White rabbits! September at last, so bumped up for everyone suffering from spring fever.
juliewn,
Sep 1, 4:23am
Happy Springtime. :-) Hope your gardens are flourishing with Spring now here.
jules.,
Sep 1, 4:35am
happy first day of spring! what a lovely first day it was today! the sun was shining! too bad i was inside for the most part at work :(
simplesean,
Sep 1, 8:26pm
Hi everyone :) Thought I'd check back to see what you lot have been up to. We've been doing some renovations so haven't had a chance to do much outside lately. We've bought heaps of fruit trees lately and we've got 5 feijoa trees arriving friday to form a hedge to screen out our neighbours. I'ts gonna be great in a few years when they're all producing lots. I got a pair of cocktail kiwifruits too. can't wait to see how these do, apparently cats really like the female kiwifruit plant and will rip it to shreds.
stevee6,
Sep 2, 1:00am
Wow, where are all the new eager-beaver gardeners!
imrae1,
Sep 2, 1:14am
Busy I have planted, dug planted and ug until I am sore and tired. Even did a bit of water tonight
juliewn,
Sep 2, 10:24pm
Hi Ords. re growing fruit in Southland, this is the link to the NZ Gardener articles. about a third of the way down the page is Robert Guyton's guide to growing in the deep south.
He has two articles each month in the NZ Gardener magazine. one on growing veges and fruits in Southland, and the other on growing under cover there - glass houses and tunnel houses. I'm sure he's written somewhere in them that he grows lemon's under cover - I think he's at Riverton, and I think I've also seen something about him writing a sustainable gardening column in the Southland newspaper!
He would certainly know what would grow. and most/all garden centres there would stock the types of trees that will grow in that area, so that could be a source of info too.
You'll be able to grow some things that we in warmer climates can't - cherries and apricots certainly do well around Alexandra, etc. so may well grow beautifully there for you too.
Good luck.
jules.,
Sep 3, 3:26am
we are being held back by the rain! we have been trying all week to get a fine break after work to concrete in the posts for the new raised garden. we are still waiting :( at this rate we will never get it done! saw on the news the other night that it is supposed to be a long dry spring. someone should get that woman to look out the window before she reads the weather, lol :)
stevee6,
Sep 3, 3:59am
Ummm it's dry as a bone here - I've been watering today *hides*.
whiskey13,
Sep 3, 6:35am
Most of the blossoms on our apricot tree have been blown off by a hail storm we have just had. GGRRRRR
kbateman,
Sep 3, 3:52pm
Hi. Everyone. I know I may have ask this before. How do you put photo's up here. As I had sameone putting my veg plants in and I be away for same time. And back looked around and can not see the name of this anywhere. As I name every thing. What every it is it's growing dam good. And if I can work out how to get photo up you maybe able to help with what it is. Thank you all.
jules.,
Sep 4, 1:24am
lucky for some :) we are SO tired of the rain up here, im starting to wonder if summer is ever going to come. hoping the weekend will prove better, may get some more work done with any luck :)
jules.,
Sep 5, 2:28am
I have well and truely filled up all my garden space with my overload of garlic, onions, spuds, shallots, silverbeet, rhubarb and I still have all the summer vege to go in.corn, cucs, toms, capsicum, chilli etc, so I now have to try my hand at container growing. Im not too optomistic however, Im not so great at watering at the best of times and know the pots and planters will need to be watered more than regularly! I have moved and re soiled my long planters, I put in a punnet of lettuce as well as some lettuce seeds, bean and spring onion seeds. I will need to get some large pots for the tomatos, chilli and capsicums. I have one raised bed that needs to be filled with soil then I can use that for the corn and cucumbers. Any tips on container gardening would be a great help :)
juliewn,
Sep 5, 5:56am
Aww Whiskey - hopefully there's blossom still coming. mine just had the first blossoms open yesterday, so hopefully more to come for your tree.
Wow Jules. your garden sounds amazing. how is your water tank working - hope it's going well.
I haven't grown more than a few plants in pots - a friend of mine got some of those polystyrene oblong containers from a supermarket, and uses the bases to grow veges in - they sometimes have drainage holes already, or if not, they're easy to put in them - she's got lettuce, parsley, mint and silverbeet growing in hers - not bad for an almost 96 year old who still lives alone - with her daughter across the road.
books4nz,
Sep 5, 9:27am
Good luck with that Jules - hope it's fine here too!
stevee6,
Sep 5, 5:16pm
Damp damp damp here - but the wind chill is keeping it down to 6C(don't believe the forecasters when they say Kapiti is 17C all the time - they never factor windchill). Just as well my baby tomato seedlings are tucked up in the warm garden shed.
jules.,
Sep 5, 11:10pm
i have a fig tree in a large pot, it has strawberry plants around the base of the tree. can i still put the strawberry food around them or will it be bad for the fig tree!
jules.,
Sep 6, 4:54am
Haha, the tank is a work in progress! Theres way more important things Hubby finds to do, like re spooling the fishing rods and now that scallop season has opened again.but who would complain at having plump fresh scallops for dinner!
Think I will get some good old 99c buckets to plant the toms in, should be fine, a plant per bucket with some of the tomato potting mix.
Hope Im still going strong at 96! Must be the home grown vege :)
jules.,
Sep 6, 7:53pm
YAY! we have FINALLY had 2 dry days! we (my wonderfull husband and i) have concreted in the posts for the garden. just have to wait for them to firm and we can put on the boards, fill her up and GET PLANTING! the kids and i planted 2 rows of carrotts today and put the wire netting up for the peas to grow on. got the new compost bin up and running aswell. all in all, a very productive weekend!
jules.,
Sep 7, 1:35am
bumping. for any help on above please!
allnall,
Sep 7, 2:27am
oh dear where did we go wrong lord knows what we have done wrong, but we planted our sweet pea seeds a couple of weekends ago and only ONE has come up. i hope this isn't a sign as we planted out our carrot and radish seeds today. i do have to say it a darn good looking sweet pea though
ords,
Sep 7, 2:30am
Juliewn thanks for you tips on Robert Guyton. He is my local info supplier, I also buy the organic seeds from his environment centre.
I got some super dirt and have put it throughout the tunnel house. Have eaten 2 heads of brocolli that have been growing steadily thru winter. Will add the superdirt to the outdoor gardens and mil's tunnel house. Seedlings are coming along slowly. may have to sow more soon. Busy busy on the farm, lambing and have sick calves. Weather is a bit shite too. and a death in the family has left me drained and away from the garden.
bjkiwi,
Sep 7, 2:31am
well jules, its my understanding. my unlearned opinion of course! that fig trees arent overly fussed on very fertile soil, whereas strawberries would rather be up to their necks in manure.as to whether this answers your question or even if its correct (on the figs part) i dont know.not very helpful am I! :)
bjkiwi,
Sep 7, 2:34am
but at the end of the day I hate to see some one waiting .waiting.waiting. so I keep my figs and strawberries separate.the strawberries are planted in horse manure.the fig is in a big pot with slow release fertilizer but doesnt get mch else.treat em mean!I havnt had many complaints from either so presume all are happy
javlin,
Sep 7, 8:48pm
Hi everyone I've just been digging out the last of last years brussel sprouts and turning over the bed in anticipation of planting veges soon. I haved just harvested the last of last years leeks. The only veges left in ther garden are celery. The fruit trees are a picture of blossom. It's quite warm in the sun but the soil still feels cold. My daffoldils haven't flowered yet.
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