Anita's Garden
Volume 1, Issue 7
Planting time!
It’s finally here! This is the time of the year gardeners
most look forward to. NOW is the time to plant all your
favourite summer veggies!
Plant nursery at Anita’s
Garden
Great news - I’m open during the week and over the
weekend by prior appointment. Your one stop shop for
everything you need for the summer garden.
SPECIAL! Assorted Veggie punnets just $1.50 each
o Lettuce (red and green, cut and come again)
o Kohlrabi (why not try something new?)
o Malabar spinach (doesn’t bolt in the heat)
o Asparagus (one year old crowns)
Trays of lettuce seedlings available at the plant nursery. See p 2.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
2 Plant nursery at Anita’s Garden
5 Top 5 gardening tasks for the week
6 Anita’s top tips for start ups: Part II
8 Growing guide: Cucumbers
10 Growing guide: Dahlias
Anita's Garden 1
27 October 2017
Editorial
Welcome to the seventh issue of my monthly
newsletter filled with news fresh from Anita’s Garden.
The plant nursery at Anita’s Garden is open during the
week and over the weekend. For a list of available
stock and prices, please see pages 2, 3 and 4.
To stay up to date with what is happening around
Anita’s Garden and follow my journey as a new
business owner, please follow my blog:
http://anitasgarden.weebly.com/blog
For gardening advice, ideas and inspiration, check
back on my website regularly and follow me on my
social media accounts:
Webpage: http://anitasgarden.weebly.com/
Facebook: Anita’s Garden
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anitakundu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anitakundu.nz/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-kundu-
850100141/
Pinterest: https://nz.pinterest.com/anitakundunz/
Snapchat: anitasgarden
Mailing List
To receive this newsletter direct to your inbox, please
email me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com so I can add
you to my mailing list.
Feedback
Send your feedback, news, photos and recipes to me via
email at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com and I will feature your
letter in a future issue of Anita’s Garden newsletter.
Plants for sale at Anita’s Garden
I’m delighted to announce that I now have the following Potted vegetables - $1.50 each
plants for sale in my boutique nursery at Anita’s Garden.
Plants are in 10 cm pots, ready to plant into your
Pick up is in Manukau, Auckland. Please email me at
garden!
anitakundu.nz@gmail.com or text me on 021 02762091
if you wish to purchase any plants so we can arrange a o Capsicum Colour Salad Selection
time for you to come over. I’m available both week days o Capsicum Early Red
and over the weekend. Thank you. o Capsicum Early Wonder
o Capsicum Giant Bell
SPECIAL! Assorted veggie punnets - $1.50 each!
o Capsicum Hot Mix
Each punnet contains 6 seedlings. While they are small, o Capsicum Jingle Bells
they will grow quickly. Great value! You can mix and o Capsicum Long Italian
match to have a variety. o Capsicum Long Perennial
o Capsicum Long Sweet Red
o Frilly green lettuce (cut and come again)
o Capsicum Orange Sweetie
o Red lettuce (cut and come again)
o Capsicum Purple Beauty
o Malabar Spinach (doesn’t bolt in the heat)
o Chilli Anaheim
o Purple Kohlrabi
o Chilli Cayenetta
o Asparagus – one year old crowns (just two
o Chilli Cayenne
more years until you can harvest them!)
o Chilli Chenzo
o Chilli Long Sweet Red
o Chilli Picante Calabrese
o Chilli Pretty and Sweet
o Chilli Sweet Banana
o Cucumber Apple
o Cucumber Long Green
o Cucumber Telegraph
o Eggplant Florence Round Purple
o Eggplant Prosperosa
o Eggplant Violetta Lunga
Malabar spinach seedlings
o Honeydew Melon
Trays of seedlings - $8 each o Kamo Kamo Kumi Kumi
o Melon Inverno (Franchi)
Contains lots and lots of seedlings. Includes a re-usable
o Pumpkin Blue Hubbard
seedling tray (very handy to have around the garden!) or
return to me later for a $2 rebate towards your next o Pumpkin Butternut
o Pumpkin Galeux D’Eysines
purchase of a tray of seedlings from Anita’s Garden!
o Pumpkin Grey Crown
o Frilly green and red lettuce (cut and come o Pumpkin Marina di Chioggia
again variety) o Pumpkin Musquee de Provence
o Lamb’s lettuce o Pumpkin Queensland Blue
o Purple kohlrabi o Pumpkin Tonda Padana
o Asparagus – one year old crowns (just two o Pumpkin Whangaparoa Crown
more years until you can harvest them!) o Rock Melon (Italian/Franchi)
o Silverbeet o Rock Melon Hale’s Best
o Malabar spinach o Rock Melon Western Express
o Leeks (Winter Giant) o Spaghetti Squash
o Catgrass (ideal for cats to lie on and eat) o Tomato Big Beef

