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NEW SEASONS POTATOES New seasons seed potatoes are now available from a number of garden centres. They are too early you may say but even down Southland the first varieties; Agria, Jersey Bennes, Nadine, and Rocket are now in store.  I would presume the same varieties will be available in most areas and it certainly

Gardening with raised beds Raised beds for gardening is a great way to make gardening easy and at the same time produce a good range of vegetables or flowers. The advantages as I see them are; less bending, tidy gardens, attractive gardens, less weeding, no digging, superior produce or plants, ease of watering, great drainage,

Germinating Seeds There are two basic places to germinate seeds, one is where they will ultimately grow and mature the other is in suitable containers to germinate and then to transplant out into open ground or larger containers latter on. Firstly it is always best to plant any seed in the spot where it will

Three Lettuces – Keeping vegetables for longer Three identical lettuces were purchased at the same time and stored for ten days in three different ways. Check out the methods and results! From left to right: 1. Stored at room temperature 2. Stored in the fridge. 3. Stored in a cup of water like cut flowers.

Setting up a worm farm A comprehensive step by step guide to setting up and looking after a worm farm. Every garden would benefit from a worm farm whatever it’s size, it’s a fantastic way to recycle used vegetable scraps and so much more. I will cover worm diet later, but seriously, if you haven’t

Silverbeet: Winter gardening’s silver lining With the cooler weather setting in, I’m spending less and less time in the garden. Donning gumboots and heading outside is losing the battle against putting my feet up in front of the fire. So any plant that requires minimal attention at this time of year is a winner in

Planting Strawberries in May May is the traditional month when new seasons strawberry plants become available in New Zealand. The nurseries that grow the plants lift them once the autumn rains have moisten the soil sufficiently and they are then distributed to garden centres. In seasons when the growing beds are too dry the plants

Thinking of Keeping Bees? I have been thinking of keeping bees for a while now and I have done research into the different options that are available. What initially struck me was the cost and the amount of gear required to run a conventional hive. To buy a new hive and all the required tools

Soil pH: A Key to Healthy Plants and Gardens Soil pH is one of the most important factors for keeping plants healthy and productive. It measures how acidic or alkaline the soil is and directly impacts how well plants can take in nutrients and how active the soil microbes are. For gardeners and farmers, understanding