If you have useful advice to share about gardening, permaculture, food or more sustainable living, please leave a message below. We’d love to hear them.
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Have just been to a fantastic exhibition in Te Papa called The Mixing Room, stories from young refugees in NZ……defiant and emotional. film. poetry, performance and film…just great!
Hi Grace…..Black Sabbath is an interesting slant on encouraging seed germination! For seeds to germinate you need sufficient moisture and warmth; the way I do this is to put cling film over my seed tray when I have set the seeds and watered it. This allows the seeds to keep warm over night and not dry out in the day. Planting seeds too deep is probably the most common reason for the lack of success. And if you can, pop the seedlings into individual pots before planting out. Hope this gives you renewed inspiration….Clare
Any advice for raising parsnip seedlings? I put them into containers about 2 weeks ago and have been keeping them in an indoor sunny spot and keeping the soil moist but no signs of life yet! I’m now playing them black sabbath in the hope that the rocking vibrations will get them going?
Dear Elaine,
Thank you for your correspondence. We regret that the Bandoliers site was quoted as “disused” in the Wellingtonian article. This is certainly not the view of the Innermost Gardens as we respect the ecological, recreational and cultural value of the Townbelt.
We are really excited to have this land and are working at the moment to create a collective to oversee Mt Victoria this site. On April 24/25th we held a workshop, particularly targeted at Mt Victoria residents to develop a garden design for the site. There were 40 people at this event from Mt Victoria and greater Wellington.
On May 11th we are holding a meeting at Crossways community centre to present this design and start to form a group to work with this site. It would be good to have you there.
Both of these events have been in the Mt Victoria Residents Association newsletter and advertised around Mt Victoria.
Innermost currently has Mt Victoria residents in our organisation and we are actively working to encourage more. Please come along on the 11th and we would encourage you to get involved.
Bandoliers is on the town belt, it is not spare / waste council land and the group digging up the town belt is not a group of Mt Victoria Residents.
nor is it led by Mt Victoria Residents.
I wish to withdraw my membership of your group.
Can anyone suggest someone who can prune fruit trees & show me how to do it? Mt Victoria area.
Here are some suggestions of what you could grow from seed and bring along to the next gardening day on Sunday 11th of April. If you do not have seeds there is some at the Garden, which you could use but I understand some were given out at the last Gardening day so people might already have some seeds.
Last of winter salads eg spinach, lettuce, miner’s lettuce, corn salad
Brassicas – Pak choi, cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, Kale
Brussels sprouts
Broad beans
Leek
Flower – poppy, bluebell, Calendula
Perennial herbs
Parsley
Direct sow on the day (the below can also be grown as seedling and the transplanted but sometimes they can get root shock when transplanted)
Broad beans – a great carbon crop! traditional planted at Easter or on ANZAC Day
Carrots
Parsnips
Radishes
Beetroot
Swede
Turnip
Onions
peas
Leek
Garlic? could still be a bit too early normally planted on the shortest day 21st June (Garlic beds need ot be well drained, sweetened with lime or dolomite and with plenty of organic matter added, it’s good to have a pile of mulch nearby to use to help keep the weeds down)
Prepare beds for planting – we discussed at the meeting adding some lime and some other goodies to the soil as suggest by Grant, The idea is to do this either this weekend or next and hopefully have about 4 or 5 people there to help with this, should be a quick job.
Other jobs
Save seeds from tomatoes and flowers
Improve soil, add compost, worm wee, lime etc…
Mulch
Liquid feed
Any more potatoes to harvest?
Harvest anything else that is ready, spinach, tomatoes, carrots,herbs?
Sort out compost
If not all the beds get planted out then we should either grow a green crop or make sure it is mulched to suppress the weeds.
If there is anything I have missed that would be good to plant or any other ideas of things to do on the day then please add to the list.
Hi Leila,
Thanks for that…building up the soil is a learning curve for us. We haven’t yet had a test done, its something we have been talking about.. Where did you get yours done?
I was looking at the permaculture workshop and saw your blog. Got to love the way the internet lets random people poke around in your garden! Anyway, watch out for gypsum unless in the unlikely event a test recommends it for sodic soil. It’s unlikely to harm, but likely a waste of money. Nearly all the info online is courtesy of ‘www.gypsum..’
Have you had your soil tested? I got one and found I didn’t need to add anything. Apart from organic matter. Of course. Again.
Here is some basic info on fertilizers. We have a problem with White butterflies and as well as spraying the plants to protect them from bugs, we need to build up the soil. Its been suggested we use a mix of 6 part lime, 5 parts soft rock phosphate and 3 parts gypsum. Thought I’d check out what these do and seaweed as we put some down about 6 months ago……
Seaweed Soil
* Prevents soil borne disease and unlocks the soils own micronutrients.
* Builds up plants own immune system and encourages vibrant healthy growth.
* Excellent for plants under stress
Seaweed/kelp can contain 60 trace elements, many growth hormones, and disease control properties in it! Basically every nutrient that any surface plant can ever need!
Seaweed is also an excellent food source for beneficial fungi in the soil.