Anita's Garden 2

.
Plants for sale at Anita’s Garden (cont from page 2)

o Chilli Habanero Gambia Orange

o Tomato Container Choice o Chilli Jalapeno
o Tomato Costoluto o Chilli Long Sweet Red
o Tomato Dwarf Maja o Chilli Pequin St Croix
o Tomato Grosse Lisse o Chilli Picante Calabrese
o Tomato Honeybee o Chilli Sweet Banana
o Tomato Kiwi o Chilli Topepo Rosso
o Tomato Marmande o Eggplant Asian Bride F1
o Tomato Moneymaker o Eggplant Black Beauty
o Tomato Patio o Eggplant Florence Round Purple
o Tomato Principe Borghese o Eggplant Prosperosa
o Tomato Small Fry o Eggplant Purple Comet F1
o Tomato Tommy Toe o Eggplant Tonda Bianca
o Watermelon Candy Red o Eggplant Tsakoniki
o Watermelon Country Sweet o Eggplant White Star
o Watermelon Sugar Baby o Tomato Big Beef
o Watermelon Sweet As o Tomato Black Zebra
o Zucchini Amanda (green) o Tomato Bloody Butcher
o Zucchini Fiorentino o Tomato Costoluto
o Zucchini Mixed o Tomato Grosse Lisse
o Zucchini Nero di Milano (dark green) o Tomato Heirloom Mix
o Zucchini Partenon (green) o Tomato Henry’s Dwarf Bush
o Zucchini Solar Flare (yellow) o Tomato Honeybee
o Tomato Kiwi
Veggie punnets - $2 each o Tomato Marmande
o Tomato Moneymaker
Each punnet contains 6 seedlings. While they are small,
o Tomato Mortgage Lifter
they will grow quickly. Great value! You can mix and
o Tomato NZ Heritage Mix
match to have a variety.
o Tomato Olga’s Golden Chicken
o Capsicum Californian Early Wonder o Tomato Orange Beefsteak
o Capsicum Colour Salad Selection o Tomato Patio
o Capsicum Early Red o Tomato Principe Borghese
o Capsicum Giant Bell o Tomato Red Cherry
o Capsicum Hot Mix o Tomato Tangela
o Capsicum Jingle Bells o Tomato Tommy Toe
o Capsicum Long Italian
o Capsicum Long Perennial
Over the coming weeks, I will add more cucumbers,
o Capsicum Long Sweet Red
melons, okra, gourds and much more. Please be
o Capsicum Purple Beauty
o Capsicum Orange Sweetie (Mini) patient. It’s still quite temperamental outside so it’s
best to wait a few more weeks before planting these
o Capsicum Yellow
seedlings out into the garden.
o Chilli Bell shaped
o Chilli Cayenne
o Chilli Cayenetta
o Chilli Chenzo

Anita's Garden 3
Plants for sale at Anita’s Garden (cont from page 3)

