Webpage Collaborations Blog I am pleased to announce that I am a Newsletter back issues Welcome to the thirty seventh issue brand ambassador for the following of my newsletter Anita’s Garden for gardening businesses: Facebook 2020. Instagram Awapuni Nurseries I hope you have all had a good week. Twitter Bulbs Direct Plant nursery Linkedin Egmont Seeds In light of the lockdown to restrict Pinterest Covid-19, I am unable to continue Italian Seeds Pronto (the NZ running my plant nursery, even a con- distributor of Franchi Seeds) tactless service due to the govern- ment’s stay home policy. I am also Contributions Contact me unable to courier plants as courier I welcome all contributions to the services are for essential supplies only newsletter, including: Feedback during lockdown. Newsletter input Feedback I will be keeping a close eye on the (tips, recipes, gar- government’s Covid-19 notifications Requests for articles den photos etc) and will advise when I will be re- To be added to my opening my nursery to the public. Suggestions mailing list Cut flowers from Anita’s Garden Input (tips, recipes, photos of anitakundu.nz@gmail.com your garden etc) I am looking for someone or an entity to supply cut flowers to on a regular Please email me at anitakun- basis. If you or someone you know du.nz@gmail.com and I will incorpo- may be interested, please contact me rate them into future newsletters Inside this issue: at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com Mailing list Social media If you haven’t already subscribed to Po t t eri n g ar o u n d 2 I am currently developing my social my newsletter, you can do so by email- Anita’s Garden media accounts (see useful links, left), ing me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com especially Twitter and Pinterest. and writing “subscribe” in the subject Please feel free to use these links to field. Top 5 gardening tasks 2 source my resources. for the week Advantages include receiving the Blog newsletter direct to your inbox every week and being the first to know about Tips for growing dutch 2 Please don’t forget that I maintain an specials in the plant nursery. iris active blog on my website. Due to its brevity, I’m not able to cover every- I hope you have enjoyed this week’s thing in this newsletter so feel free to column. Stay home and stay safe. How to grow broad 3 peruse my blog posts to inform your- Have a great weekend. beans self about all things gardening related Anita Kundu PAGE 2 AN IT A’S G AR D E N V O LU M E 2 , ISSU E 3 7
Pottering around Anita’s Garden
Here is a selection of photos from around Anita’s Garden for you to enjoy.
Yellow and Red guavas from our
Tamarillos from our two trees fruit trees. These trees are planted Butternuts from a self-seeded grown from seed two years ago. It in large containers. Guavas are plant which popped up amongst is wonderful having fresh fruit and very easy to grow and a wonderful my melons. It is ironic, because veg from the garden during lock- fruit. A good reason to grow gua- not one of the butternut seedlings down. The produce in the super- vas is because they cannot be pur- that I actually planted produced market is horrifically expensive at chased in the supermarket or green any fruit this year! This is in this time. We have enough lettuce grocers (at least not that I have stark contrast to last year, when on hand to pick whenever we want. seen). Yellow guavas are sweeter we harvested a whopping 25 Big I am especially happy with how than their red counterparts, but I Chief butternuts and a further 25 my Quattro Stagioni Mesclun from find them a bit more difficult to regular butternut pumpkins. Franchi Seeds has done this year. grow.
Top 5 gardening tasks for the week
planting. 1. Plant onions 3. Plant brassicas You can start planting onions now. 5. Plant garlic Plant brassicas now—cabbage, I just planted some brown onions cauliflower, broccoli, brussel Although garlic is traditionally and will be planting red onions in sprouts and kohlrabi. Make sure planted on the shortest day of the the next few weeks you give them a wide berth as they year (21st June), it can be planted take up quite a bit of space anytime from April until July. I 2. Plant lettuce just planted all of ours in the hope 4. Plant leeks Plant more lettuce to ensure a con- that it can do most of its growing tinuous supply over autumn and Plant leek seedlings. Make sure before rust inevitably hits it in winter. I highly recommend Quat- that you enrich the ground with spring. Also, planting early may tro Stagioni from Franchi Seeds. compost and sheep pellets prior to yield bigger bulbs!
