Spring Fling Series: Emma Sage, Sage Journal

INTRODUCING

Emma Sage – 
Sage Journal

Sage is an online magazine and a place of storytelling through botanical and garden editorials and learning through seasonal and monthly gardening guides. Created by Emma Sage - full-time mum, writer, and creative. 

CONNECT WITH EMMA
Website: sagejournal.co.nz
Instagram: @sage.journal

Just like a spring clean of your house after the long winter, a similar approach can be taken in the garden. Tackle tasks bit-by-bit, getting your outdoors ready before summer arrives. 

The warmer weather sees us planting so many delicious flowers and edibles — fruit trees, berries, vegetables and herbs.

EDIBLE GARDENING

1. HARVEST
   Spring is a busy harvesting time in the vegetable garden, with all of the veggies you’ve been patiently watching grow through winter starting to come up for picking. Broad beans, avocados, citrus including tangelos and the spring-only vegetable - asparagus.

2. PREP
   Prepare soil for spring planting with compost and sheep manure/pellets. Mix them in with your existing topsoil as you plant, and add gypsum to help improve clay soils. Water well, then cover your soil with about 10cm of mulch to help retain the moisture. Now you can plant your vegetable seedlings and know they’ll have the nutrients they need to grow. 
   

3. COMPANION PLANT
   Combining plants in the same area of a garden for mutual benefit helps with boosting plant growth, natural pest control and the general health of your garden. You can add them in orderly rows between your crops, or spread them wildly throughout the garden. Whichever style you prefer, companion plants will benefit your garden (and look pretty too).  
   

   FUN FACTS:

   — French marigolds release chemical compounds (thiopenes) which smell repels tiny root-eating roundworms (nematodes) that feed on vegetable plants like tomatoes. 

   — Bright, open flowers like sunflowers, cosmos and calendula attract pollinating bees and other beneficial insects (like ladybirds) whose larvae feed on pesky aphids.

4. PLANT

   ROOTS

   Beetroot, Radishes, Carrots, Celeriac

   BRASSICAS

   Cabbage, Cauli, Broccoli, Pak choi, Kohlrabi

   SALAD GREENS

   Lettuces, Mizuna, Rocket, Spinach, Silverbeet

   TUBERS

   Jerusalem artichokes, Potatoes, Kumara

   HERBS

   Basil, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, thyme, fennel

   OTHER

   Spring onions, Capsicums, Chillies, Cucumbers, Eggplants, Globe artichokes, Sweetcorn, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Beans, Peas, Celery, Leeks, Onions, Rhubarb

   FRUIT

   Citrus, Passionfruit, Stonefruit, Berries, Tamarillo, Apples, Pears

IN THE PICKING GARDEN

1. PLANT

   There are so many things able to be planted at the moment! Try planting some of these bountiful bloomers:
   BULBS
   Dahlias, gladioli
   ANNUALS
   Cosmos, sweet peas, sunflowers, poppies, marigolds, nasturtiums, nemesia, snapdragons
   PERENNIALS
   Lavender, salvia, alyssum, calendula, lobelia, geranium
   SHRUBS
   Camellias, michelias, daphne, hydrangeas
   

2. PICK
   Camellias, daphne, daffodils, tulips, freesias, anemones, poppies, orchids and stock.
   

3. BEE FRIENDLY
   Spring is an easy time to do something good for the bees. To help the bees out, plant some of these: marigolds, poppies, zinnia, cosmos, hollyhocks, fox gloves, nasturtiums, salvia, alyssum, nemesia, calendula, lobelia, borage, lavender, geranium, sweet peas and sunflowers.

READ FULL SPRING GARDENING GUIDE - https://www.sagejournal.co.nz/stories/spring-gardening-guide

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