Tray of Silverbeet seedlings

Tray of Lamb’s Lettuce seedlings

Potted pumpkin seedlings

Kohlrabi seedlings

Eggplant seedlings
Zucchini seedlings

Capsicum seedlings
Tomato seedlings

Anita's Garden 4
Top 5 gardening tasks for the week
1. Sow and plant Malabar spinach
A wonderful woman called Kristina Morgan
introduced me to this fantastic vegetable last year.
It’s easy to grow and unlike a lot of other spinach
varieties, doesn’t bolt to seed in summer. It can be
eaten raw or cooked. We especially love using it in
green smoothies. I have very healthy Malabar
spinach seedlings available in my plant nursery
for just $1.50 per punnet of 6 seedlings or $8 per
tray (see picture below). Text me on 021
02762091 to arrange a time to visit the plant
nursery.
2. Sow and plant beetroot
It’s not too late to sow beetroot or plant seedlings
into your garden. Beetroot is a firm favourite for
homemade hamburgers and salads. We love the
combination of beetroot, feta, walnut and fresh
lettuce leaves from the garden (see picture below).
Egmont Seeds and Italian Seeds Pronto have a
great range of beetroot seeds or you can order
seedlings from Awapuni and have them delivered
direct to your door.
Beetroot, feta and walnut salad
Anita's Garden 5
3. Sow and plant spring onions
Spring onions are a very versatile addition to the
spring and summer garden. They are very easy to
grow and mature quickly. Egmont Seeds and Italian
Seeds Pronto have a great range of spring onion
seeds or you can order seedlings from Awapuni and
have them delivered direct to your door.
4. Plant dahlia seedlings and tubers
Now is the perfect time to plant dahlia seedlings and
tubers into your garden for an endless display of flowers all
summer long. NZ Bulbs still have a great range and
deliver direct to your door. For more information about
how to plant and care for dahlias, please see my article on
page 10 of this newsletter. You can read my blog post on
this subject here.
5. Apply mulch to your garden
If you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to
mulch plants in the garden. Mulching adds nitrogen and
other nutrients to the soil. It also helps to keep weeds
down and aids moisture retention, reducing the need for
watering in summer.
This summer I am trialling a new product called Kolush
Manukau and Seaweed Garden Mulch, which is exclusive
to Palmers (pictured below). About a month ago, I applied
some of the product around my roses and fruit trees. I
have already noticed a surge in growth in that short space
of time. My Feijoa trees have even started to flower! I am
very impressed with this product and encourage other
gardeners to give it a try too this spring.
Anita’s top tips for start ups - Part III
Mystified about how to set up and run a business? Join the
club! In this series of articles, I will discuss my top tips for
start ups. Some people like to keep all their cards close to
their chest and don’t give anything away for nothing. I’ve
never really been one of those people. I’m all for sharing
information, which was not always possible in my previous
profession as a lawyer due to client confidentiality. Law
can also be extremely competitive, especially in a large
commercial firm, so some people can be reluctant to help
their colleagues develop both as a practitioner and in their
professional career as a lawyer. During my journey as a
business owner thus far, so many people I’ve met along the
way have passed on some gems of advice which I have
gratefully received. I’m paying it forward, as a way of giving
back to the community that’s given me so much support.
This is the third article in a series on this subject. In Part I of
my top tips for start ups, I covered the subject of money.
In Part II of this series, I outlined 10 further principles
regarding creating and running a business. In this article, I
will outline another 10 key principles related to start ups. To
read the original blog post, please click here.
1. Reputation is everything
A business is built on the back of its reputation. During my
law degree, I spent a lot of time researching the concept of
reputation in the context of defamation law. For those of you
who are interested, you can read my Honours seminar
paper and Dissertation, which I have recently uploaded
onto my website.
Please don’t rely on my work for legal advice. The articles
were written a long time ago so the cases I examined may no
longer reflect the current legal position. They are purely
academic research. Not to mention the fact that the law in
your jurisdiction may differ to New Zealand. If you’re a
student, I don’t mind if you rely on my work but please
remember to acknowledge me as the author and provide
details of the source and date of publication. You certainly
don’t want to be accused of plagiarism by your tutor!
Linked to the concept of reputation is the importance of
image, which I will examine below.
2. It’s also about image
As discussed in my Honours seminar paper and
Dissertation on the topic of defamation, reputation and
image are two different things. Reputation is what a person
(or business) is in fact. Image is what a person or business
appears to be.
