The Star: October 05, 2017

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36 Thursday October 5 2017 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi The Star Gardening TALL: Artichokes need plenty of room to grow. Growing your own veges • By Rachel Vogan HOW GOOD do you feel when you eat fresh, healthy food? I love it, and while no one ever queries the health benefits, a lot of people forget to mention how mentally satisfying it is to grow your own food. This month and next are the two busiest months in terms of planting and sowing vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. The main defining factor on what you can plant outdoors is your climate, so be very mindful of this when busying yourself in the garden. In most areas, frosts and cold snaps will still be present, so hold off on planting the young plants of tender crops such as tomatoes, chillies, eggplant, cucumber, beans, capsicum, pumpkin, courgette and basil. Seeds of all these can be sown under cover now, ready for planting out next month. What to plant this month CARROTS Go mad planting carrots this month and continue at intervals over the next couple of months, bearing in mind that they do not transplant well. As for the soil, it needs to be loose and friable, so if yours is pale and sandy, blend in compost or incorporate some vegetable mix. While it sounds old-fashioned, using a strong line and some markers to identify where the rows of seed are to be sown really does help. Firstly, it reminds you that seeds are in the ground, which prevents you from planting any seedlings amongst your rows before the existing ones sprout, and secondly, it allows you to create a path you can walk down to thin, weed and harvest your carrots throughout the season. Carrots will grow well in large, deep pots too. Fill these with vegetable mix and sow seed by making a shallow trench – 1-2cm deep – and sprinkling seed evenly along the rows, carefully covering with soil and water. Seedlings will appear in a few weeks. To speed up the germination, you could cover with a portable plastic tunnel or fleece house. BEETROOT The choice is yours as to whether you buy ready-grown seedlings or sow seed, but either way, prepare the soil as you would for carrots. With seedlings, allow 10cm between each plant, but when sowing seeds, drop a couple in a few finger spaces apart along the row. Bear in mind when growing that beetroot is one of the few root crops that will cope with transplanting. Globe varieties are tennis ball-shaped and take up a bit more space than the narrow, cylindrical ones, so give the round varieties a bit more room. Beetroot enjoys fertile soil, so enrich the soil with good compost or vegetable fertiliser prior to planting. Not much gets wasted when growing beetroot; the roots can be harvested immaturely as ‘baby beets’, and the leaves can be used in salads and slaws. Another good crop for tubs and containers, too. ARTICHOKES Both globe and Jerusalem types can be planted now. The giant thistle-looking globe artichoke needs plenty of room to grow, as it is a long-term crop and, once established, it will produce chokes reliably for over a decade or more. SPRING SALE Open WEEKDAYS 8:30–5PM OCTOBER 6 TH –23 RD Labour Day Monday! Closed Weekends. *While Stocks Last. UP TO 60% OFF PLANTS* SPECIMEN TREES 20-60% off Purchase any large grade tree over $80 and receive two timber stakes and tree tie free! SHRUBS up to20% off A large selection of shrubs available for 20 EVERGREEN MAGNOLIAS were $110 1.4 – 1.6m grade now $75ea HEDGING GROUNDCOVERS FLAXES WWW.GREENLINC.CO.NZ Buxus, Corokia, Escallonia, Griselinia, Teucrium plus many more - 15cm pot grade Griselinia - 22cm pot grade Pittosporums - pb28 grade nice and bushy $4 .00 ea $12 .00 ea $18 .00 ea Acaena, Ajuga, Mondo Grass, Phlox, Scleranthus, plus many more varieties to choose from... up to40% off Black Rage, Dark Delight, Evening Glow, Golden Ray plus many more... only $7 .00 ea or 8 plants for $50 .00
The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Thursday October 5 2017 37 Editorial supplied by www.gardener.kiwi is most satisfying It is one crop that will cope with dry periods; however, the better the soil and the more water they get, the larger the harvest. Jerusalem artichokes are a root crop that often can’t be found in the garden centres, so look for them at farmers’ markets or in the organic shops. The knobbly looking bits of root will quickly shoot once planted. The stems are tall – well over head height – so plant them near the back of the vegetable patch. A plant can reach 1.5-2m. SPINACH This supercharged green has to be one of the easiest crops to grow; either sow seeds or, to speed up the process by a month, plant out healthy seedlings now. To get the best out of the crop, plant it in an area that receives full sun, and ensure it has rich, fertile soil by blending in plenty of compost, sheep pellets, and possibly vegetable food prior to planting. The compost and manure will lock much-needed moisture into the soil. PARSNIP Parsnip is my ultimate winter vegetable. This is one crop you have to grow from seed, as you will not find it in punnets or seedling bundles. Always buy new seed each year, as the seed doesn’t stay viable for long once the packet is opened. The soil needs to be prepared in the same way you would for carrots. Make a shallow groove in your prepared row and sprinkle a seed or two every few centimetres, taking care not to sow too thickly. Lightly cover the row with soil, then water in with boiling water to help stimulate germination. Seedlings pop up in three to four weeks. ONIONS Red, white, brown and pickling onions can all go in now, and, from my experience, starting with seedlings will give you a longer growing season. Much like the other crops, they also need loose, friable soil in order to thrive. Seed germinates readily, but is not overly fast. Allow a hand space between each plant, except for pickling onions, which need only 5cm. As the young, hair-like seedlings are fragile, try not to plant them out in the middle of a hot day, as they can easily wilt – later in the afternoon is ideal. As they do not take up much space, a popular way to grow them in is a grid pattern, which you can achieve simply by making a series of holes in the soil in said pattern and dropping a seedling in each one. Then, rather than firming them in with your finger, use a watering can and water them in, which will secure the soil around the seedling without damaging its delicate stem. LETTUCE Arm yourself with loads of lettuce seedlings this month, and poke them in anywhere you have a gap in the garden – their shallow root system means they can, and will, grow almost anywhere. In the vege patch, allow two hand spaces, or 15-20cm, between plants. They thrive in rich, moisture-retentive soils, so mix in the usual additions like compost, peat or manure before planting. Definitely put nets over young plants at this time of year, as birds are still looking for anything fresh, sweet and juicy, and be vigilant with slug and snail bait too, as soft lettuce leaves are a favourite with them. EASY: Harvest carrots throughout the season. HARDY: Beetroot can be transplanted while it is growing. Orchid Show Canterbury Mineral and Lapidary Club Rooms 110 Waltham Road, Christchurch Saturday 7th October 10am - 4pm Sunday 8th October 10am - 4pm • Beautiful displays • Sales tables and potting demonstrations FEATURING TUCKERS ORCHID NURSERY WITH A LARGE RANGE OF PLANTS FOR SALE Admission $5 Refreshments available growing with you SprIng Is here – It’S Sow Time how to get the best results from seeds and seedlings 100% NatIve In The capItal Unravelling the secrets of Otari-wilton Bush The New Zealand landscape awards The people behind the projects September 2016 | 100% It’s time to grow! New look and more content than ever! MeeT LeSTer Brice A Garden coach now bigger than ever The magazine for gardeners who like to get their hands dirty $7.90 incl. GST Save our roSeS How a rose register is protecting our heritage auckland Botanic GardenS Why we love our public grounds SubScribe from $43. 50* *6 issues/6 months ISSN 2423-0219 SUBSCRIPTIONS FREEPHONE 0800 77 77 10 www.gaRdeNER.kiwI
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The Star: October 05, 2017

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