I love having our own herb garden close to the kitchen. Here are some handy tips for creating your own herb garden in a GreenSmart pot.

Most herbs require minimum fertility and are simple to grow.

As herbs vary in their original country of origin, it is best to group together herbs that require similar conditions and watering requirements. So if you don’t want to have a separate pot for each herb then make up a set of herb gardens that share common conditions. Herbs grown in pots can be shifted around to suit growing conditions at different times of year.

Mediterranean climate herb garden

Tarragon, Lavender, Marjoram, Oregano, Pineapple Sage, Rosemary, Rue, Sage, Thyme.

These herbs like moderate soil fertility: they thrive in mushroom compost or surface mulch. They like extremely well drained soil so avoid over watering.

Herbs that like warm, wet conditions

Lemon Balm, Lemon Grass, Lovage, Mints, Sorrel, Water Cress, Ginger.

These herbs will not flourish if allowed to dry out; especially in summer. The soil should drain well without being water logged.

Mints and Water Cress perform best in wet conditions.

Vegetable-style herb garden

Eg. Basil, Chicory, Chives, Coriander, Endive, Fennel, Garlic, Horseradish, Land Cress, Lovage, Parsley, Rocket, Salad Burnet, Shallots.

These vegetable-style herbs require fertile soil: use organic or complete fertilisers with processed chicken manure high in nitrogen at rates recommended for vegetables. Keep this herb garden well watered in summer.

Herbs that can be grown from cuttings.

Rosemary, Myrtle, Oregano, Lemon verbena, Wormwood, Curry leaf, Scented Geraniums, Thyme varieties, Marjoram, French tarragon. Here are some suggestions from Uncle Wiki about growing herb cuttings.

www.wikihow.com/Grow-Herbs-From-Cuttings

Here are some tips for a few specific plants in your herb garden.

Basil

For best results, basil requires six to eight hours of sunshine each day. They love heat .Keep picking regularly to avoid the plants bolting to seed.Since basil is a tender annual it will not survive the winter. For more details about growing basil go to:

growgoodnz.co.nz/growing-basil-in-potswww-growgoodnz-co-nz/

Chives

Chives are perennials that can be grown all year round in most NZ gardening climates. In winter chives will die back, but grow again the following spring. They are best in garden soil condition of a pH between 6.0 to 7.0. An area with full sun is best, but this plant will also tolerate a shade area. Over-fertilizing can be detrimental to chives.

Like many herbs, slower more compact growth leads to stronger flavours and healthier plants.

Harvest the taller outer-edge leaves and work inward with scissors, leaving 4-5 cm above the soil. Do not plant chives near onions because onion fly attacks them.

Avoid the plants being damaged by frosts so it is advisable to put the container close to the walls of the house during winter months.

Coriander

Coriander is a staple in Asian and Mexican dishes, and the leaves make a great pesto. But it’s tricky to grow. When the weather is dry or very hot, it rapidly goes to seed – sometimes before enough leaves are produced to flavour even one meal. On the plus side, the seeds can be used to season dishes. And if you let the seed-headed plant die off in your garden you’ll find new coriander seedlings popping up everywhere.

Don’t buy seedlings. Coriander doesn’t like being moved. It is best to sow seeds where you want them to grow. Keep the seeds covered until shoots appear in 10 to 14 days. If planting in summer, ensure that the plants are in a cooler spot.

Tip: For a lush crop, sow the seeds thickly in a container and help them along with fortnightly doses of high-nitrogen liquid fertiliser – or simply add a handful of sheep pellets to the potting mix. If you make sure the plants have enough water and harvest the leaves regularly, you’ll have plenty of coriander for weeks.

Lemongrass

is an annual that requires warm and humid conditions, full sunlight and plenty of moisture.

It grows in clumps and has a fragrant lemon scent and delicate flavour, but it does not have the tartness of lemon.

Here is more detailed information.

growgoodnz.co.nz/growing-lemongrass/

cut the stalks just above ground level

- Growing Beans in GreenSmart Pots

At this time of the year I always look forward to being able to pick and eat beans from our garden throughout the summer months. Garden fresh beans are so much tastier than soggy super market beans. There are three types of beans to grow in GreenSmart Pots….. Dwarf beans, climbing beans and broad beans (more about broad beans in the autumn).

Conditions for growing beans

Beans thrive in a warm, sunny spot out of the wind. They are nitrogen-fixers. ie they extract nitrogen from the air and store it on nodules on the roots so making nitrogen available for kick starting the next crop you plant in the same potting mix.

In most parts of New Zealand they can be planted from October to January. Ground temperatures should be above 15 deg C. Be sure to include plenty of good organic fertiliser mixed into the potting mix as the beans are going to need a lot of nutrients.

I prefer growing beans from seeds rather than transplanting plants because they don’t like the shock of transplanting. After preparing a large pot with organic fertilisers, plant 18 to 24 seeds at a depth of three cm or roughly three times the seed diameter. Stretch the elasticized plastic cover over the pot and wait 7 to 10 days until they have emerged into their own little hothouse. After removing the cover, you can enjoy watching the plants take off. In cooler parts of the country it is a good idea to position the GreenSmart Pot in a sunny spot then later shift it to its final position. Be on the lookout for slugs and snails when the seedlings are very young. Don’t let those slimy gastropods have a gastronomic feast at your expense!