There is some truth to the saying that appearance is
everything. Rest assured that this doesn’t mean that
Anita's Garden 6
you need to look like a supermodel. However, you do
need to be conscious of how you portray yourself and
your business to others, including clients, allies (such
as brands you’re promoting) and competitors.
3. Integrity is important
How you behave will affect your business’s reputation.
In your business dealings, be strategic and smart, but
not sneaky. Remember, you reap what you sow.
Even if you’re not religious, you have to admit that
actions have consequences. If you cut corners, fail to
honour promises or deliberately deceive others, you
will soon lose people’s trust and ultimately their
business.
4. You (and your business) are worth
something.
Don’t forget that your business accrues goodwill over
time. Goodwill is inextricably linked to the concept of
reputation (see above). It is an intangible asset (again,
this takes me back to Accounting which I studied at
secondary school. As a business owner, it is proving
to be an incredibly useful subject!). Goodwill can be
difficult to quantify. Also, don’t forget that you have
value as an individual behind the screen of your
business. It is easy to lose sight of this. This is very
important for bloggers and social media influencers
who have built a name for themselves and become a
public figure in their own right. People will pay you to
deliver talks, host workshops and promote their brand.
5. Expect to work your butt off
Start ups are hard work, especially in the beginning.
I’m a testament to this. A lot of people are envious of
my lifestyle, especially other lawyers. It’s true that I
live in activewear and a lot of work is done from my
laptop while lying in bed with the cat on my lap. It’s
also true that I spend a lot of time on social media.
However, nothing is ever as simple, happy or fun as it
looks, as a very wise friend once told me. A lot of time
and effort goes into maintaining an active and
interesting blog. Don’t forget that I have to constantly
come up with original content, so creativity is key.
Then there is preparing the content of my weekly
gardening newsletter. And that’s just the tip of the
iceberg. Click here to read about what a typical day
looks like for me. If you want better hours or are
looking for a lifestyle change, then creating and
running a business might not be for you.
6. Multi tasking is an important skill
Anita’s top tips for start ups - Part III (cont from p 6)
In order to run a business successfully, you need to be able
to multi task. I’m constantly trying to progress different things
in parallel, such as writing blog posts and newsletters,
pitching to businesses I want to promote and replying to
correspondence from followers. This is not as easy as it
sounds. I’m fortunate that I developed this skill during my
career as a lawyer, when I normally worked on several
different cases or transactions at the same time. While I was
working at the Paris office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer,
I was involved in a very large arbitration, but had to deal with
different aspects of the case simultaneously, such as
interviewing witnesses, drafting submissions, briefing experts
and quantifying quantum, for want of a better expression.
7. Keep up with the times
Don’t fall behind, especially with technology. I made this
mistake myself as I was one of those people who refused to
get a smartphone for a very long time. I succumbed in April
this year after a lot of pressure from family members who
kept complaining that they could never get hold of me. I can
honestly say that it has changed my life. How else would I
be able to snap photos of our garden and upload them to
Instagram so quickly? It’s an indispensable tool for running a
business and that’s the only reason I got one. There are so
many great apps which help you to connect with your
customers and promote your business for free. Some of my
favourites include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest
and Snapchat. Having finally mastered all of this, I’m sure
something new will come onto the market next month.
8. Delegate
You can’t do everything yourself. Learn to delegate and
share the load with others. If you can’t afford to employ
someone to help you with your business, there might be
another solution. We host wwoofers who help us around the
garden year round. This frees me up a bit so I can devote
some time to my business every day.
9. Enjoy a day of rest
Give yourself a day off every week, even if you’re not
religious. We all need a bit of rest sometimes so we can
reset for the coming week. I’m notorious for working around
the clock seven days a week and really need to practice what
I preach. As you get older, you’ll find that your body changes
and you don’t have the stamina that you had in your 20s. A
day off doesn’t necessarily mean vegetating with Netflix and
munching on a bag of potato chips. I’m a firm advocate of
active relaxation because that’s just how I’m configured. For
a start, switch off your phone. See a movie, read a book, go
for a walk, spend time with your children or catch up with an
