2026 The Central Otago Summer That Never Was

2026 The Central Otago Summer That Never Was

This was a summer for the books!

It is the first summer I haven't been inundated with produce from the garden. Things have been coming quite slowly; nothing is going crazy with excess.

There are bonuses for the slow and steady growth, though—coriander is still coming in without bolting in the heat, and the courgettes have been slow and steady, so I'm not struggling to find things to use them in.

But because of the lack of sun and heat, things just aren't where they would normally be at this time of year.

The tomatoes are still sitting there green, and the stone fruit has been lacking in flavour and, with the rain, is susceptible to some brown rot, which is normal with the warm, moist temperatures.

But there are plenty of bonuses for the cooler days, one of them being the lack of pests this summer, which I am happy about.

I have seen very little evidence of aphids, caterpillars, and other issues I've had in previous summers.

I'm thinking that the flowers I've planted over the years are finally doing what they should by masking the yumminess, and the benefits of increased pollinator activity are working too.

The cooler weather has also been great for any fungal issues the warm weather can bring. The courgettes haven't shown any signs of the dusty leaves which restrict flower production, which then turn into fruit.

Over the break at Christmas, I dug up the garlic which I had planted on the shortest day in June, and I laid it to dry in the garden shed because I didn't trust the weather to be dry enough.

After 10 days of drying, I processed what I was going to keep for next season's planting, and the smaller ones I kept for use in the kitchen. I managed to get over 180 bulbs, and of those, I've kept 50 for next season. I was very happy with how everything turned out; the sizes were great, and with no losses, it was a great outcome.

I will start thinking about the next bed for the garlic in about April and will probably put it into the bed that had the rocket and beans from this season.

So with the season just ticking along, there are some things you can be doing now and some things you need to be keeping an eye on.

With the potential of a summer that could roll on for longer, we can't get sloppy about the watering and feeding of our beds. Keep up the routine of watering every couple of days; it may be cloudy outside, but your gardens still need moisture.

As for feeding, this is the perfect weather to give everything a weekly feed. It will be hugely beneficial for your gardens to give them some extra love.

I continue to sow leafy greens—spinach, rocket, and pick-again lettuces.

The herbs are looking great. The basil hasn't gone crazy, but because I planted about 10 plants, it means I can rotate each plant.

The beginning of the fruit season has come in, and I have processed it for the freezer so when I have some downtime over winter, I can turn it into some goodness that reminds me of those summer days. Don't get me wrong, I have eaten my body weight in peaches, but the freezer is not lacking them, that's for sure.

Don't be afraid to preserve your excess produce in any way that works for you. I use our dehydrator quite a bit, and the preserving shelf is slowly filling up with bottles and jars of tasty goods. I also love to have frozen fruit in the freezer for baking, which brings in summer brightness on even the most gloomy winter's day.