August 2011

Drive of a lifetime

Planning an overseas trip next year? Why not the Flower Route, Netherlands, from National Geographic’s Drives of a Lifetime series. Plenty of time to get organised – for best flower viewing the trip should be done around mid-April.
Credit: Sachin Agarkar and National Geographic
Burning question...

My broccoli seems to be growing well but then the heads get to the size of a small mandarin and die off. What’s wrong?

Your broccoli could have clubroot. Simply pull out a plant and check the roots. If they’re growing in a tight ball then it has clubroot and your best bet is to plant a new crop somewhere where you haven’t recently planted brassicas. Remember to add some lime to the soil before you plant. Alternatively, your soil might lack Potassium and Nitrogen. This is an easy fix – just add some Nitrophoska Blue before planting your next crop.

Click here to email Tod your burning question today.

August is a
good time to…

Check for aphids on everything, but particularly new shoots on your roses. If you spot them – try using this organic spray. Now’s a good time to dig over the garden, add some NPB fertiliser and plant new brassicas (broccoli and cauliflower) for harvesting in summer.

Read on for more details.

Red vs white

Ever wondered what the difference is between red and white onions? It’s really just the taste. Red onions are generally sweeter tasting and great used fresh in salads.


Winter madness

Over the last couple of weeks winter has more than made its presence known. It definitely doesn’t inspire much gardening. So we don’t blame you if you haven’t spent much time outside since our last newsletter.

It’s hard to believe it, but this pic is actually of a once thriving vege and herb garden!

Credit: @domesticexecOne of our Twitter followers, @domesticexec posted this shot of her garden near Wellington after the nation-wide snow downfall towards the end of July.

So this month we’ll sign off with – keep busy thinking about what you’re going to plant in spring but, most importantly, keep warm!

Henri Ham
Awapuni Nurseries


Climbing the walls for sweet peas

Sweet peas are one of my favourite flowers. As long as you plant them in a sunny, well-drained spot they will provide fantastic colour and height to any garden.

Sweat peas usually grow to between 120 and 180 centimeters, Don’t have much space? Never fear, they also work really well in large pots.

Alternatively, why not try the dwarf variety in a hanging basket? They grow to about 30 or 40 centimeters and cascade really nicely down the side of a basket.

Once you’ve worked out where to plant them, head down to your local Bunnings, The Warehouse, or supermarket and grab some of Awapuni’s Traditional Value or Pop’n’Grow sweet pea seedlings.

Click here to read more.


Beating world hunger with red onions

 In the lead up to an election there’s always plenty of talk about what hits the average Kiwi hardest in the pocket.

At the moment that seems to be the rising cost of staple foods, including fruit and veges.

I saw a journalist mention that what people really need to do is buy fruit and veges that are in season.

Well I’d like to go one step further and say – plant for the seasons.

Save money, get productive and feel good by growing your own veges.

Now that’s enough serious talk for one month.

Red onions might not save the world from famine, but in my humble opinion they’re a pretty good addition to summer salads!

So get down to your local supermarket, The Warehouse, or Bunnings today and grab a Traditional Value bundle of Awapuni Nurseries’ California Red Onions.

Planting red onions is a lot like planting your regular white onions.

Click here to read more.


Tomato and red onion bruschetta

The combination of tomato and red onion on bruschetta (roasted bread) is a tasty and health snack or appetiser.

Cut the sourdough bread or baguette into slices and brush both sides with olive oil. Grill for about two minutes per side, until browned but still soft inside. Rub one side of the bread with garlic. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and combine with red onion, basil leaves and red wine vinegar. Click here to read the rest of the recipe.

Henri and Paul Ham, Awapuni Nurseries Ltd
Pioneer Highway PO Box 7075 Palmerston North 4443 NEW ZEALAND

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