Anita's Garden 7
old friend. You’ll feel so much better for it and you’ll be
able to function more efficiently when you switch on to
work again.
10. Learn to switch off
Learn to disconnect. This is no easy task as we’re
surrounded by technology which puts our brains into
constant overdrive. I’m continually plagued by
thoughts about my business when I’m out and about,
whether walking or running, at the supermarket or
running errands. I actually carry a notebook with me
so I can scribble down all my ideas as they come to
mind! How can you detach yourself? Meditation can
help. I took Les Mills Body Balance classes (a mix of
pilates, tai chi and yoga) on a regular basis at a gym I
used to go to a few years ago. It took a long time for
me to learn how to relax but eventually I could see the
progress. Be patient. You’ll get there in the end too.
Anita’s Garden
Organic urban homestead in Manukau, Auckland
Anita’s Garden is a not-for-profit enterprise aimed
to educate locals about how they can grow their
own food in order to improve their health and
reduce grocery bills.
It’s possible to be largely self-sufficient, even if
you live in the city. Let me show you how!
I offer the following services to the public:
o Consulting on garden design and
development
o Plant nursery
o Workshops
o Kids programmes
o Education for home-schooled children
o Talks on a range of gardening topics
o Tours of the garden
Anita’s Garden is open 7 days a week by prior
appointment only.
For all enquiries, please contact Anita directly
Email: anitakundu.nz@gmail.com
Mobile: 021 02762091
Thank you for your support.
Anita Kundu
Growing Guide: Cucumbers
Homegrown cucumbers from our garden last summer
Cucumbers are a staple vegetable in the summer garden.
They are very easy to grow and produce a prolific yield.
Homegrown cucumbers taste so much fresher and nicer
than store bought ones. I hope that with the help of
information in this guide, you’ll be able to grow some of
your own successfully this season.
Cucumbers are very versatile in different dishes. They
don’t have a lot of flavour in themselves, but are great
paired with condiments such as vinegar and black cracked
pepper, which really brings out their taste. Cucumber
makes a great addition to salads (in particular, I really love
Greek salad) and sandwiches (cucumbers go nicely with
tomatoes). You can also try making cucumber soup which
is served cold and is delicious on a hot summer’s day.
Traditionally, cucumbers can be planted outside in New
Zealand by Labour Weekend, which is a long weekend
with a public holiday falling on the Monday after the
weekend (like a Bank Holiday in England). Labour
Weekend usually falls towards the end of October. This
year, Labour Weekend starts on 21 October. While it’s
natural to want a head start on the season, my advice is to
not be in a rush to plant out seedlings. There is often a
dramatic difference between day and night time
temperatures at this time of the year and the weather can
still be quite temperamental. Young seedlings are
particularly tender. Once they’ve been hit by a sudden
cold snap or exposed to consistently low temperatures,
they never really recover. It’s therefore a good idea to
wait until the beginning of November to plant cucumber
seedlings into your garden, when temperatures are
warmer. This way, the seedlings you plant out will be a bit
more established and strong enough to survive any
setbacks along the way. In saying that, it does depend on
where you live. New Zealand’s climate varies
Anita's Garden 8
dramatically from region to region and I do have to
remember that not all of my audience lives in Auckland
or even New Zealand for that matter. My personal
gardening experiences are limited to our urban
homestead in the Auckland region, so please take this
into account when considering my advice. On the same
token, what grows well in my environment may not
necessarily thrive in your own microclimate. So please
don’t blame me if things go wrong and varieties I’ve
recommended don’t grow well in your garden!
Sowing cucumbers from seed
You can start sowing cucumber under cover from seed.
It’s really easy to grow cucumber from seed and it allows
you to grow unusual varieties which aren’t found in
garden centres. It takes about six to eight weeks from
the time of the germination of a cucumber seed to
produce a plant that is large enough to transplant
outside.
Cucumbers can be started from seed indoors in October
or even earlier if you live in a more temperate zone and
have a hot house to protect them from the cold.
Cucumber seeds need warmth in order to germinate. I
germinate seeds in punnets or egg cartons filled with
seed raising mix from Gardn Gro. I like Gardn Gro’s
seed raising mix as it is very fine in texture, enabling
seeds to push through the mixture easily as they rise to
the surface. I place the punnets and egg cartons inside
plastic incubators which you can purchase from garden
centres. I then place the incubators on a heat pad
indoors and spray plants with water once daily or twice if
the seed raising mixture is very dry. If you don’t have a
