Ashburton Courier: September 10, 2020

14 Ashburton Courier, September 10, 2020
ADVERTISING FEATURE
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Home show
forced to
cancel due
to covid
HOME &GARDEN
The Star MediaHomeand Leisure Showrecentlyrescheduledfor
last weekend ­has
beencancelled.
Always acrowdpleaser, the show wasset to
be thelargest event organised by Star Media to
date.
However after being postponed several
times, Star Media hasbeen reluctantly left with
no choice but to cancel duetothe enforced
extensionofthe nationwideCovid­19 level2
restrictions.
No further postponement dates were
available.
Home and Leisure Show event managerLisa
Lynch said‘‘many local businessesrely on the
showtogeneratesalesleads’’.
‘‘Althoughweorganise the showitis all about
the exhibitors, and without their supportwe
wouldn’t be able to bring the public thousands
of ideas and inspirationunderone roof,’’she
said.
‘‘It is important we supportour local
businesses during this time, so we are working
on ideastoshowcaseour exhibitorsinother
waysnow that the show is cancelled.’’
TheStar Media team will nowlook to the
future to bring Canterburyanexcitingshowin
2021.
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Roses should be pruned by now or you risk late and disappointingblooms.
Fine spring days ahead
Vegetables
Take advantage of fine spring days
to sow vegetables.
Frequent hoeing and loosening of
surface soil helps all crops, letting air
and warmth into the upper layers of
the soil.
Use spring cabbages soon, or they
will run to seed. Cut the largest heads
first. Once ahead has been cut, the
plant should be removed and
composted, or it will continue to
draw nutrients from the soil.
Sow lettuce regularly from now on,
afew at atime, to keep aregular
supply. The best lettuce plants are
those sown where they are to mature.
Thin the seedlings so those left to
mature will produce ahighly
developed root system. Liquid
manure helps give good leaves.
Rhubarb will be starting to sprout,
but leave the early stalks to mature
and water the bed well in dry
weather.
Watch any early potatoes pushing
through the surface in areas where
frosts might still occur. Cover with
pea straw or hoe up soil over them
and, when they become strong,
mound them up. Main­crop potatoes
can be sown in districts that usually
experience dry summers.
Thin autumn­sown onions and
weed the bed when soil conditions
allow.
Flowers
Plant pansies and violas. Regularly
remove faded flowers and seed pods
to prolong the flowering displays, a
practice also invaluable with other
annuals and perennials, such as
dahlias, sweet peas, asters, roses and
calendulas.
Dahlias left in the soil during
winter can be lifted and divided for
replanting. Lift clumps of tubers with
afork and, with asharp knife, remove
individual tubers, ensuring each has
2289205
Sow lettuceregularly from now on, afew at atime, to ensure aregularsupply.
alarge piece of stem with asturdy
growth bud attached. Before
replanting, add plenty of compost or
well­rotted stable manure. Add lime,
at the rate of 100g per sq m, and
replant tubers with the bud about
5cm below the surface.
Plants suitable for damp spots in
the garden include astilbe, globe
flower (Trollius), Himalayan blue
poppy (Meconopsis), perennial
phlox, primulas, japonica, leopard’s
bane (Doronicum), Anemone
japonica, lily of the valley, Solomon’s
seal, hellebores and penstemons.
Roses should have been pruned by
now. If not, this should be done as
soon as possible or flowering will be
late and blooms disappointing.
When bulbs grown in pots for
indoor or patio displays have
finished their flowering, plant them
in acorner of the garden to
recuperate.
It will probably take ayear or two
before they will flower properly
again.
Fruit
The season for planting tomatoes
under glass is almost here. Unless
you have aheated glasshouse or a
sunny conservatory that stays warm
overnight, do not be in ahurry to put
in tomatoes. They are asubtropical
plant from lowland South America,
cultivated for at least 1500 years.
Modern tomatoes come in two
types: bush (determinate) and
indeterminate. Determinate
varieties are bred to grow to a
compact height, usually about 1.5m.
They stop growing when fruit sets on
the terminal or top bud, ripen all
their crop at or near the same time,
then die.
Indeterminate tomatoes are vines
that continue growing throughout the
season and include many of the
small­fruited varieties.
If buying plants, look for sturdy
specimens about as tall as they are
broad and with mid­ to dark­green
leaves.
If tomatoes are grown in the
ground, fresh soil or tomato mix is
needed every year, so growing them
in pots or heavy black plastic bags is
more economical. Set plants about
1m apart and water sparingly until
they are well­established.