Warm, sunny weather through April has promoted strong growth for autumn and winter crops. The only downside has been the continued lack of significant rain. I can’t remember ever having to water my vegetable garden in April as much as I have this year. The rewards are plentiful though and I am currently harvesting broccoli, spring onions, carrots, kohl rabi, silver beet, perpetual spinach, baby leeks, beetroot and snow peas along with still producing capsicums, zucchini, butternuts and a good selection of herbs.
 
SEEDS TO SOW
If conditions are still reasonably mild the first week of May we can try a late sowing of carrots, peas and snow peas direct into the garden. Covering carrot seed with a light dressing of seed-raising potting mix instead of topsoil will aid germination. With protection from the elements, onions, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, silver beet, spring onion, perpetual spinach and lettuce can also be sown in pots and punnets for later transplanting. Broad beans are cool weather vegetables and the seed can be sown direct into the garden now to provide a useful fresh crop in Spring and early Summer. Be prepared for the fact that broad beans grow tall and will require support.
 
BROAD MINDED
The world is divided into those who love broad beans and those who loathe them. If the only broad beans you have ever tasted were leather jackets swimming in a sea of tasteless white sauce why would you like them? In fact, fresh, tender broad beans provide a gourmet delight that is rarely available in supermarkets. Grow your own and pick ‘em young. Delicious!
 
VEGETABLES TO PLANT
Seedlings of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beetroot, silver beet, lettuce can still be planted in sunny, sheltered spots. May, June and July are the best months for planting garlic and shallots. Both take six to seven months to mature so it’s a good idea to enrich the soil with plenty of compost and a general fertiliser prior to planting. Individual garlic cloves are planted just below the surface, pointy end upwards, approximately 10cm apart with 15cm to 30cm between rows. Shallots are spaced 10cm apart with 20cm between rows with the base of the bulbs pressed firmly into the soil but leaving the top half exposed.
 
STRAWBERRIES
Bare-rooted strawberry plants are usually available at the end of the month or early June so now’s the time to prepare the area by incorporating compost and fertiliser. Create raised beds if the drainage is poor and perhaps cover the area with weed mat to suppress weeds, conserve summer moisture and to keep the fruit clean. Where space is limited, strawberries can be grown in patio pots, large hanging baskets, troughs or herb planters filled 50/50 with good quality compost and potting mix.

Contributed by Chris Green, SuperGrans  WBOP Volunteer

Want to know more?
SuperGrans WBOP will be launching a Life Skills Mentoring Programme in Level 2 and will be welcoming applications from families wanting to learn how to start or improve a vegetable garden. You'll be matched with a "gardening buddy" who will support and guide you as you learn to grow your own food.
Follow us on Facebook (supergranswesternbop for updates).

The current situation highlights how beneficial it can be for us to grow at least some of our own food. Growing vegetables is not difficult but it does require some forward planning, patience, careful observation and stickability. Sowing seeds or planting seedlings are just the first steps of a commitment to care for our crops through to harvest. April is a great month to continue planting winter vegetables. Soil and air temperatures are still high enough to aid the rapid germination of seeds and establishment of transplanted seedlings. Our big problem this year is the severely depleted soil moisture levels around the Western Bay of Plenty. The top few centimeters may be moist but most sub-soils will still be bone dry so thorough soaking before planting is essential.
What a great time to start growing food. I think that our very own, local, Kings Seeds are still open for online business and their website provides heaps of useful information along with an amazing range of vegetable and herb seeds;

SEEDS TO SOW   
Sow a few broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and red cabbage every three or four weeks to give continuity of supply. I always start them in containers but they can be sown directly into a garden seedbed for transplanting later. Whichever method is used the seedlings must be protected from the voracious caterpillars of the Cabbage White butterfly. Because I don’t use chemical sprays on my food crops I prefer a simple frame to support a cover of Quarantine Cloth. This has the added advantage of providing light shade for the tender seedlings.
Spring onions, lettuce, silver beet and perpetual spinach can now be sown directly into the garden or, as I prefer, into containers to produce seedlings for transplanting later.
Carrots sown early in the month should germinate before temperatures start to fall and will be ready for picking in late winter/early spring.
Rocket, radish, beetroot and parsnips (always use fresh parsnip seed for best results) can be sown directly into the garden. Covering seeds with a layer of seed-raising potting mix helps to prevent soil from forming a hard crust that can hinder germination.
Peas, snow peas and sugar snap peas can all be sown directly into the garden but be sure to provide support for tall climbing varieties.
 
