March Gardening

Create colour with cornflowers

Summer is officially over. And what a great summer the country
had this year. But now the weather is starting to cool off, which
means it’s time to think about planting for the colder months.

Typically when people think of autumn gardens they think of darker,
more subdued colours, but this doesn’t need to be the case.

Cornflowers will add a splash of vibrant colour to any garden. What’s
more, they’re really easy to grow.

Cornflowers come in several colours including pink, red, lavender,
blue or white. Our tall red variety grows well next to stocks and
snapdragons because they like the same conditions and they’ll hold
each other up. I also like to plant this variety amongst my lavender,
roses or delphiniums for the same reasons.

All you need is a sunny, well-drained spot with soil that isn’t too
sour. Before you start planting, I recommend adding a good general
fertiliser like nitrophoska blue or blood and bone to help give the
seedlings a good kick-start.

Then dig a little hole and plant each seedling around 10cm apart.
They’re quite upright growing plants and planting at this space apart
will allow them to support the weight of each other.

Don’t have much space? Our mixed dwarf variety grows really well in
pots. Try planting cornflowers in the centre of your pot and lobelias
around the outside.

In around six to eight weeks your plants will start to flower and
provide a splash of colour for autumn.

Mixed veges: the fresh variety

Think mixed veges, and you’ll probably conjure up an image of a
frozen plastic bag brimming with peas, beans, carrots and corn – a
favourite for many kids.

Although I certainly have nothing against the snap-frozen, bagged
variety, our Awapuni mixed veges are a different kettle of fish
altogether – bundles of complementary, fresh seedlings, designed to
make sure you end up with enough of each vegetable type to feed your
small family, rather than the whole neighbourhood.

Take our cabbage, cauliflower and silverbeet bundle, for example. Not
only are these winter staples perfect for adding nutrition to hearty
winter meals, they also enjoy the same conditions and grow well
alongside each other.

Convinced? Simply grab an Awapuni Nurseries cabbage, cauliflower and
silverbeet mixed vege pack from your local supermarket, Bunnings, or
The Warehouse. Or head to our online store at www.awapuni.co.nz and
have your seedlings delivered direct to your door. While you’re there,
check out our other mixed herb and vege bundles.

Once you’ve got your seedlings, it’s time to find the perfect planting
spot. Firstly, look for somewhere that gets its fair share of sun, and
hasn’t played home to any other members of the brassica genus
(broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc.) recently. This will
prevent your plants getting club root – a disease, which stops the
heads on your brassicas developing fully.

You’ll also need plenty of space – cabbage and cauliflower seedlings
should be planted about 30cm apart from each other. Your silverbeet
seedlings, on the other hand, won’t need quite as much room so I
suggest planting them in between your rows of cabbage and cauli as
they’ll grow tall rather than out, and will be ready to harvest
earlier.

Before you start digging little holes and inserting your seedlings,
don’t forget to add lime to the soil, which will also help prevent the
club root I mentioned above. When it comes to your silverbeet, make
sure your soil is well drained. If it’s a bit sluggish, try building
it up into mounds. You may also need to fight off a snail or two. I
recommend using quash or our tried and true beer bait.

And it may pay to cover your plantings with a closure, such as fine
netting from your local garden centre, to prevent white butterfly
taking advantage of your hard work.

As with many good things, cabbages and cauliflowers take time to
mature. Your silverbeet, on the other hand, is a bit quicker off the
mark and should be ready to harvest in about eight to twelve weeks,
depending on your soil condition.

That’s it; a bit of hard yakka (combined with patience) and you’ll
soon be serving up the very best kind of mixed veg – the type that’s
grown by your own fair hands. Enjoy.

ends

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