heat pad you can also use your hot water cupboard
which will also provide seedlings with a warm
environment so they can germinate successfully.
How to care for cucumber seedlings
For new gardeners, those who don’t wish to start their
cucumber seedlings from seed or if you’ve simply left it
too late, plants are available for sale in nurseries from
October onwards. Palmers stock a great range of
cucumber seedlings. Awapuni also sell high quality,
large grade cucumber seedlings delivered direct to your
door. If you order 7 or more bundles of seedlings,
delivery is free.
I plan to sell a variety of different cucumber seedlings in
my own boutique nursery later in the season. Keep an
eye out for details in my newsletter, on Neighbourly and
my Facebook page as to when they become available.
Growing Guide: Cucumbers (cont from page 8)
During October and November, I will also circulate
updated lists of available stock in my plant nursery to
subscribers of my free weekly gardening newsletter. To
be added to my mailing list and receive these notifications,
please email me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com.
I’ll probably be selling seedlings a bit later than stores
because I’m merely a home gardener, germinating and
caring for seedlings in our patio at home without the help
of the horticultural technology that you would expect to
find in a commercial operation. Without a hot house, I
simply don’t have a head start on the season like large-
scale nurseries. To compensate for this, I do try and offer
seedling varieties which are unusual and can’t be found in
garden centres or online retailers. This is a good thing as
it enables me to collaborate with other businesses in the
industry and promote their brands. You can achieve a
lot by working with other people in the same field (no pun
intended), as opposed to simply trying to compete with
them. To read my further thoughts on this issue, please
click here.
Whoever you decide to buy plants from, take care to keep
plants undercover until early October as cucumbers are
frost sensitive. The weather can be temperamental in
spring and the nights are often still quite cool. From then
on, start “hardening them off”. This is the process of
exposing plants to the outdoors incrementally, for
example, for two hours in the middle of the day for the first
week, increasing to four hours per day for the next week.
Continue to bring the plants indoors at night. By the third
week of October, it should be safe to leave plants
outdoors overnight.
Cucumber varieties
If you’re planning to grow cucumber from seed, you’ll find
that they come in an impressive array of shapes, colours
and sizes. There are so many different varieties of
cucumber seeds on the market that like me, you’ll have
trouble deciding which varieties to grow. Traditionally,
cucumbers are long and dark green. There are a few
different varieties on the market in New Zealand. This
season I’m growing the cucumber Beth Alpha (Franchi
Seeds). I’m also growing the cucumber Lebanese Paska
F1 (Egmont Seeds). Other standard long green cucumber
varieties include Green Slicer F1 (Egmont Seeds),
Lebanese F1 (Egmont Seeds), Marketer (Egmont Seeds),
Socrates F1 (Egmont Seeds), Spacemaster (Egmont
Seeds), Tasty Green F1 (Egmont Seeds), Telegraph Bella
F1 (Egmont Seeds), Telegraph Louisa F1 (Egmont Seeds)
and Telegraph Tanja (Egmont Seeds).
Miniature cucumbers can be incredibly prolific and are a
lovely addition to lunchboxes in the summer. Last season
I grew the Lebanese-style cucumber Iznik Mini F1
(Egmont Seeds). We simply couldn’t stop harvesting
Anita's Garden 9
cucumbers from our two plants, even well into April.
Iznik is definitely high on my list of varieties to grow this
season. I’m also looking forward to growing the
miniature cucumber Patio Snacker (Egmont Seeds) for
the first time.
It is also possible to grow white cucumbers. The most
common type is apple cucumbers, such as Crystal Apple
(Egmont Seeds) and White Wonder (Egmont Seeds).
We have always found that apple cucumbers are
extremely prolific and make a delicious addition to
sandwiches and salads in summer.
To order seeds from the very extensive Egmont Seeds
range, visit http://www.egmontseeds.co.nz/.
To find stockists for Franchi Seeds or to order Franchi
seeds directly from the New Zealand distributor Italian
Seeds Pronto owned by Gillian Hurley-Gordon, visit
http://www.italianseedspronto.co.nz/.
How to care for cucumber plants
Cucumbers need at least 6 hours of sunshine per day,
so be sure to plant seedlings in the sunniest spot in your
garden. Before planting cucumber seedlings, take the
time to prepare the bed properly so plants receive
adequate nutrition. Dig the area over that you wish to
plant your seedlings in. Mix plenty of compost and some
sheep pellets into the ground. I highly recommend
Gardn Gro’s Wonder Nuggets, which are 100%
organic and function as an excellent fertiliser. Rake the
ground so that it is nice and level. Add some tomato
fertiliser to each plant’s hole at the time of planting, to
give plants a strong start to life.
Be sure to water plants every day, preferably early in the
morning or in the evening. In November and December,
