works over the colder weather.

Looking forward to reading what everybody else is up to!

Congratulations Daisyhill on the photo comp. I am envious of the hat, will order one when they are available.
Cheers Ray