Ashburton Courier: June 30, 2022

NEWS
6 Ashburton Courier, June 30, 2022
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Proving alittle land goes along way
INDI.ROBERTS
@ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Aspotoffrost won’t stopMethven man
ClaytonYaxley from getting his ‘five
plus aday’ thiswinter.
Thoughthe airisnippy andthe soil
isn’t quite as fruitful during the colder
seasons,Claytonhas savedmore thana
fewdollarsbygrowingand harvesting
his own fruit and vegetables.
‘‘I like livingoff the land,’’ he says. ‘‘I
haven’t bought apotato forsix
months.’’
While maintaining he is no expert,
Clayton says growing your own food is
agreat wayofbeing productiveand
gettingsomefresh air.
He encourages peopletotry it for
themselves, claimingavegetable
gardenoffers asolution to people who
maybefeeling the financial pressure
of buyinggroceries.
Clayton hasprovedthat you don’t
need much to create athriving
vegetable garden.
‘‘Just aspade andafork andtrowel.
You can pick up some good gardening
toolsfrom the RedCross.’’
Livinginacouncil­owned complex,
Claytonislimited withhow he’s
allowed to usethe land, andhasn’tyet
been successful in convincing the
counciltolet himbuild araised
vegetable garden behind the flats.
So,insteadheutilisesthe small
flowerbeds aroundhis frontsteps and
thesoilrunningalongthe side of his
flat to plant ahealthyvariety ofcrops
that keephis plate colourful and his
stomach full.
In ayearClayton will grow
everything from tomatoes to pumpkins,
cauliflower to corn, sowing seeds into
every spot of sunny soil.
Knowing he can’tdamagethe lawn,
he hasusedanarrowstrip of soil along
the fence­linetoplant potatoes,which
he’s been abletoharvestcontinually
foroversix months.
On average Clayton spendsabout two
hoursaweek in the garden,keepingon
topofweeds andscattering seeds from
vegetableshe’s grown.
‘‘I’ll digintomatoes thatfallontothe
soil andnextyear they’ll grow again,’’
Clayton Yaxley turning soil along the fence­line where he grows his potatoes.
PHOTOINDI ROBERTS
he said, demonstratinghow to make
the most of thehome­grown produce.
He salvages the seedsfromalot of
his produce and turns theminto the
soil so they regrowthe following
season.
Claytonsaysthe tricktogrowing
goodvegetablesistolook after the soil.
Clayton turns the soil of his
vegetablepatches regularly to keep the
dirtwarm andaerated.
Over winter he coversthe seeded
areaswithpeastraw for insulation, and
is careful not to over­water the earth as
it candrown seeds and turn roots
mouldy.
Grateful for what he’s able to
produce, Clayton saidhegives away
Clayton showcasing afresh potato.
Runner beans harvested from apatch
beside Clayton’s front steps.
anyexcess producetothe other
residents in the complex.
He hopes to expandthe space which
he can usetogrowfoodtohis porchby
buildinghimself asmall raised garden
outofrecycled pellet wood,and next
year wouldlike to try growinghis
vegetablesorganically.
Turning back time
It’s time to dust off your flapper
dresses, furs and bow ties, and
come out to theMighty Mount to
to have aball for agood cause.
TheGreat Gatsby Ballwillbe
heldonSaturday in the Mt
Somers Hall, starting at7.30pm.
Localduo Landgirlswill start
offthe musiconthe night,
followedbythe Black Velvet
Band.
Supper is included, and there
will be alicensed bar.
Sisters Ailieand Nina Jaine
areorganising theballtoraise
funds forthe Mt Somers
swimming pool committeeto
helpwithbuilding anew fence
andgeneral upkeep of the
community pool.
They said the Mt Somers
Community Pool is avaluable
asset in the community, ‘‘it is
well­utilised in theheat of
summerbyboth locals and
holidaymakers.’’
There is asmall group of
volunteers who help tokeepthe
pool running over the summer
and who complete maintenance
jobs during thewinter.
‘‘We have worked hard over
the last five years to improve our
facility tothe great standard that
it is today.’’
The committee's projects for
the pool includereplacing the
front fence, anew locking system
for the side gate toallow easier
access to toilet facilities for pool
users, re­painting thepooland a
BBQarea.
‘‘We feel the pool is agreat
placefor people to come
together and connect as a
community,’’ theysaid.
2492300
Landgirls duo Abbey McKenzie and Anna Munro.