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SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi<br />
Tuesday <strong>May</strong> 9 <strong>2017</strong> 29<br />
Beautiful broad beans<br />
• By Henri Ham<br />
I KNOW it’s easy and not too<br />
expensive to buy broad beans at<br />
the supermarket, but I enjoy eating<br />
them fresh from the garden.<br />
They taste great and it’s nice<br />
knowing exactly what’s taken<br />
place during the growing process.<br />
Broad beans are one of my<br />
favourite varieties to grow.<br />
Like most other vegetables,<br />
you can grow broad beans from<br />
seed (actually it’s the bean itself).<br />
But I recommend growing from<br />
seedlings.<br />
Doing this shortens the time<br />
before harvest (around six less<br />
weeks) but, more importantly,<br />
takes out a lot of the hard work.<br />
Once the root systems are well<br />
formed (yet still separate from<br />
each other), almost guaranteed<br />
they will grow well.<br />
Once you’ve got your seedlings,<br />
you need to find somewhere to<br />
grow them. I like to grow mine<br />
in a raised vegetable garden, but<br />
they also grow well in pots. Make<br />
sure it’s full sun or partial shade<br />
where you plant.<br />
Broad beans are pollinated by<br />
bees, so it’s helpful to grow them<br />
near a bee-friendly plant like lavender,<br />
rosemary or cornflowers.<br />
It pays to check the pH level<br />
FRESH: Broad<br />
beans like full<br />
sun or just<br />
partial shade.<br />
of your soil. Broad beans like the<br />
soil to be around 5.5 to 6.5pH.<br />
Not sure what the pH level of<br />
your soil is? Most garden centres<br />
sell kits, alternatively there are<br />
also companies which will test<br />
your soil for a small fee.<br />
If the pH level of your soil<br />
could go higher, try adding a<br />
little bit of lime from your local<br />
garden centre. If you’re not sure<br />
of the pH level, it wouldn’t hurt<br />
to add a little bit of lime anyway.<br />
Then simply dig a little hole<br />
and plant each seedling around<br />
15cm apart in rows approximately<br />
30cm apart.<br />
Once the plants are around<br />
1m you can stake them individually<br />
but I prefer to put a stake at<br />
either end of the rows and loop<br />
a big piece of string around the<br />
whole lot to keep them growing<br />
together. Your plants will lean<br />
against each other and grow<br />
across the ground.<br />
The seedlings will take around<br />
eight to 12 weeks from planting<br />
to produce beans ready for<br />
harvesting.<br />
Harvest the beans when the<br />
pods are around 75-100mm.<br />
How to plant a fruit tree<br />
NOW IS a good time to get<br />
those fruit trees planted.<br />
Here are some tips:<br />
•Dig a hole that is slightly<br />
deeper than the root depth and<br />
which allows for 20cm clearance<br />
around the roots.<br />
•Mix some compost with the<br />
soil in the base of the hole, then<br />
place the tree and slow release<br />
fertiliser in the hole so that the<br />
graft is above soil level.<br />
•Create a small mound at the<br />
base of the hole and spread the<br />
roots out carefully.<br />
•Before back filling, position<br />
tree stakes. Partly back fill and<br />
firmly compact.<br />
•Continue back filling and compact<br />
once or twice more.<br />
•Water well.<br />
•Stake securely to ensure root<br />
zone can’t move on windy days.<br />
Bare rooted trees bought must<br />
not be left for roots to dry.<br />
•Plunge in water prior to planting<br />
to ensure the roots are moist<br />
prior to planting.<br />
Time to<br />
Tidy Up<br />
<strong>May</strong> is tidy up month! Get prepared now for the upcoming winter<br />
months where you will feel less and less likely to want to get out and<br />
do some gardening. Most of these tasks are pretty easy, so don’t get<br />
too stressed thinking you will be out in the garden for endless hours!<br />
LET’S GET<br />
GardEninG<br />
INTELLIGRO<br />
OFFERS:<br />
3 Expert gardening advice<br />
3 High quality products<br />
3 South-Hort growing<br />
mixes<br />
3 VIP rewards<br />
3 Buy in-store and online<br />
3 Handy delivery service<br />
3 Rake up leaves off the lawn and<br />
pathways<br />
3 Pull out any summer annuals<br />
and dig over the ground<br />
3 Treat paths for moss and slime<br />
so they aren’t so slippery and<br />
dangerous<br />
3 Roll up and store away hoses so<br />
they don’t get damaged by frosts<br />
3 Send your mower in to get the<br />
blades sharpened<br />
3 Sharpen the blades on your<br />
loppers and secateurs<br />
3 Make a bird feeder – the birds<br />
will love you for it!<br />
Add organic compost to the soil to<br />
give it a good boost through the<br />
winter, and prepare the gardens for<br />
planting come spring time. You will<br />
want to also add some bark mulch<br />
to the top to help protect your<br />
plant’s roots from the winter chills.<br />
Handy tip: If the soil is too wet, don’t<br />
work on it. This will cause more damage than<br />
good. Just leave it until it dries up a bit!<br />
Got a question that you want answered? Send us an email<br />
to info@igro.co.nz or post it on our Facebook page!<br />
For more information,<br />
check out our website:<br />
www.igro.co.nz<br />
or visit our facebook page:<br />
www.facebook.com/igro.co.nz<br />
1394 Main South Road, RD7 Weedons<br />
www.igro.co.nz | Phone 03 347 9415
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