 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.
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 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. We held our AGM last week - thank you to everyone who came along. This was a great opportunity to celebrate our achievements over the past twelve months, introduce some new friends to SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty, and also to share some of our ideas for the next twelve months. The three presentations from this event are: 
 Early spring, as usual, has given us a roller-coaster ride with the weather. September gave us several balmy days with temperatures in the high teens and gentle breezes that had us thinking that summer is just around the corner but then it hit us with gale force winds and horizontal rain. That is why I resist the temptation to plant out tender summer vegetables until mid to late October but, in the meantime I like to grow on potted seedlings in a warm, sheltered spot so that I have advanced plants to go in the garden when conditions have settled down.
SEEDS TO SOW Into pots, punnets and trays under cover in a glasshouse, sun porch or sunny window sill : Tomatoes, capsicum, chillies, zucchini, cucumber, dwarf beans, climbing beans, butternut squash, basil, egg plant, melons and sweet corn. A trigger spray bottle is a good way to keep them watered without splashing and washing out the seeds. 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. I prefer to sow perpetual spinach, spring onions, and lettuce in pots to provide strong seedlings for planting later. POTATOES With a bit of luck, potatoes planted in early October will provide plenty of new potatoes for Christmas dinner. Earth-up potatoes as they grow by drawing soil up and around the plants until only the top of the foliage is showing. This provides protection from the weather and insect pests as well as preventing ‘greening’ of any exposed tubers. The same principal applies to potatoes in containers, just top up the growing mix as the plants grow. VEGETABLES TO PLANT Labour Weekend is the traditional time to plant out summer varieties such as tomato, capsicum, egg plant, beans, pumpkin, squash, cucumber, kumera, sweet corn and zucchini. Any time from mid-October should be fine but if the weather is unsettled delay planting. Warmth and shelter from strong winds are necessary for success with these crops. Winter standbys such as cabbage, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, perpetual spinach, lettuce, spring onions, snow peas and silver beet can still be planted though I choose not to grow cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower through the warmer months as, without protection, cabbage white caterpillars will ruin these crops and I prefer to fill the garden with seasonal summer vegetables. HERBS Most herbs can be planted this month. Thyme, parsley, sage, rosemary, lemon grass, chives and dill can be grown in pots or can be planted directly into the garden. Coriander likes cool conditions so it prefers somewhere with a bit of shade in summer. Mint is best grown in a pot as it can easily take over a garden bed with its underground runners. Tarragon is a perennial herb that dies down in winter and pops up again in spring. There are two varieties, Russian, which is almost tasteless or French which is delicious. Make sure you get the right one. 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 2nd October, 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. Katikati Primary School Skills Club in Term 3 has just finished. This term, in the kitchen the students made corn fritters, pumpkin soup, stove-top pizza, mince Kai Si Ming, and chocolate rice crackles. While in the garden, the students have been very successful growing an exciting range of seedlings. We also run a third stream, where the children complete a series of crafts upcycling commonly available household items – they made bees wax cloths to wrap their lunch in, homemade laundry powder, as well as bags from t-shirts and newspaper. Skills Club is just so much fun – the kids and volunteers have a ball and we can’t wait for Term 4 to begin! SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty is super excited that we are taking part in Z Energy's Good in the Hood this September. We are one of four groups selected for Good in the Hood at Z Bethlehem. That means we're up for a share of $4,000 - but how much depends on how many votes we get! Anything we receive will go straight back into the community, ensuring we are able to continue to offer our workshops, connect and chat groups and mentoring for FREE! To vote for SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty all you need to do is buy something from Z Bethlehem during September and put the orange token into the SuperGrans Western Bay of Plenty voting box. Please support us this September!! Huge thanks to the Acorn Foundation - encouraging giving for the Western BOP for the funding towards our operating costs. This support allows us to continue to deliver free practical life skills workshops, groups and mentoring. Ngā mihi nui.  |
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