What to Plant in July in New Zealand

 Dearest Gentle Reader ! (Yes I just finished watching Bridgerton season 3 )

It's winter in July in New Zealand and probably the last thing you would want to do is venture outside your duvet however you would be surprised to know winter months can be extremely productive in garden too if you are up for it. So before diving deep into your Netflix watchlist - grab your gloves - sorry I meant hot chocolate and read my article this week to unlock the hidden potential of your July Garden. I will provide my picks on Fruits, Flowers & Veggies - depending on your preference you can plan your Winter Space.

Fruits

Plant your berries - This is a great time for planting strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. Getting them early will not only give you more fruits but also they will start fruiting earlier. If you are doing it for the first time - I would recommend to get some seedlings from Mitre 10 or King's Plant Barn or your favourite local store - it would cost your around $3-$4 each. Otherwise if you are interested to start from scratch here is a guide. Winter is a good time to plant fruit trees as well – apple, apricot, citrus, nectarine, plum and peaches. Also harvest grapefruit, lemons, kiwifruit, mandarins, tamarillos, oranges. 

Veggies

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, leeks, lettuce varieties, parsnips, peas, radishes, silver beet, and spinach can all be successfully sown during this period.However, it's crucial to consider the long-term plan for your garden. As July draws to a close, strategically planning your forthcoming summer vegetable garden becomes essential. It's important to remember everything takes lots of time to grow so you need to have a immense of patience for eg. broccoli requires approximately three months to reach harvest.

Flowers

Celosia

My first pick would be wallflowers : These flowers come in shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple and bloom from late winter to early spring. I have the purple variation it blooms beautifully at the start of spring every year. Next in my list is Calendula : These cheerful daisy-like flowers come in lots of shades too and bloom throughout most of the year, including winter in New Zealand. This winter we got Celosia - they are vibrant annual plants that produce feathery, fire like plumes in brilliant shades of red, yellow, scarlet and orange. Once established they are very low maintenance. Also this is a great time to prune your roses and hydrangeas to prepare them for Spring.

So that's all for today. Comment for any other topic you want me to cover in my blog. See you again next week  - till then take care and follow me in on instagram for more planty fun.