Just a couple of things to share that are happening in our garden at the moment…
Firstly, brassicas and lettuces have been pricked out. This is one of my favourite jobs. I make the paper pots so you can plant them, paper and all, in the ground, when the time comes. I do add a bit of our Morganics fertiliser to the potting mix at this stage.
Then you need a dibber or something similar to make holes and plant the seedlings, and a knife to cut them free from their row in the punnet. It’s better to prick your seedlings out when they’re smaller than this (mine really are too leggy) but it’s a bit of a balancing act, as some seeds (like Red Cabbage) are slower to germinate than others. There are full instructions on pricking out (tomatoes and lettuces) in this post here.
Secondly, Rob gave me some of his leek seedlings to get me started, and those are now all in. My seedlings are coming along and will be ready to plant in the next Full Moon phase. It’s good to have them planted in succession, so they’re not all ready at once. Mind you, leeks are fine left in the ground for a while until you’re ready to harvest them.
I dressed a good chunk of the bed with our Morganics fertiliser which has phosphorus for strong root growth in it. Then I created troughs for the seedlings as I’ll back fill them to create nice long white stems. Using a dibber I made deep holes for the seedlings to go in. Rob has cut the tops off and if the roots are long and dangly (like the one shown), you can trim those too for ease of planting. The trimming stimulates growth.
Alongside the leeks I planted a few rows of carrots and some beetroot. Don’t forget to net a bed like this as the birds will be in before you know it, searching for freshly unearthed worms!
I had been sowing Kuroda carrots, but I found they were pretty small. The last lot were a combination of Scarlet Nantes or Nantes and Manchester Table which grew nice and big. Some were quite misshapen (like the lot below), but that’s the joy of organic gardening and growing your own. You have to be prepared to wipe off a bit of dirt and handle crazy shapes. If the carrot is a decent size, you don’t mind spending a bit of time prepping it!
More to come soon…
From Jan and Rob 😊
Website designed by www.thecornerstorecollective.com
Developed by Richard Hpa
2 Responses
Hi
I’ve had trouble with what I think are thrips in my onions for the last couple of years. The onions have not grown well or produced decent bulbs. This year they are in my spring onions. I’m reluctant to plant onions as if I don’t get rid of the thrips it will be a waste of time and space. What do you suggest to get rid of them?
Thanks
Leone Cooper
Kerikeri
Hi Leone We would recommend spraying with Neem Oil https://organicediblegarden.co.nz/product/neem-tree-oil-250ml/ Spray in the evening 3 times, each time 3 days apart. That will get rid of them, but you will have to keep an eye on your onions and repeat spray if necessary. All the best 😊