VEGETABLES TO PLANT
April provides a window of opportunity to plant winter vegetables before the weather deteriorates, temperatures fall and the days grow shorter. Seedlings of all the varieties listed in ‘Seeds to Sow’ can be planted now.

HERBS
Coriander prefers cool conditions so this is a good time to sow or plant.
 
Contributed by Chris Green, SuperGrans  WBOP Volunteer

Want to know more?
SuperGrans WBOP holds fortnightly Growing Food with SuperGrans sessions and these will resume “when things return to normal.”
Follow us on Facebook (supergranswesternbop for updates).

SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty’s upcoming events and activities have been cancelled and our office is closed to the public until further notice in response to the New Zealand Governments decision to raise the COVID-19 alert to Level Three (and Four).

Our staff are working from home and we're implementing a phone buddy system for the isolated in our community. If you, or if you know of anyone who is feeling lonely and would appreciate a friendly phone call please call us on 07 549 4522 or text 027 472 1112 and we'll match you with one of our SuperGrans volunteers as a phone buddy.

Stay safe and be kind.

I started to plant my autumn/winter crops in the last two weeks of February. What a performance! The ground was, and still is, so dry that I had to prepare beds by digging ditches a spade depth deep before breaking up the bone-dry sub-soil with a fork. Then, using my precious tank water, I flooded the trenches and allowed the water to soak in before replacing some of the top soil, adding more water and mixing thoroughly. Repeating this process a couple of times gave me beds with enough moisture in the root zone to allow me to plant with confidence.
All indications are that early March is going to remain exceptionally dry so I might have to use the same technique for the next round of sowing and planting. I’m encouraged by the thought that increases in vegetable prices are almost inevitable as the drought continues.

SEEDS TO SOW  
Sow a few broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and red cabbage every three or four weeks to give continuity of supply. I always start them in containers but they can be sown directly into a garden seedbed for transplanting later. Whichever method is used the seedlings must be protected from the voracious caterpillars of the Cabbage White butterfly. Because I don’t use chemical sprays on my food crops I prefer a simple frame to support a cover of Quarantine Cloth. This has the added advantage of providing light shade for the tender seedlings.
Spring onions, lettuce, silver beet and perpetual spinach can now be sown directly into the garden or, as I prefer, into containers to produce seedlings for transplanting later.
Carrots, rocket, radish, beetroot and parsnips can be sown directly into the garden. Covering seeds with a layer of seed-raising potting mix helps to prevent soil from forming a hard crust that can hinder germination.
Snow peas prefer cooler conditions but can be sown now in containers for transplanting later in the month.
 
VEGETABLES TO PLANT
March is usually a wonderful month to plant winter vegetables but for most of us this year planting will be limited by the amount of water we have available and by our commitment to applying it in a timely and effective way. Regular deep watering in the evening two or three times a week is best for most crops.
All the varieties listed in ‘Seeds to Sow’ can be planted now but, if possible, give leafy crops such as lettuce and spinach some shade from the sun. Leeks should be planted as soon as possible to give them time to mature for winter harvest.
​
HERBS
Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, thyme, bay and sage thrive in hot, dry conditions. In pots they still require regular watering but once established in the garden they should be left to fend for themselves. In my garden Italian parsley seems to stand up to heat better than the curly variety. Both can be planted now but growing from seed requires patience as it is very slow to germinate.

Contributed by Chris Green, SuperGrans  WBOP Volunteer

Want to know more? Come along to our monthly (1st Wednesday of the month) Growing Food with SuperGrans at the SuperGrans Offices, 14 Jocelyn St, Katikati and meet our volunteer gardening gurus! Free event, just drop in.