Tips for growing dutch iris
it is not necessary to pre-chill After flowering, let the foli- In last week’s column, I covered dutch iris bulbs age die down completely growing freesias. This week, I before you lift the bulbs. thought I would provide some tips Opt for firm, healthy bulbs. Otherwise you can just for growing dutch iris. Bulbs Di- If you order from a reputa- leave them in the ground to rect have a fantastic range. It’s ble mail order company such re-flower the following sea- not too late to get your order in but as Bulbs Direct, you will be son. Every couple of years don’t leave it any longer or you guaranteed strong bulbs it’s a good idea to lift and may miss out on popular varieties. divide the bulbs as they can Here are some of my top tips: Sprinkle a little bulb food in become a bit cramped. the ground prior to planting. When this happens, they Unlike tulips and hyacinth, don’t flower as well. V O LU M E 2 , ISSU E 3 7 AN IT A’S G AR D E N PAGE 3
How to grow broad beans
In winter, we always grow broad 9. Broad beans need to be pol- beans. They are very easy to grow. linated in order to form With some creativity, they can be fruit. This normally hap- used in many different ways. pens in spring. Plant some flowers nearby to attract Growing broad beans from bees. seed 10. Secure your plants to their Broad beans are incredibly easy to stakes as they grow. Spring grow from seed. If you are a new can be quite windy and the gardener or have run out of time plants can very easily break sowed in late summer and au- and it has gotten too cold for them tumn. They can be planted out- 11. Did you know that if you to germinate, you may want to side right up until June. If you pick them while they are start from plants rather than seed. prefer, seeds can be sown directly immature, you can eat the Awapuni stock a really good range where you want them to grow, but entire pod? They are deli- of seedlings and deliver direct to I prefer to raise seedlings in pun- cious steamed. Or you can your door, which is convenient. nets for transplanting later. leave them on the plant to Here is some advice for starting develop broad beans inside 2. Seeds are large and usually broad beans from seed. Simply the pods, as most gardeners germinate easily. If you sprinkle the seeds in a punnet traditionally do. prefer, you can purchase filled with some seed raising mix seedlings for planting in 12. If you have surplus, broad and cover lightly. Always look for your garden. a seed raising mix that is fine in beans freeze very well. The texture. Water regularly, as Broad beans usually grow usual practice is to blanch plants tend to dry out easily in the very tall and are not really them beforehand. heat of autumn, which can still be suitable for growing in con- quite warm. I usually plant six 13. At the end of the season, tainers. allow one plant to go to seed seeds per punnet. When they are large enough, they can be planted so you can save seeds for the Prepare the ground well into the garden. following season. beforehand, mixing in lots of compost, Ideas for using Recommended varieties sheep pellets broad beans Egmont Seeds have a fantastic and general garden ferti- “They are very easy to Broad beans can range of broad beans. This winter, lizer. grow. With some be used in many I am doing a growing trial and creativity, they can be used ways. Here are have planted the following varie- When trans- in many different ways” some ideas to get ties: planting you started. Exhibition Long Pod seedlings, take special Boiled or Coles Prolific care to avoid damaging the steamed roots. Hughey Crimson Dips Stake seedlings at the time Imperial Green of planting, to avoid damag- Pesto ing the roots later on. Lucifer—a new variety Falafel which Egmont Seeds will Water plants regularly. probably add to their new Salads They need it, especially as catalogue, to be released temperatures in early au- Fritters later this year tumn can still be quite warm. Soup I will report back on how these varieties perform in our garden in 8. For best results, liquid feed Pasta spring. plants weekly with a soluble plant food or tonic such as Have a great weekend Tips for growing broad beans Seasol Broad beans should be Happy gardening!