Glass half full or half empty, the weather has been a blessing and a curse in our garden

Has anyone else noticed how quickly grass and leaves flourish after a long-awaited downpour? My former boss, Graeme, a turf specialist, had a theory that rain released nitrogen in the atmosphere and activated fertiliser in the soil. Obvious, I guess. For us workers, it meant mowing the same patch of grass three times a week instead of once or twice.

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Unfortunately, extra nitrogen also activates weeds. But you know my philosophy on that. Keep showing weeds the door before they take control. Pull them every time you notice them or as you walk past. A little and often.

I’m also hoping the wind has kept the bane of my life, codling moths, at bay. I held off hanging my pheromone traps in the apple and pear trees because of the wind and rain, but maybe this weekend they’ll go out.

Two other surprising discoveries I made after the downpours were a mass of raspberries and the appearance of a self-seeded avocado. The vines have actually managed to suppress the weeds but are going to need some netting to protect against hungry birds, which have been kept at bay by the wind and rain.

The avocado emerged from the weeds growing over a former compost site where a seed may have been thrown. Avocados are one of the easiest seeds to germinate, but the seedlings can take up to 10 years to fruit, and the resulting avocados may be of poor quality.

The tropical rain presented the opportunity to sow pumpkin and beans straight into the ground. But no more rain, thanks, the soil is becoming waterlogged. Word from our friends in the south earlier in the week was that it was safe to plant out now in the traditionally cooler areas as well. But then that late cold blast stung.

I planted the pumpkin seeds about 2cm deep. If planting directly into the garden, sow two or three seeds in groups 1m apart, then thin to the strongest plant once seeds germinate. I grow in full sun in well drained soil that has been enriched with compost.

While not a fan of beans, my 90-year-old father is, especially broad beans which I detest. Beans are an easy and rewarding crop for home gardeners.They germinate quickly, are relatively pest-free, and there are multiple varieties worth growing, whether you want to eat them fresh or dry them for winter soups and stews, and homemade baked beans. Plus, climbing beans have a long cropping period, with plants producing for up to three months. Climbing beans take up relatively little space as they grow vertically up trellises or teepees, or over arched supports.

If you grow the perennial scarlet runner beans, when you see the plants pop out of the ground, you’ll know it's warm enough to start your other beans from seed. Beans require soil to be 18 degrees Celsius or warmer for optimum germination. If nights are still noticeably cold where you are, then wait.

Direct sow beans about 2-3cm deep. Space climbing beans about 10-15cm apart at the base of a wall, trellis or wigwam. Space dwarf beans about 7-10cm apart in rows about 50cm apart.

Beans like free-draining soil in a moderately hot (but not too hot) part of the garden. In cooler places, give them a spot with full day sun, but in warmer places they may benefit from a little shade during the hottest part of the day. Choose a location that's sheltered from the wind too, especially for tall climbing beans, as the stalks can be brittle.

Apart from keeping the irrigation up, beans don't really need a lot of extra care and attention as they grow; but you can give them a boost with a side dressing of fertiliser or a fortnightly liquid plant food whey they start flowering.

Golden Bay organic gardener Sol Morgan knows about battling unfriendly garden weather, like heavy rain and gales, and that's why he's prepared.

Sol has been gardening since his mum gave him his own plot, aged seven, so he could participate in the agricultural club at school. He went on to do a Bachelor in Horticultural Science at Lincoln majoring in soils and biological husbandry – "the closest you could get to an organic degree in the late 1980s," he says.

So, naturally, he's prepared. "The vege garden has been planned well to channel the flowing water that came off the field further up the valley," he says.

"Raised beds then form a series of swales with water soaking into the paths as it spreads. And the beds are well mulched with hay from surrounding paddocks, so soil is well protected.

"And our sensitive transplanted crops, like eggplant, zucchinis and peppers, have mikroclima cloth over them to protect from heavy rain and cool nights - especially with the mountains so close."

They’re still sowing in punnets and have just sown more salads, especially varieties of lettuce that Sol loves like devils ear and salad bowl. Then there's the kale for autumn harvest. "It's good to get in early so it's big and can sustain prolonged regular picking," he says.

More broccoli and dwarf beans have also been sown in punnets for the summer harvest. "We get better results doing it this way as the cutworm grub would often eat young sprouting beans when we’ve direct sown."

There's also been a second sowing of sweetcorn, so there's a progression of harvest. They do three plantings during the summer season, he says.

"But we’re direct sowing carrots and beetroot - the two biggies as far as direct sowing goes. And I have a great carrot cross between Manchester table and Berlicum."

They’re also transplanting dwarf beans, cucumbers (lunch box as kids love them), more salads and herbs like basil 'sweet Genovese'.

And you’re currently eating? Broad beans (red flowered variety), conehead cabbage and broccoli Belstar F1. "I know it's a hybrid and saving seeds isn't reliable but this is a great variety for prolonged harvest. And we've left the re-sprouts in, which through thinning and re-feeding are now producing broccoli flowers."

Here's a simple idea, make a three-bin compost system with pallets. Add scraps/prunings to the left bin. When full, add to the far right bin. Transfer contents from first bin to middle bin every few days. You can usually get trellis from commercial market gardeners or pasture specialists like PGG Wrightson. They’re often more than happy for you to take them off their hands for repurpose. Or, they charge a nominal price.

This is the last day to plan for the fertile period ahead, November 25. It's time to start sowing for all above-ground producing plants, November 26-30. The first quarter is due on December 1. It's a busy time for all gardeners. The weather is warm and growth prolific. Sow and transplant leafy vegetables of all sorts. Don't prune anything just now.

This is the season heading to midsummer, and we work through a period known as matiti muramura when our red native trees flower, which pre-empts key fishing and planting conditions. Here the summer wife, Hine-Raumati, commands Rehua, the star Antares, and he becomes apparent through the midsummer haze which pre-empts the drying up of soil and vegetation. This is the most crucial period for understanding plant needs to survive drought and drying winds. Near the end of the month, you will notice early red berries such as porokaiwhiri (pigeonwood) or taupata (cosprosma) are ready and birds will be the first to find them. Red and blackcurrants in the garden will be ready at the same time. The full moon is on the 8th and whiro or the new moon is on the 23rd. So the period before Christmas, from midday on the 14th to the 20th, suits garden activities of all sorts. Ensure the last of your new plants are planted over this period. Then put your feet up for Christmas. Dr Nick Roskruge