Water, water, water! Deep watering two or three times a week, preferably in the evening will keep summer crops producing.
After the high temperatures and the lack of rain we’ve experienced through January it’s hard to think about preparing for winter but now is the time to start sowing seeds for autumn and winter crops. Limited rain and damaging winds early in the month necessitated regular watering to keep summer veges healthy and productive. The leaves of my climbing beans were bruised and shredded by the wind but the plants are now fully recovered and continue to crop well. The trick is to constantly remove old and damaged leaves as you pick the beans and keep up the watering. This rejuvenates the plants and also makes harvesting much easier.
 
SEEDS TO SOW  
Spring onions, lettuce, silver beet and perpetual spinach can now be sown directly into the garden or, as I prefer, into containers to produce seedlings for transplanting later.
Leeks are a great winter standby and the seed can be sown this month.
Early in the month is the last chance to sow zucchini and dwarf beans. Carrots, rocket, radish, beetroot and parsnips can be sown directly into the garden. Covering seeds with a layer of seed-raising potting mix helps to prevent soil from forming a hard crust that can hinder germination.
It is time to start sowing broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and red cabbage. I always start them in containers but they can be sown directly into a garden seedbed for transplanting later. Whichever method is used the seedlings must be protected from the voracious caterpillars of the Cabbage White butterfly. Because I don’t use chemical sprays on my food crops I prefer to use a simple frame to support a cover of Quarantine Cloth. This has the added advantage of providing light shade for the tender seedlings.
Snow peas prefer cooler temperatures so I usually wait until the end of February before sowing my first batch.
 
VEGETABLES TO PLANT
Bearing in mind any limitations on watering and after care all the varieties listed in ‘Seeds to Sow’ can be planted out into the garden. I tend to wait until mid to late February before planting large quantities because that should bring us closer to some significant autumn rainfall that will ease the pressure on both me and my water tanks.
 
HERBS
There’s still time to plant basil and all the other popular culinary herbs but coriander hates hot, dry conditions. However, it grows easily from seed so we just have to accept that it has a limited useful life and sow fresh pots of it every few weeks. Letting the old plants flower will provide the seed for future crops.

Contributed by Chris Green, SuperGrans  WBOP Volunteer

Want to know more? Come along to our monthly (1st Wednesday of the month) Growing Food with SuperGrans on the 5th February, 10-11.30am at the SuperGrans Offices, 14 Jocelyn St, Katikati and meet our volunteer gardening gurus! Free event, just drop in.

Photo: SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty vegetable garden/jungle!

Happy 2020 everyone! The office is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 9am - 2pm until February (when we'll be open on Fridays too). This means there will be no Sewing and Mending Connect and Chats in January.

Drop in and say hi!

Warm, settled weather usually makes December a great month to grow and harvest fresh vegetables in the home garden. The dilemma faced by many gardeners is that Christmas marks the start of the holiday season and that coincides with many summer crops being ready to pick.
Watering too can be a problem as it’s vital that soil moisture levels are maintained through the dry, sunny weather that holiday makers love. A surface mulch of organic matter such as compost or straw, applied after the ground is thoroughly soaked, will certainly help but computerised automatic watering systems and/or reliable friends and neighbours may be needed to keep the garden going if you’re away for more than a few days.
 
SEEDS TO SOW  
There is still time to sow tomatoes, capsicum, chillies, zucchini, cucumber, dwarf beans, climbing beans, butternut squash, pumpkin, basil, egg plant, melon and sweet corn. Spring onions, lettuce, silver beet and perpetual spinach can now be sown directly into the garden or, as I prefer, into containers to produce seedlings for transplanting later.
Leeks are a great winter standby and the seed can be sown this month. I like to make a seed bed in the garden with a view to producing strong seedlings (with stems the thickness of a pencil) that will be transplanted into their final positions in March.
Carrots, peas, rocket, radishes, beetroot, onions and parsnips can be sown directly into the garden. Covering seeds with a layer of seed-raising potting mix helps to prevent soil from forming a hard crust that can hinder germination.
 
