The Fruit & Vegetable Garden Pull out spent tomatoes, bean vines and corn etc. Plant winter cabbages, caulis and other members of the Brassica family – it’s best to dig through Living Earth Compost to break up compacted soils and help retain moisture. Avoid high nitrogen fertilisers as they can encourage sappy, weak growth – […]
By Ginny Clayton It never ceases to amaze me the way nature has found ways to put the herbal properties in plants. Here are some of the herbs with different ways the properties are found. Stevia (the sugar herb) is an easy one to start with- it is such a great help to people who […]
Autumn is the time to look to your lawns and do a bit of work as needed. Thatch is a problem in most lawns and needs to be removed. It is the buildup of debris on the surface of the soil and when thatch is left to build up, it can cause all sorts of […]
Autumn is a great time to garden so get out there and enjoy it. It is the last chance to sow or plant any winter vegetables and flowers. This is really only for the next few weeks and after that it is likely a waste of time as they will not mature in winter and […]
As a fruiting plant the Feijoa has to be at the top of my “favourites” list. It requires minimal attention to produce good quantities of fruit every year; is free of most pests and diseases; and requires littlespraying. Supply ample food and water and it will perform. There are a number of types of Feijoa […]
This season tomatoes have grown wonderfully well- the La Nina weather pattern has certainly suited them this year! I grew several new varieties of heirlooms this year and am particularly impressed with one called Hungarian Heart. I have known of this one for a while but was only able to find seed last year. It […]
You may be aware that, in July last year, Department of Conservation and MAF Biosecurity New Zealand declared rainbow skink (Lampropholis delicata) an Unwanted Organism (UO) under the Biosecurity Act 1993. The declaration was based largely on the risk posed to native lizards from competition for resources with this invasive Australian skink. Rainbow skinks are […]
Peter from Touchstone Garden centre in Gisborne has reported a major problem with an algae type plant coming into the garden centre presumably on a plant and although it was problematic last year, it is now out of control. Land Care Research has identified it as a species of cyanobacterium Nostoc, possibly N Commune. It […]
