Planting Time !!

A big thank you to all the Eco-Warriors who came down and helped prepare our garden beds today. It was great to add to our already growing edible garden!

AVOCADOS WITH TOMATOES AND BALSAMIC DRESSING

Prep time: 10 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 just-ripe avocados
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• Balsamic Dressing:
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• ½ tsp sugar
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Method         

• To make Balsamic Dressing shake together all ingredients in a small jar.
• When you are ready to eat, halve the avocados and remove the stones.
• Quarter the cherry tomatoes.
• Pile into the avocado cavities, drizzle with Balsamic Dressing and serve.

TOMATO GROWING GUIDE

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In sandwiches or salads, roasted or plucked straight from the vine – tomatoes take pride of place in every Kiwi’s garden over the summer months, no matter how you choose to enjoy yours. Plant in your garden beds, pots and containers and you’ll be harvesting a bumper crop of homegrown tomatoes this summer!

PREPARE

• Once the cold weather has passed, and the soils have warmed up its time to plant tomatoes. Labour weekend is known as the traditional tomato planting time but tomato seedlings are usually available in garden centres from August.
• Choose a variety that suits how you like to enjoy your tomatoes.
• The better the soil, the better your plants will grow. If you are starting with an existing garden bed dig in organic matter like sheep pellets and Tui Compost to your soil. Then you can add a layer of Tui Tomato Mix, specifically formulated with extra potassium to encourage a plentiful harvest of big juicy fruit. When planting several tomatoes at once, it is just as easy to add a layer of Tui Tomato Mix to the whole area before planting.
• It’s best practice not to plant your tomatoes in the same spot as last season, or in the same spot as potatoes were planted as diseases can remain in the soil and affect your new crop. If planting in pots and containers use Tui Tomato Mix.

PLANT

• If you’re growing from seed rather than seedlings, you’ll need to get started about a month earlier to give your seeds time to grow. The best times to plant are early in the morning or late in the day, so the plantsaren’t exposed to the hot sun straight away.
• Always water plants well before and after planting.
• Stake your tomatoes when planting to provide support and avoid damaging the roots later on.
• As your tomatoes grow, remove the laterals to encourage bigger and better fruit. Laterals are the shoots that grow out from the side of the stem.

Directions for planting in garden beds:

• Choose a sunny position.
• Fill a bucket with water and add two capfuls of Seasol, a seaweed based plant tonic which promotes strong root growth and reduces transplant shock.
• Soak seedlings in the bucket of Seasol, ensuring the container is fully submerged. Wait for the bubbles to stop before removing from the bucket.
• Dig a hole, approximately twice the size of the root ball of your plant.
• Partly fill the hole with Tui Tomato Mix.
• Gently loosen the root ball of your plant and position the plant in the centre of the hole.
• Fill in with Tui Tomato Mix.
• Press soil gently around the base of the plant.
• Water your plant well.

Directions for planting in pots and containers:

• Fill a bucket with water and add two capfuls of Seasol, a seaweed based plant tonic which promotes strong root growth and reduces transplant shock.
• Soak seedlings in the bucket of Seasol, ensuring the container is fully submerged. Wait for the bubbles to stop before removing from the bucket.
• Partly fill your container with Tui Tomato Mix.
• Gently loosen the root ball of your plant and position the plant in the centre of the container.
• Fill your container with Tui Tomato Mix up to 3cm from the top.
• Tap the container gently on the ground to settle the mix.
• Press soil gently around the base of the plant.
• Water your plant well.

NOURISH

• Feed your plants and they will feed you. Plants use nutrients from the soil as they grow, so replenishing the nutrients ensures your plants grow to their full potential. For tomatoes planted in garden beds feed every four weeks during key growth periods of spring and summer.
• Tui Tomato Food is a blend of nitrogen, phosphorus and a generous amount of potassium formulated to promote the growth and fruiting potential of all types of tomatoes. For tomatoes in pots and containers use Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser.
• Well watered, well nourished tomatoes will have a better chance of keeping insect pests and diseases at bay.