VEGETABLES TO PLANT
Almost anything goes this month bearing in mind any limitations on watering and after care. All the varieties listed in ‘Seeds to Sow’ can be planted out into the garden. There’s still time to plant kumara but remember that they need up to four months growing time to mature fully.
 
HERBS
Continue to plant basil in pots or gardens to provide lots of leaves for summer pesto. In fact all culinary herbs and lavenders can be planted now.
 
Contributed by Chris Green, SuperGrans Volunteer

Want to know more? Come along to our monthly (1st Wednesday of the month) Growing Food with SuperGrans on the 4th December, 10-11.30am at the SuperGrans Offices, 14 Jocelyn St, Katikati and meet our volunteer gardening gurus! Free event, just drop in.

Photo: Growing Food with SuperGrans at SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty.

October did what it usually does by providing us with spring, summer and winter weather, often all on the same day. Strong winds towards the end of the month were especially trying for gardeners impatient to plant out summer vegetables. At this time of the year shelter from the BOP winds is the most important factor in establishing a summer garden. Higher soil temperatures, good moisture levels and lengthening daylight usually make November a great month to sow and plant all your favourite summer varieties.
 
SEEDS TO SOW
Tomatoes, capsicum, chillies, zucchini, cucumber, dwarf beans, climbing beans, butternut squash, pumpkin, basil, egg plant, melon, sweet corn, spring onions, lettuce, silver beet and perpetual spinach can now be sown directly into the garden or, as I prefer, into containers to produce seedlings for transplanting later.
Carrots, peas, rocket, radishes, beetroot, onions and parsnips can be sown directly into the garden. Covering seeds with a layer of seed-raising potting mix helps to prevent soil from forming a hard crust that can hinder germination.
Summer varieties of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower can still be sown or planted but be prepared to protect them from the cabbage white caterpillars that will soon start to infest these crops.
 
POTATOES
Potatoes can still be planted in November but the later they go in the ground the more they are susceptible to attack from potato psyllid, sap sucking insects that spread a bacterial disease that can ruin crops.
 
VEGETABLES TO PLANT
Almost anything goes this month. All the varieties listed in ‘Seeds to Sow’ can be planted out into the garden. It is also the time to plant kumara as they thrive in warm conditions and need up to four months to mature. Plants should be available now in garden centres but be aware that kumara have a wide spreading habit of growth and so require lots of space.
 
HERBS
November is a great time to plant plenty of basil in pots or gardens to provide lots of leaves for summer pesto. In fact all culinary herbs and lavenders can be planted now. Lovage is a strong growing, perennial herb that dies down in winter and pops up again in early spring. It has a distinctive celery-like taste that is useful in soups, stews and casseroles.
 
Contributed by Chris Green, SuperGrans Volunteer

Want to know more? Come along to our monthly (1st Wednesday of the month) Growing Food with SuperGrans on the 6th November, 10-11am at the SuperGrans Offices, 14 Jocelyn St, Katikati and meet our volunteer gardening gurus! Free event, just drop in.

Photo: Growing Food with SuperGrans at SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty.

​“Fantastic idea. Keep up the good work”, “Awesome chats”, “Long may it run”, “Charming”.
 
These are just some of the responses received by SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty in response to the first Repair Café run on 19th October. The Repair Café was an opportunity for people to bring in broken items and have them looked at by a team of skilled volunteer repairers for free. On the morning, there were stations for repairing anything electrical, woodwork, sewing and mending, bikes, jewelry, device support, knife sharpening as well as general repairs.
 
“The knife sharpener and electrician were busy all morning! It was just fantastic to see people having their items looked at and repaired. We weren’t able to fix everything – but, overall the morning was a wonderful success and we are already planning more Repair Cafes for 2020!” described Anita Rapson, Service Manager at SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty.
 
Anita estimates that at least 50 items were repaired, as well as a huge amount of knifes that were sharpened to see another day! Next year, the intention is to have a similar group of volunteer repairers, as well as people who can fix cellphone screens and also teach others how to do similar repairs.