Vegetable Gardeners Diary - August

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Many keen gardeners will be tempted to get out into their vegetable patch. In cold areas, however, it's still best to wait until the soils warm up and the worst of the frosts have finished.

Working or digging wet soil does it more damage then good. Once the soil becomes compacted, it is very hard for air and water to move through it, which limits root growth and reduces the ability of plants to establish themselves. In areas where the soil isn't too boggy, blend in compost and Tui Super Sheep Pellets in preparation for the upcoming growing season. Dig in cover crops such as mustard and lupin seed. These plants will rot down in a matter of weeks, adding nutrients and organic matter to the soil.

SPECIAL ATTENTION

• Broad beans - stake or support plants as they grow.
• Lettuces - early-season lettuces and other salad crops can be planted under poly tunnels or protective cloches. Slugs and snails find the seedlings very tasty, so lay Tui Quash slug & snail control to deter them.
• Potatoes - begin sprouting seed potatoes. Remember that most potato crops take about three months to mature, so need to be in the ground in September for a Christmas harvest. Always choose certified seed potatoes. These are specifically selected to thrive in the home garden and guaranteed to be free of viruses and pests that affect potatoes.

SOW

Beans (dwarf, runner and butter, under glass or outside in frost-free areas only), broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, chervil, lettuces, leeks, mesclun, mizuna, radishes, rocket, spinach, silverbeet.

PLANT

Beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflowers, celery, kale, mizuna, silverbeet, spinach, coriander, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme.

PROTECT

Lay Tui Quash slug & snail control to control these pests and spray aphids andwhitefly with Tui Insect Control for Fruit & Veges as they start to reappear in warmer areas.

FERTILISE

Blend Tui Vegetable Food into garden beds prior to spring planting. Mix Tui Potato Food into garden beds before planting seed potatoes.

HARVEST

Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, celery, kale, leeks, winter lettuces, mizuna, parsnips, rocket, silverbeet, spinach.

Carrot Cake Muffins!

Again a big thank you to Kylie and Matt who worked with the Eco-warrior leaders today to make some very yummy carrot cake muffins!

Vegetable Gardeners Diary - July

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In warmer areas of the country, the first lots of vegetable seeds can be started under glass, but do not sow outside as the soil is probably still too cold and damp. In cooler areas, try growing a few leafy green crops such as spinach, silverbeet or kale in pots and containers close to home.

Damp soils and cool temperatures encourage mildew and damping-off problems, so in cooler parts of the country wait another month or two until conditions improve before sowing. Instead, use your spare time to sharpen and clean all your garden tools ready for use in spring. Stock up on garden shed essentials such as fertilisers, Tui Quash slug & snail control, string, stakes, seed trays and Tui Seed Raising Mix in preparation for seed sowing and transplanting.

SPECIAL ATTENTION

• Asparagus - lift and divide overcrowded asparagus beds and plant out new crowns.
• Broad beans -  stake or support plants as they grow.
• Potatoes - now is the time to start sprouting new season seed potatoes ready for planting in August or September. Always choose certified seed potatoes, such as Tui Certified Seed Potatoes, as these are specifically selected to thrive in the home garden and guaranteed to be free of viruses and pests that affect potatoes. Prepare potato beds ready for planting by digging over the soil to a depth of 30cm. Next, add plenty of compost or Tui Super Sheep Pellets. Blend in Tui Potato Food to soil prior to planting.
• Herbs - hardy herbs such as thyme, rosemary and bay tree can be planted in winter. Plant in Tui Herb Mix.

SOW

• Mesclun, mizuna, rocket, silverbeet, spinach, coriander.

PLANT

• Beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflowers, celery, garlic, kale, mizuna, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, coriander, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme.

FERTILISE

• Blend Tui Vegetable Food into garden beds prior to planting garlic and shallots. Mix potato fertiliser into garden beds before planting seed potatoes.

PROTECT

• Lay Tui Quash slug & snail control stop these pests munching on your plants.

HARVEST

• Beetroot, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, celery, horseradish, kale, leeks, winter lettuces, mizuna, parsnips, yams.

