how to know what to do and when around the garden

In an earlier post, I raised the question of how does one know what to do around the garden and when, but couldn’t explore this additional issue in depth in the same post.  I thought it might make a good topic for today’s post.  You may be a complete newbie to gardening and don’t know where to start.  This is perfectly fine.  Don’t forget we were all beginners once upon a time!  Once you’ve been gardening for awhile, you accumulate knowledge and start to know what you should be doing at different times of the year.  But even if you’re a seasoned gardener, you sometimes need to double-check the timing of sowing or planting flowers, veggies and herbs.  Or you might want to grow something new (this happened to me this spring when I sowed a variety of flowers from Egmont which I had never grown before and had to research them carefully).

Here is a list of helpful resources so you’ll always know what to grow and when for your climate:

•          Seed packets – this might sound very obvious, but check the back of seed packets for information about when to sow seeds in the first instance.  Some seed companies provide more information than others.  Yates Seeds are very good and the advice on the back of packets varies according to your region.  Egmont Seeds also had detailed advice on how to go about sowing the flowers mentioned above and I’m pleased to report excellent germination rates.  They have all since been planted into a flower bed and are flourishing.
•          Books – for me, the leading gardening text is the Yates Garden Guide.  This is my ultimate go-to book whenever I have any questions about gardening.  I have a copy at home and another at our bach, which I enjoy flicking through over the summer holidays to remind myself of the fundamentals
•          Magazines – my favourite is the NZ Gardener magazine, which contains a checklist of what you should be doing around the garden every month.  NZ Gardener also circulate a free weekly e-zine called Get Growing, which you can receive direct to your inbox.  This is one of the best ways to ensure you’re doing everything you should be at the right time of the year
•          NZ Gardener garden diary - the NZ Gardener releases a garden diary every year, which contains a list of what to sow and plant every month.  It’s a good idea to record when you sow seeds so you can refer back when you need to.  If things are not germinating, I often remind myself of when I sowed seed and this helps me to decide whether to give it more time or give up.  If you’re constantly sowing different seeds like me, not to mention engaged in so many different activities around the garden and life generally, you’ll never be able to remember when you sowed everything off the top of your head!
•          TV programmes – I don’t watch much TV these days, but gardening programmes can provide valuable information.  A number of years ago, I really enjoyed Annabel Langbein’s programme. 
•          Websites – Yates has lots of information about what to sow and grow year round on their website. If you have any further queries, you can send a message (they respond promptly) and sometimes even engage in live chat!  Another very good resource to check sowing times is   https://www.gardengrow.co.nz/.  Be sure to also check out garden centre websites.  Palmers and Kings Plant Barn have useful monthly task lists.
•          Garden Centre pamphlets – The Warehouse has a very useful monthly checklist of what to do around the garden, which is available in store in the gardening department.
•          Facebook groups – there are many groups dedicated to veggie gardening on Facebook.  The leading one is NZ Veggie Gardeners, but there are many smaller ones too.  You can post any questions and members often respond with helpful advice
•          Garden clubs – these can be an invaluable resource.  I used to belong to the Mangere-Franklin Garden Club, which met once a month.  By listening to talks and chatting to other members, you’ll always be in the know when it comes to gardening!
•          Experience – over the years, you’ll learn by doing.  To a large extent, gardening is experimental.  Find out what works in your unique microclimate, but be aware that with climate change, the seasons are never quite the same from year to year.  While you may develop a certain pattern when it comes to sowing, it doesn’t always guarantee success

​Today’s photo is of some tomatoes in hanging baskets, which I potted up today. I purchased these plants on clearance from Bunnings.  I intended to get a few more Tumbling Tom plants as I only have two that I raised from seed (Egmont).  As I walked into the garden centre, a staff member walked by with two terracotta pots containing fruiting plants with basil marked down to $5 each! One pot contained two plants, the other contained three.  These were at a much more advanced stage than the ones I had intended to purchase and a lot cheaper too.  I also have two lovely containers which can be reused and some basil which we will have tomorrow with (store bought) tomatoes for dinner.