This December plant annuals, de-head flowers and try growing soy beans.

Words: Jane Bellerby

• Plant out annuals to fill any gaps and provide ongoing colour once the first spring flush is over in the garden.

• Feed lilies as they approach flowering time.

• De-head spent flowers throughout the garden to encourage continued blooming.

• Keep all plants, both ornamental and edible, growing steadily as the weather continues to warm with the application of liquid fertiliser or a few handfuls of compost, aged manure or blood and bone.

• Make liquid fertiliser by adding weeds to a drum, topping it up with water and leaving it to ‘work’ for about a month. Keep it covered (but not airtight) to keep out flies. Stir every couple of days and serve to your plants diluted to the colour of weak tea.

• Consider gifts from the garden as the festive season approaches; potted plants, herbs (fresh or dried), wreaths, bottled liquid fertiliser etc.

• Hardly a task, but remember to take the time to enjoy your garden. Walk in it, read, sleep, play in it and simply sit and enjoy.

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HOW TO GROW SOY BEANS

Soybean seeds are available in home garden and cropping quantities from Kings Seeds (www.kingsseeds.co.nz)

Conditions: add good quality compost to well-drained, loose soil.

Sow: late spring – early summer, when soil temperature is above 15°C, 3cm deep if soil is heavy, 5cm deep if light, 8-10cm apart, rows 45-60cm apart in full sun. Make sure all threat of frost has passed – soybeans prefer daytime temperatures above 20°C – and keep soil moist until germination.

Days to germinate: 5-7 days

Thin: cut smaller seedlings off using scissors so plants are 10-15cm apart.

Care: keep well watered during flowering (around 4-5 weeks after planting) and as pods are forming (around 6-7 weeks after planting), mulch well.

Height at maturity: 75cm

Harvest – edamame: Day 45+or so, depending on variety

Harvest – soybeans: Day 90-100 or so, depending on variety. Wait for leaves to turn yellow, then brown, then fall to the ground. Pods should be brown.

Harvest on a fine day – cut plants off at the base (leave the roots in the soil as they will be full of nitrogen-fixing bacteria) and hang dried plants/pods in a dry, cool place like a garage or porch.

If you want to store your soybeans – they are dry enough to store when one breaks apart when you bite it – you can thresh them by putting them in a sack, then beating it with a stick to separate the beans from the pods. Winnow by dropping beans/pods from a standing height, using a light breeze or fan to blow away debris. Store in a cool dry place and turn sacks weekly to help prevent weevils. If you live in a humid area, you need to control the humidity to stop the beans sprouting prematurely.

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