Hi Stevee. thanks for your help. I'll try them again - the last time I tried - at our last home, the carrots split into 2 or 3 then kept growing. I was told that having the soil slightly lumpy can cause that, as the carrot splits to grow around any obstruction. Wish me luck! Thanks again.
stevee6,
Mar 18, 3:41am
I think over liming or over manuring can also cause it. I definitely wish you best of luck :-)
mim5,
Mar 18, 5:59am
Still picking tomatoes by the basketful mmm they are so yummy! Also my chilis are finally ripening - too many to eat so putting them in the freezer as they ripen for later in the year, have four different varieties this year. Courgettes slowed right down - not sure if I'll get any more but will give them another week. Have a bumper crop of basil this year and really enjoying it with the tomatoes.
stevee6,
Mar 18, 3:00pm
Everything is slowing down markedly here. The courgettes are about done on the older plants and the newer ones aren't looking brilliant - I think they're daylight sensitive as well as heat - we've had the heat but the days are shorter - something to note for next eyar. And the tomatoes aren't starting any new ones, just ripening what's already there. Peas long gone as are beans. But the silverbeet & spinach is looking good, and I'm putting in new rowns of carrots & radishes today.
em007,
Mar 18, 5:50pm
What is everyone planting this week! I have some lettuces, leeks, silverbeet and curly kale to plant out. Need to harvest my celery and freeze it I think.
stevee6,
Mar 18, 7:47pm
Bump again for a new enthusiast.
revengeme,
Mar 19, 3:29am
would passionfruit grow well in Christchurch! and what time of year would be good for sowing seeds! and planting out! What conditions/care does it like! My family came to visit and we have had a huge clean up of my garden, and I suddenly found some room for a passionfruit vine. Any usefull advice would be greatly appreciated.
jules.,
Mar 19, 3:49am
argh, white butterflies and their catterpillars!-
i spent ages out there today squishing all the eggs and catterpillars. i have put derrist dust on them now, hopefully this will keep them away.
springtime,
Mar 19, 2:19pm
Hi there Revengeme .have been wondering the same but it seems on a few websites it suggests planting passionfruit out in spring in the ground . I have one growing in a small container so I think I'll put it into a pot and then plant in ground in early spring when all frosts are past. I too wondered if passionfruit would grow - we are out of Blenheim out near Wairau valley so we get very hard frosts here. But give it a go - think will plant mine against fence on sheltered side of house away from winds.
stevee6,
Mar 19, 2:46pm
Revengeme - try planting a seedling rather than sowing seeds - it gives you a year's start and is likely to give you a better plant. Christchurch is tricky because of the horrible frosts(I lived there for 13 years so understand the climate) so try planting it against a north facing fence and covering it in frostcloth once the temperature begins to drop sharply.Lots of mulch and food, and water well. I've put a section of irrigation pipe down next to mine so water and liquid food goes where it's needed.
revengeme,
Mar 19, 2:58pm
I have a hothouse so will try growing a seedling in there, and plant out in spring, I want to grow it beside my driveway ( west-facing wall unfortunately) all my north-facing walls are in use. I guess I better invest in more frost cloth. thanks
juliewn,
Mar 20, 6:51am
Hi Revenge. I'm finding the Incredible Edibles site gives good info about planting, caring for, etc. a whole range of fruits. this is the link to the passionfruit page: http://www.edible.co.nz/fruits.php!fruitid=42
juliewn,
Mar 20, 6:54am
ps. Have a lovely Easter weekend Everyone. Any plans for gardening! I've finally picked up some seed raising mix today, and will plant seeds of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. plus will sow carrot and parsnip seeds directly into the garden, after being inspired through this thread.
ry5,
Mar 20, 7:44pm
In the 'olden days'toilets were called Water Closets, hence the name - WC
juliewn,
Mar 21, 8:50pm
Hi Everyone :-)
I've purchased some asparagus plants - 3 punnets of 6 plants for $10 at Palmers (in Tauranga) if anyone wants to find some - much cheaper than I'd expected they'd be - and am preparing a raised bed in the corner of my section to plant them.
I gather I need lot's of compost - and not to harvest until the second year - so October 2011.
Does anyone have any info please on what else to do to establish the beds. thanks for help. :-)
stevee6,
Mar 21, 9:24pm
Hey juliewyn! I put asparagus into a bed I'd previously heaped compost onto, plus a bag of sheep pellets under the heap(my base soil is sandy so I possibly overkilled on the compost). Then I soaked it, spread the roots out and piled the compost over. Then wet newspaper over the whole thing except for where the stems would come through(they were under about 4cm soil) and topped with straw. About August I kept a sharp eye out but didn't harvest that year(just keep watering and I added liquid feed about every three weeks) - did the same thing over the next winter and had just one feed the next spring. I shifted the whole thing last winter into my new raised bed, but still harvested some this last spring and will repeat the process once the fronds start to die down this autumn. If there is seaweed on the beach I also add a bucket of that, chopped up, to the mulch. Nothing like properly fresh asparagus - absolutely nothing!
juliewn,
Mar 22, 1:28am
Hi Jules. I'm not getting time on here as much lately. thanks for keeping the thread going. my vege garden is sadly still almost non-existent, however we bought plants today to find a space for until the earth is levelled around our new home. can't wait till we have a vege garden again. Have a lovely week Everyone. :-)
juliewn,
Mar 22, 2:37am
Hi Stevee :-) Thanks for your info so I can grow the plants well . asparagus is normally available at road side stalls here in early October each year , so. now how many sleeps till October 2011 lol!
How is your garden! I'm guessing you're harvesting lots of goodies from the raised gardens you built. they sure make gardens easier to care for.
stevee6,
Mar 22, 3:07am
Gotmoving with my winter crops this weekend. Planted some sprouting broccoli seedlings and also some mini-cabbages, carrots, parsley, butter crunch lettuce and spinach. With this cold snap it'll be interesting to see how much longer the tomatoes and courgettes last - still plenty of fruit on both.
maryteatowel1,
Mar 22, 3:21am
All I have left in the garden is the last of the cucumbers and kumara.I'm waiting.waiting.waiting.- for DH to take out 5 massive flame trees then he is going to fence it for me.yay no chickens in the veges.and its all getting rotary hoed and new beds.he promised it would be done by the end of march.waiting.waiting, hope it wont be too far away because now I'v done most of my seedlings and they are just about ready
juliewn,
Mar 23, 5:17am
I'm again inspired by the Get Growing email. and have been saving seeds from different coloured cosmos, nasturtium's, etc. and will save parsley seeds tomorrow. I'm drying them well on paper towels in baskets, and keeping them well labelled too! I haven't done this before, so another new learning curve.
juliewn,
Mar 24, 12:39am
I haven't seen this part of the NZ Gardener website before. and it might be of interest to others too. lot's of 'how-to's' are included:
How did the person get on wanting to plant a Caper bush! The reason I ask is I bought some caperberries and most were young with no visible seeds but we got one that had dark black seeds in the middle and I wonder if they will actually grow. They probably won't but you never know.
stevee6,
Mar 24, 7:51pm
Aaaand another bump. BTW - another great NZ Gardener this week!
jen92,
Mar 24, 10:20pm
March edition of NZ Gardener is excellent. I really love the way Lynda tells her stories of 'war' with the weeds + garden in general and her vegetable growing exploits.
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