Potassium Permanganate (Condy’s Crystals) has numerous uses in gardening as well as in other areas. I remember as a boy that if one had a sore throat a mild tincture of Condy’s Crystals would be made up to use as a gargle. This would hopefully kill the bacteria which was causing the sore throat. It […]
We’ve all heard how dark green leafy vege are packed with nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and K, folate, iron, calcium and fibre. The even better news is – they’re delicious in soups, healthy smoothies or as a side dish. If you haven’t got some sivlerbeet, spinach, coloured chard or kale ready to pick […]
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? […]
Time flies faster these days than it ever did when I was young; now its May already with only a few more weeks till the shortest day and the beginning of a new gardening year. May is the time to preserve and protect what we have in our gardens so that all will be in […]
It’s official, vege gardening is the hottest topic around and everyone is eager to know more! Last year, the Autumn home show surveys filled in by attendees indicated that vege gardening was the No.1 interest that people wanted to find out more about. In response to that Patch from Scratch were invited to exhibit there […]
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 […]
Stress in plants is very similar to stress in people. When we are under stress our immune systems are weakened and we are more likely to catch colds and have other health issues. Stress in humans comes with side effects, such as being unable to get a good night’s sleep; rushed meals or fast foods […]
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 […]