plants are in their most active growing phase. Try not to
get too much water on the leaves, otherwise your plants
may develop powdery mildew. Liquid feed cucumbers
weekly to encourage the growth of healthy leaves and
the formation of flowers, which will develop into fruit after
they have been pollinated.
Pollination of cucumbers
Cucumbers need to be pollinated in order to develop
fruit. As the flowers on cucumber plants are reasonably
large (though not as large as pumpkin and zucchini),
you’ll find that bees will do all the work for you.
Personally, I wouldn’t bother going to the effort of
pollinating them by hand, unlike melons which benefit
from hand-pollination, which I covered in a previous
blog post.
 Growing Guide: Cucumbers
(Cont from page 9)
Harvesting your cucumbers
It can take what seems like forever for your first cucumber
to be ready for picking but be patient! In early summer, it
will usually be cooler so it might take awhile for them to
grow to full size. You can pick cucumbers at any stage. I
prefer to pick them when they are smaller because they
are sweeter and you can stay on top of your harvest,
which can sometimes get out of control. Got a glut of
cucumbers that you can’t get through all at once?
Cucumbers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
prior to consumption, or you can do what we do and give
them away to family, friends and neighbours.
Click here to read this article in my blog.
Gardening Questions and Answers
We are taking a break from our Gardening Questions and
Answers column as we enter the busiest time of the
gardening calendar. I’ve been flat out preparing growing
guides to help give everyone the information they need in
order to have a great growing season!
If you do have a gardening question, please contact me at
anitakundu.nz@gmail.com and I will feature the response
in a future issue of Anita’s Garden newsletter.
Rose Absolutely Fabulous
Anita's Garden 10
Growing Guide: Dahlias
Unknown cactus variety in the garden
Dahlias are one of my favourite summer flowers,
together with sunflowers (which I covered in last
week’s newsletter) and zinnias. Together, they make
an incredibly attractive display and are a powerful
magnet to attract bees and butterflies to the garden.
Dahlias provide non-stop colour from December until
even as late as May, when the first frosts start to set in.
They are an excellent cut flower and last for a long
time in a vase. Furthermore, they are excellent value
as like all bulbs, the tuber will die down over winter and
reflower in subsequent summers.
Dahlias can be grown from seed or tuber. I will cover
both growing methods in this blog post.
Sowing dahlias from seed
Dahlias can be started from seed indoors in October or
even earlier if you live in a more temperate zone and
have a hot house to protect them from the cold. Dahlia
seeds need warmth in order to germinate. I germinate
seeds in punnets filled with seed raising mix from
Gardn Gro. I like Gardn Gro’s seed raising mix as it is
very fine in texture, enabling seeds to push through the
mixture easily as they rise to the surface. I place the
punnets inside plastic incubators which you can
purchase from garden centres. I then place the
incubators on a heat pad indoors and spray plants with
water once daily or twice if the seed raising mixture is
very dry. If you don’t have a heat pad you can also
use your hot water cupboard which will also provide
seedlings with a warm environment so they can
germinate successfully.
Growing Guide: Dahlias (cont from page 10)
Dahlia seed varieties
Most dahlia seed tends to be the bedding varieties, but it
is possible to grow cactus and pompom varieties from
seed too. Two popular dwarf bedding varieties are Dahlia
Deco Dwarf Green Leaf Mix and Dahlia Diablo Dwarf
Bronze Leaf Mix (both from Egmont Seeds).
To order seeds from the very extensive Egmont Seeds
range, visit http://www.egmontseeds.co.nz/.
How to care for dahlia seedlings
For new gardeners, those who don’t wish to start their
dahlia seedlings from seed or if you’ve simply left it too
late, plants are available for sale in nurseries from
October onwards. Palmers stock a great range of dahlia
seedlings. Awapuni also sell high quality, large grade
dahlia seedlings delivered direct to your door. Look out for
Bedding, Figaro, Red Skinned Mixed and Tall Cactus
Mixed varieties. If you order 7 or more bundles of
seedlings, delivery is free.
I plan to sell dahlia seedlings in my own boutique nursery
later in the season. Keep an eye out for details in my
newsletter, on Neighbourly and my Facebook page as to
when they become available. During October and
November, I will also circulate updated lists of available
stock in my plant nursery to subscribers of my free
weekly gardening newsletter. To be added to my
mailing list and receive these notifications, please email
me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com.
Dahlias need at least 6 hours of sunshine per day, so be
sure to plant seedlings in the sunniest spot in your
garden. Before planting dahlia seedlings, take the time to
prepare the bed properly so plants receive adequate