PROTECT

• The weather, weeds, pest insects and diseases can all impact on the success of your garden. Protect your plants from the elements with layers of Tui Pea Straw Mulch, to help keep their roots moist in the warmer months, to keep fruit off the soil and to help keep your garden weed free.
• Be vigilant and stop unwanted insects and diseases from ruining your plants. The Tui Plant Protection range will help you put a stop to any problems that arise. Aphids, whitefly, scale and two-spotted mite, are common insects which effect tomatoes, and can be controlled with Tui Insect Control for Fruit & Veges. Treat powdery mildew on tomatoes withTui Disease Control for Fruit & Veges.
• Also, birds love juicy tomatoes – put up netting to protect yours.

Gardening Guide - September

The soil is warming up and the sun is staying around longer. Everything is now coming to life for spring. This is a busy time for gardeners who will be sowing, planting and fertilising their edible gardens.

SPECIAL ATTENTION

• Prepare the soil, giving all areas a good digging over. Fertilise and remove any winter weeds.
• Mound-up earth around asparagus spears.
• Prepare pumpkin and squash areas. Apply Tui Compost and Tui Super Sheep Pellets into deep holes and fill with extra soil to make fertile trenches for the curcubits to grow in.

SOW

• September is a busy month for seed sowing and planting. Stay on top of things by using your diary to note when seeds are planted.
• Sow a few lettuce seeds every couple of weeks for a continuous supply.
• Plant seeds for basil, bergamot, borage, chamomile, chives, coriander, dill, parsley and thyme.
• Plant more early potatoes now in a different row.
• Sow artichokes, asparagus, broad beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, eggplants, Florence fennel, garlic, leek, onions, parsley, parsnip, peas, silver beet, spinach, tomatoes and turnip.
• Towards the end of the month, if you live in a warmer climate, make a sowing of French, butter and runner beans.

TRANSPLANT

• Plant out cabbage, cauliflower and silver beet from early sowings.
• Early sown tomato seeds grown under glass can be transplanted and hardened off now.
• Make sure to protect seedlings from cold and unpredictable weather. Keep seedlings in containers to be quickly moved if bad weather approaches.
• Take root cuttings of rhubarb now.  Rhubarb likes to be divided up to go on producing more plants.  Use well-established plants and plant these deep in the ground. Water well through the summer.

PROTECT

• Check around the plants for the pupae of whitefly or other bugs. If you find evidence of these pests, hose down the plants first and then apply neem oil and garlic spray.

FERTILISE

• Apply liquid fertilisers to leafy plants as the spring growth comes through. Not too much though, as the plants are still busy utilising the food stores from winter.

HARVEST

• September is still early for main crops but if planted well there is always something to harvest.
• Asparagus spears are starting to appear. Keep picking these to keep the crop coming on.
• Beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, cabbages, kale, leeks, parsnips, silver beet and turnips are all ready this month.
• Pick mizuna leaves that were grown through July and August.

Growing Microgreens!

Quick, easy and super tasty, microgreens are crops that the whole family can grow and enjoy without leaving the comfort of indoors. Plant a range of salad crops, herbs and Asian greens and watch mouthfuls of fresh healthy microgreens come up in a matter of days! Here's a step by step guide as seen on the Tui Garden Project on Annabel Langbein's show Through the Seasons.

Shopping list: Annabel Langbein Microgreen Goodness Seed Mix, Tui Seed Raising Mix, Seasol , a wooden tray and weed mat (optional).

DIRECTIONS FOR GROWING MICROGREENS:

1. Good options to include when growing microgreens are radish, beetroot, peas, rocket, cress, mizuna, basil and bok choy. Try the Annabel Langbein Microgreen Goodness Seed Mix, which includes beetroot, cress, radish and rocket.
2. Select a container – a wooden box or seed raising tray at least 10cm deep will work well, and line with a piece of weed mat to help keep the soil in the container.
3. Fill your container with Tui Seed Raising Mix, a light, free draining mix specially blended to provide ideal conditions for germinating seeds and seedling establishment.
4. Pat the Tui Seed Raising Mix down lightly in the container to compact it to create a smooth base.
5. Lightly water the mix in the container.
6. Sprinkle seeds generously over the top of the Tui Seed Raising Mix. Planting densely ensures a mass of greens.
7. Gently press seeds down using your hands.
8. Cover seeds with a thin layer of Tui Seed Raising Mix.
9. Water well after planting and each day to keep moist and ensure healthy growth.

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!