What to plant in a New Zealand vegetable garden in April
Lamb’s lettuce aka corn salad or mache
We’re on the road into winter, but there’s still plenty of food to grow in the garden in April.
Words: Jane Wrigglesworth
PLANT COLD HARDY GREENS
Sow mesclun, rocket, corn salad (lamb’s lettuce), spinach and Asian greens (mizuna, mibuna and giant red mustard). All are cold-hardy, but if frosts come early in your area, sow in pots that can be positioned in a warm, sheltered spot, or use a cloche.
SOW KALE DIRECTLY
Give it an open site in fertile, well-drained, but moisture- retentive soil. Kale doesn’t like acidity, so add lime before planting if necessary. The more compost or aged manure you can incorporate into the soil, the better. The less fertile the soil, the more bitter the leaves.
GIVE THE LAST OF THE SUMMER CROPS SOME EXTRA LOVE
The late summer harvest will continue in many areas, but it will have slowed down. Encourage your tomatoes and capsicums to ripen by applying a dark-coloured plastic mulch over warm soil.
PLANT ROOT CROPS
Sow seeds of carrots, beetroot, radishes and spring onions.
MAKE AN ALL-PURPOSE INSECTICIDE FROM HOMEGROWN PLANTS
Place equal quantities of chopped mint, onion, garlic and lavender (a natural insecticide) flowers and stems in a bucket of water. Leave for 24 hours, strain, then spray on plants.
DIG UP THE LAST THE SPUDS
Dig up the last of your potatoes. If there’s any hint of disease in your patch, throw the foliage in the bin rather than the compost to prevent disease spreading. Bring the spuds to the surface and leave exposed for a few hours. Don’t leave them out overnight or slugs and snails will have a field day. Place in thick paper or hessian sacks and store in a cool spot. Be careful not to bruise potatoes when harvesting as this encourages rot to develop.
PLANT A GREEN MANURE CROP IN YOUR VACANT POTATO PATCH
Green manures are dug into the ground before flowering to return nutrients to the soil. Mustard is ideal following potatoes. It’s quick growing and can be turned into the soil in July or August, giving it time to decompose (5-6 weeks) and enrich the soil before spring planting begins. Mustard is a brassica so avoid following it with other brassicas.
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This article first appeared in NZ Lifestyle Block Magazine.
