Well gardeners, its mid February already and the last month of summer, not that it has seemed much like summer for most of us over the last couple of months, but that’s the weather for you. Now is time to look around your annual flowering plants in containers and gardens to see what is going […]
The met service has reported that we had the warmest August ever since records began with about 1.5 degrees above average, which does not seem a much on those odd cold days, but for a lot of insect pests it means an early arrival. A good hard, cold winter takes its toll on insect populations […]
Last season a number of gardeners lost potato and tomato crops to an insect called the potato psyllid which releases a toxin into the plants and causes the young potatoes or tomatoes not to grow much larger than a marble. My suggested treatment is a combination of Neem Tree Granules and sprays of Neem Tree […]
Plant a native tree in honour of your dog’s memory Presently 60 plots have been sectioned off and marked on a map to be sold to owners of pets who want to plant a native tree in memory of their beloved furry family member and best friend.
Increasing Demand for Fruit Trees Recent reports from nurseries and garden centres indicate that there is a big demand for fruit trees this season. This is not surprising, as many people have returned to growing their own food crops to save money, to become more self-
May is one of my favourite times of the year when the days are still warm, the evenings a tad chilly but most importantly all my berry bushes are producing at an astounding rate. I had great ambitions to make jams and jellies and cute little cup cakes filled with berries. So what went wrong? […]
A new insect pest is attacking tomatoes, potatoes and related crops in New Zealand gardens. The tomato/potato psyllid from North America was first found in New Zealand in 2006, and is still spreading throughout the country. The psyllid can transmit a bacterium, Liberibacter, that is believed to cause the disease ‘psyllid yellows’ in tomatoes and […]
March 1st is officially the beginning of autumn and a signal to vege gardeners that we are moving onto the next season. No no no! I’m not ready to start thinking about soups and stews yet! Hopefully it will be a long summer like last year. Have you noticed little brown moths on your beans […]