When seaweed, or indeed any undecomposed organic matter, is put into the soil, it is attacked by bacteria which break down the material to decompose it. To do this the bacteria need nitrogen, and they take this from the soil. This means that after seaweed has been added to the soil, there is a period during which the amount of soil nitrogen available to plants is reduced. During this period seed germination, and the feeding and growth of plants, can be inhibited to greater or lesser degree. This temporary nitrogen deficiency is brought about when any undecomposed vegetable matter is added to the soil.
Soft Rock Phosphate
Soft Rock Phosphate is highly soluble and is perfect for soils that have been depleted of minerals.
Soft Rock Phosphate is a great addition to any soil lacking this vital mineral.
Some web site suggest using bone meal instead as:
Bone Meal Not only is it easier to find, but also it is already being produced as a byproduct of the beef industry. Rock phosphate is mined.
Lime
Lime is ground limestone. It raises the pH of soils (more alkaline).It also adds calcium to the soil, which can make stronger plants.
Ideally, lime should be applied only after you’ve had your soil tested and the results require an application of lime. Because too much lime can have negative effects on our drinking water and it can damage plants when over-used, the yearly application of lime is not a very good idea. If you are not willing to get a soil test, then reducing your lime application to once every other year is a good compromise.
keep the dust off of plant leaves. Always err on the less is better side. Water well so that the lime doesn’t burn the leaves of plants.
Lime takes a long time to work it’s way into the soil. It works slowly; you won’t see result for a while.
WHY USE GYPSUM
Gypsum is one of those rare materials that performs in all categories of soil treatment: an amendment, conditioner and fertilizer.
Amendment
· Corrects soil alkalinity, lowers high pH conditions
· Counteracts acid soils, raises low pH conditions
·
Conditioner
· Generally improves soil structure and tilth. Creates friable soil and builds deeper top-soil
· Breaks up soils compacted by its two worst enemies – sodium and clay, compounded by farm animals and machinery
·
Fertilizer
· Supplies needed calcium nutrient and strengthens cell walls, making plants and trees more resistant to insects and disease
· Provides necessary sulfur nutrient
· Amends nutritional tie-up and makes essential nutrients more available, such as nitrogen, phosphate, potash, iron and zinc.
Water Savings
· Gypsum promotes water infiltration, retention and conservation
· By allowing water to penetrate the soil without forming puddles or water logging, gypsum conserves water by stretching intervals between irrigations
·
What You Should Know about NPK and Fertilizers
Chemical fertilizers and organic fertilizers show their nutrient content with three bold numbers on the package. These numbers represent three different compounds: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potash (Potassium), which we can also describe with the letters N-P-K. The three numbers listed on fertilizer labels correspond to the percentage of these materials found in the fertilizer.
What does each nutrient do? In addition to other properties,
Nitrogen helps plant foliage to grow strong.
Phosphorous helps roots and flowers grow and develop.
Potassium (Potash) is important for overall plant health.
Be aware that high nitrogen fertilizers will make for quick growth but weaker plants that are more susceptible to attacks by diseases and pests. Fast, showy growth is not necessarily the best thing for your plants.
It is clear that Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium are not necessarily the most important elements you need for your plants to grow well. In fact, elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, magnesium, copper, cobalt, sodium, boron, molybdenum, and zinc are just as important to plant development as N-P-K……..
We had a great work bee today! We harvested the potatoes; so many( there are still some in a white tin in the shed for people to help them selves to), composted the scraps that had been left for us, mulched the gardens and around the small fruit trees and picked some seeds to plant for the next bee… There are now two beds available and ready for planting. If you weren’ t there be great if you want to sow some seeds to bring to the next bee.
There is some red clover growing in the garden, so I thought I’d look it up find what its good for…
Red Clover – Trifolium pratense
It is widely grown as a fodder crop, valued for its nitrogen fixation which increases soil fertility. For these reasons it is used as a green manure crop. Several Cultivar Groups have been selected for agricultural use, mostly derived from var. sativum. It has become naturalised in many temperate areas, including the Americas and Australasia as an escape from cultivation.
Red clover restores and balances hormonal function and nourishes the uterus. Red Clover contains isoflavones (estrogen-like compounds) which promote estrogen production and which may enhance fertility in women and boost estrogen levels in women with estrogen deficiencies. In addition, the Red Clover contains calcium and magnesium which can relax the nervous system and improve fertility. Traditionally, Red Clover has been administered to help restore irregular menses and to balance the acid-alkaline level of the vagina to promote conception.[1]
The isoflavones (like irilone and pratensein) and phytoestrogens from red clover have been used to treat the symptoms of menopause.[2] It has also been reported that red clover has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, such as bronchitis, burns, cancers, ulcers, sedation, asthma, and syphilis.[3]
Just about to tuck into some stewed rhubarb from the garden.
Sarah
It was great to have so much support today at the Newtown Festival – thanks Newtown! We had a great time. Looking forward to the upcoming gardening day: Sunday 14th March (1-4pm) at 235 Adelaide Rd.
Laura
The tomatoes taste delicious! Spinach is scrumptious! Basil bracing!
Irrigation system is a whizzzz and excitement mounts for the Newtown Festival on Sunday YAY! C u all there