nutrition. Dig the area over that you wish to plant your
seedlings in. Mix plenty of compost and some sheep
pellets into the ground. . I highly recommend Gardn
Gro’s Wonder Nuggets, which are 100% organic and
function as an excellent fertiliser. Rake the ground so
that it is nice and level. Be sure to water plants every
day, preferably early in the morning or in the evening.
Liquid feed dahlias weekly to encourage the growth of
healthy leaves and the formation of flowers. Snails adore
dahlia plants, especially when they are young, and can
completely decapitate your seedlings. Protect young
seedlings from snails by placing snail pellets around the
plants.
Dahlia seedlings will form a tuber underground which
means that they will grow again in future seasons. If you
save seeds from your plants, note that they may not come
true to type. This is not necessarily always a bad thing.
Anita's Garden 11
Who knows, you might even breed a new and interesting
variety!
Growing dahlias from tubers
It’s definitely easier to start your dahlias from tuber. If
planted in the spring, tubers should flower prolifically in
summer.
Palmers stock a great range of dahlia tubers every
spring. You can also order dahlia tubers direct to your
door from NZ Bulbs, who stock some unusual varieties
which can be hard to find in garden centres.
As with planting dahlia seedlings, take the time to
prepare the ground well. Dig the area over that you wish
to plant your tubers in. Mix plenty of compost and some
sheep pellets into the ground. Dig a hole deep enough
to bury the tuber, leaving any shoots above the surface.
It’s a good idea to place a stake at the time of planting for
support as your plants grow, to avoid injuring the tuber
later on. If you are planting more than one dahlia, make
sure you leave enough space between tubers. I
recommend spacing dahlia tubers at least 1-1.5 m apart.
As shoots emerge, sprinkle a little sulphate of potash
from Gardn Gro around your dahlias, to encourage
healthy and plentiful flowers. Liquid feed dahlias weekly
in spring to encourage strong, healthy growth and
flowering in summer. From Labour Weekend onwards,
water plants regularly, preferably early in the morning or
in the evening.
Once your dahlias have finished flowering in autumn, the
foliage will start to die down. Sprinkle a little bulb
fertiliser around the base of your plants to nourish the
tuber so it flourishes in future years. Dahlias can be left
undisturbed underground for several years. It’s a good
idea to divide your tubers every 4-5 years otherwise the
clump will become very big, making it harder to break
into pieces. When dividing your dahlias, make sure that
each piece has an “eye” from which the shoots will
emerge; otherwise the tuber will not grow. I advise not
making the divisions too small. You can swap excess
tubers with other gardeners to obtain different varieties or
plant the extra tubers in different places in your garden.
Dahlia tuber varieties
Dahlia tuber varieties fall into several categories: Cactus
(spiky flowers), Decorative (large flowers with round
petals), Pom Pom (as the name suggests, pom pom
shaped flowers) and Collarette (small daisy-like flowers
which are incredibly attractive to bees).
Growing Guide: Dahlias
(cont from page 11)
There are so many dahlia varieties I wouldn’t know where
to begin! I think my favourite varieties are decorative and
pom pom dahlias. One of my favourite pom pom varieties
is a bright yellow pom pom dahlia which came from a
mixed bag of tubers I purchased from a garden centre
many years ago. It produces excellent cut flowers and
they look stunning in mixed arrangements containing
dahlias, sunflowers and zinnias.
Advertise Here!
Newsletter outreach
o Sent by email to a database of subscribers
every Friday
o Uploaded to my website
o Link posted on my personal and professional
Facebook pages, my Twitter Account, my
LinkedIn Account and also on Neighbourly. My
Instagram account contains my website’s
address so readers are directed that way too

Readership stats
In addition to the existing varieties in our garden, I am
growing some new varieties this summer, including the o Website traffic – around 6,000 visits per week
following: o Electronic mailing list of 70 people
o Business Facebook page – 634 LIKES and 658
o Caballero FOLLOWERS
o Pink Silk o Personal Facebook page – 301 FRIENDS
o Catching Fire o LinkedIn – 1,906 CONTACTS
o Flashback o Instagram – 1,212 FOLLOWERS
o Twitter – 79 FOLLOWERS
o Iceberg
o Neighbourly – Traffic is difficult to gauge but I
o Mom’s Special receive a lot of customers in my plant nursery,
o Blue Wish feedback and enquiries through this forum
o Nagano
o Seduction
o Sunlady
o Crazy Love
o Hapet Blue Eyes
o Hy Trio
o Leila Savanna Rose
o My Love
o Salvation

I will follow up with a further blog post later in the season,

reporting on the progress of these varieties in the garden.

To read the original article in my blog, please click here.

To advertise in the Anita’s Garden

newsletter and for all enquiries, please
contact me at
anitakundu.nz@gmail.com

Unknown cactus variety in the garden

Anita's Garden 12
Anita's Garden 13