Selwyn Times: November 14, 2017

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Wednesday November 15 2017 39
Gardening
Consider growing cucumbers
• By Henri Ham
I OFTEN hear gardeners
say nothing beats eating
home-grown fruit and
vegetables.
In fact, I say the same thing
myself. And if I had to pick one
plant that this really rings true
for – I would pick cucumber.
The cucumbers we have
grown in the last few seasons
have been crisp, juicy, cool,
delicious and would, no
question, beat store-bought
cucumber by miles any time.
So, if you only plant one
vegetable this season, though
technically a fruit, I strongly
recommend you consider
cucumber. And don’t stop with
just telegraph cucumber (the
long, skinny one most commonly
found in the supermarket),
try growing a selection
of cucumbers. Lebanese has
tender, edible skin with sweet,
mild-tasting flesh.
Short-green is great for
growing in smaller gardens as
it produces a lot of fruit but
only requires one third of the
space of other cucumbers. And
apple looks much like an apple
(opposed to the long look of
a telegraph cucumber) and it
grows really nicely along the
ground.
Once you’ve got your plants,
it’s time to find a place to plant
them. They like a warm, dry
and sunny spot to grow in. And
most varieties will need a bit of
space.
Telegraph and short green
cucumbers will need to either
be staked or grown next to
something they can grow up –
like a trellis. Plant these varieties
around 1m apart so each
plant has its own trellis/area to
spread over.
• By Henri Ham
THERE ARE a couple of plants
where growers regularly report
that they find a little tricky to
grow. Coriander is one. Watermelon
is another. And the
one that always surprises me is
basil.
Basil is such a great plant
to have on hand. And there
are so many different varieites
available to try, I thought this
month I’d share my advice on
how to get the best out of your
basil and move it off that ‘tricky
to grow’ list.
Basil loves the heat. So my
first piece of advice, is look
for the sunniest spot in your
garden and that’s where you
should put your basil.
If the sunniest spot at your
place is in your home (for
example by a kitchen window),
then try growing your basil
there. Basil grows really well
in pots and can easily be kept
inside.
SUCCULENT: Apple
cucumbers will grow along
the ground and are a good
companion plant. Telegraph
cucumbers (right) will need
to be staked.
Apple cucumbers will happily
grow along the ground and are
a good companion plant for
zucchini as they like the same
conditions.
For a regular-sized bundle
with three seedlings you’ll
need an area around 2m x 2m
and each seedling should be
planted about 1m apart. I like
to imagine I’m planting them
in the shape of a triangle and
each seedling goes on one of
the points of the triangle, this
way the plants are grouped
together but have enough room
to spread out.
Dig in some compost or leftover
potting mix into the soil
to ensure its friable (breaks up)
before you plant.
To encourage fruiting it’s
a good idea to plant your
cucumbers (and zucchini) near
some bee-attracting plants
like lavender or borage. Doing
this will help ensure the bees
pollinate your plants and as a
consequence the fruit develop.
If the plants aren’t pollinated
properly the flowers will fall
off and no fruit will develop.
If you’d like to be really sure
HEAT: Basil grows well in sunny conditions. For a different
taste try a cinnamon variety (right).
When you’ve found the right does, just pick off any developing
flower heads to encourage it
spot to grow it just dig a little
hole and plant. If you’re growing
it in a pot I recommend us-
Next, basil needs water but
to stick to leaf growing.
ing a good, general potting mix. its very important you don’t
My second tip for successful
basil is, pick it regularly. If you plant it and then water it
over-water it. Water it when
you don’t pick it quick enough regularly to encourage lots of
it might start to go to seed. If it leaf growth. But, and here’s the
they’re pollinated, try touching
the pollen on each plant with
a paintbrush – this will spread
the pollen from one flower to
the next.
I was once told by someone
that you could do the same
with an electric toothbrush,
minus the toothbrush head.
I’m yet to try this approach but
would love to hear from anyone
who has.
In around 10 to 12 weeks you
should be able to enjoy the cool
and juicy taste of home-grown
cucumbers.
Many different varieties of basil
important advice, let it dry out
between waterings – don’t let it
stay wet.
And my last piece of advice
is, don’t just stick to sweet basil
– try growing cinnamon, Thai,
lemon, or one of the other varieties.
A good way of sampling
the other varieties is by getting
a mixed basil bundle which will
include a selection of some of
the different basil varieties.
If you do all of the above, basil
will quickly move to your list
of favourite, low-maintenance,
easy-care plants.
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