Regional variation: remember that there will be differences between crop timings depending on where you live and the variety of vegetables grown. Always factor in climatic differences when sowing, planting and harvesting.

• Vegetable Gardener's Diary

Rhubarb Fizz

A huge thank you to Kylie & Matt who have been working with the Eco-Warriors over the past two weeks making some very yummy rhubarb fizz!

Gardeners Diary - May

This month in the fruit garden, the harvest period is coming to a close for pip and stone fruit and is just beginning for feijoas.

PICK

Feijoa, quince, apples, pears, rhubarb, passionfruit.

PLANT

Plant evergreen, frost-hardy fruits such as feijoa and Chilean guavas. See theTui Feijoa Growing Guide for more information.
Remember fruit requires a position in full sun. Shelter from prevailing winds is preferable.

TASKS

General

• Collect and compost any rotting fruit from under fruit trees.
• Check harvested fruit to make sure nothing is rotting, remove fruit as soon as its starts to decay.
• The rot can quickly spread throughout a whole harvest within a week or two.

Protect

• Aphids, whitefly and scale insects may be about, spray with Tui Insect Control for Fruit & Veges to control.

Weeds

• Keep orchards and the areas around fruit trees weed free.
• Only use weed sprays that are non-residual near fruit trees.

Mulch

• Add a layer of Tui Mulch & Feed around the base of fruit trees, to keep the soil warmer over the winter months and keep the area weed free.
• As the mulch rots down it adds nutrients to the soil as well.

Passionfruit coconut Tart

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Use up the last of your autumn passionfruit harvests with Janene's Passionfruit Coconut Tart, a delicious sweet treat for the cooler months.

INGREDIENTS:

• 400gm sweet short pastry
• 1½ cups coconut cream
• 1 cup dessicated coconut
• 4 eggs
• ½ a cup sugar
• ½ a cup passionfruit pulp

METHOD: 

1. Heat oven to 190 degrees C.
2. Grease a 23cm tart dish.
3. Roll pastry to fit base and sides.
4. Blend eggs, sugar, pulp, coconut and cream.
5. Pour into pastry shell.
6. Bake at 190 degrees for about 35 minutes or until set.

Delicious warm or cold!

FLOWER GARDENER'S DIARY - APRIL

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Make the most of the autumn plant sales, most garden centres have a massive sale at this time of year to make way for new season's plants.

Autumn is nature's planting time as the soils are warm and moist. Plants have the winter to settle their roots into the soil ready to bloom beautifully in the spring.

PICK:

• Scabious, Peruvian lily, poppies, marguerite daisy, statice, Japanese anemones, roses, coreopsis, echinacea, strawflowers, dahlias, lilies, sweet peas, gypsophila, cosmos, zinnia, pineapple lily, agapanthus, hydrangeas.

SOW:

• Bellis, polyanthus, violas, primula, pansies, flowering kale, poppies, wildflowers, gazania, dianthus.

PLANT:

• Bulbs: It's not too late to plant bulbs for spring flowering. Fertilise existing ones with Tui Bulb Food. Watch the Tui Time Bulb Growing Guide for more information.
• Plant autumn hanging baskets with: bellis, lobelia, polyanthus, flowering kale, primula, violas, snapdragons, wildflowers, sweet william, cineraria.

JOBS TO DO:

• Prune back summer flowering perennials and bulbs that have finished for the season, to tidy up garden borders and beds.
• Lift and divide over-grown perennials.
• Save and dry seeds of summer flowers for sowing in the spring.

NOURISH:

• Apply Tui Bulb Food to bulbs already in the ground.
• Apply a side dressing of Novatec to shrub borders and flower gardens.

PROTECT:

• Add thick layers of Tui Mulch & Feed or Tui Pea Straw Mulch to garden beds and pots to conserve water, reduce weeds and add valuable nutrients back to the soil. Mulching also keeps your garden looking tidy and cared for!
• Aphids and whitefly are all still moving about now, particularly if the weather is still very warm. Be vigilant and spray with Tui Insect Control for Flowers as soon as they appear and again a few days later to kill eggs that hatch.
• Lay Quash every few weeks to keep slugs and snails at bay.