Growing beans do best with shade on the roots and plenty of sun on the foliage.

Dwarf Beans

Last year we grew some McGregor’s Gourmet Range dwarf beans called Berlotti Red Rooster. The mature beans are wonderful cream and cranberry coloured.

If you make a second sowing of dwarf beans in another six weeks you will have a longer period of continuous picking. Alternatively you can plant half a pot with beans and half with say cucumbers or lettuce or peas.

Climbing Beans

Several weeks ago we planted perennial Scarlet Runner climbing beans in the hothouse. Now they are well above my head and we are getting a meal every few days.

Here are some ideas for supporting climbing beans in GreenSmart Pots:

• Check out our amazing selection of very attractive and long life climbing frames at http://growgoodnz.co.nz/our-products/

• great for growing beans

  suitable for tomatoes, beans

• Drive stakes into the ground at the four corners of the pot and use string tied between the stakes as a frame work for the beans to hang onto.
• Use bamboo stakes and build a four legged tee-pee above the pot for the runners to climb up.
• If the beans are on a deck of an apartment, use lengths of twine looped under the pot and tied overhead onto the overhead frame of the deck. Then train the beans up the twine.
• Erect a section of trellis alongside the pot.
• Fix a 1.8 m wire frame under the pot, punch small holes in the edge of the pot, secure the frame with cable ties and then stretch plastic netting across the frame.

Climbing beans produce beans over a longer period than dwarf beans. I nip off the growing tips when the plants reach about two metres high to encourage them to put more energy into producing bean pods rather than climbing higher.

Perennial beans will die back in autumn and then the plants will grow again in spring.

Fertilisers

Liquid fertiliser can be added into the water via the sight glass.  I use liquid sea-weed. The best time is while the plants are flowering. If you are getting a lot of leaf growth but not so many bean pods, it may be due to over fertilising.

 Companion Plants

Beans like to be near Carrots, Cucumbers, Cabbages, Corn, Lettuce, Peas, Parsley, Cauliflower, Spinach and Summer Savory. Have you heard about the three sisters? Traditional Native American planting included growing beans, corn and pumpkins together. Try planting a pumpkin in the middle of the pot surrounded by climbing beans and corn. The corn provides a structure for the beans to climb up. The beans fix nitrogen into the soil for the other plants.

Avoid planting beans near onions, garlic, chives.

Pest Control

Here is a link for organic control of aphids and other bugs.

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/pestcontrol/a/spraysforaphids.htm

Harvesting

Dwarf beans and climbing beans will be ready for picking in 8- 12 weeks. Begin picking when the pods are about 10 cm long. Pods are ready if they snap easily when bent. Frequent picking encourages more flowers to continue developing.

Seed Saving

Saving your own bean seeds is easy. Choose a few of the best pods and allow them to fully ripen and dry. The seeds will swell up and the pod will develop a tough outer skin. Pick the beans, let them dry out in a sunny dry place for a week or two. Then pop out the seeds and store them in a jar or envelope for next year.

There is still time to grow all your own veges this summer. The self watering process in the GreenSmart pots will enable you to plant now, go away for holidays and your plants will keep growing. In December, plant cucumbers, capsicum, chillies, pumpkin, eggplant, sweetcorn, tomatoes, zucchini + many more.

It is good to grow with GrowGood

Basil in GreenSmart Pot

Got everyone a Christmas gift?

GreenSmart pots make a great Christmas present for people of all ages and gardening skills.

We can either send the pots directly to you or give us the address of the person who you would like to give the pot to.If you place the order with us by December 19th we will guarantee delivery pre-Xmas.

Happy gardening,
Bill.

Introduction

Growing pumpkins gives you big results for small efforts. Pumpkin plants are like teenage boys: always hungry and they like to sprawl out. Here are some great tips for growing pumpkins in planters.

They need full sun and very rich soil.

There are plenty of different types to choose from:

• Marina di Chioggia – feature in several Italian old masters’ paintings.
• Triamble- popular, keeps well, blue grey skin, shaped like a tricorn.
• Whangaparoa Crown – a great long keeper.
• Queensland Blue- has a deep orange flesh.
• Butternut- 1to 2 kg, pear shaped. Matures early and has a shorter storage time.
• Kamokamo – an heirloom iron bark.

Pumpkin seeds remain viable for 4-5 years.

Conditions for Growing Pumpkins

Sow pumpkin seeds in September/October/November. Soak the seeds overnight before planting. The seeds should be buried to about three times the seed diameter. Sow under cover if planting seeds in September. The fastest germination occurs with a soil temperature of 20-32 degrees C. You can use the elasticised plastic cover over the GreenSmart pot to keep the soil moist during germination. Plant 5-6 seeds per planter. Remove the cover after the seedlings emerge and pinch out 3-4 of the weaker plants. Ie grow two pumpkins per GreenSmart pot.

An early spring start helps plants get well established so minimises the risk of powdery mildew.

Allow an area of 2.5m x 2.5m per plant. Pinch out the growing tips to encourage lateral growth.

As fruit ripens lift them clear of damp ground and support with straw or pieces of wood. Mulching helps retain moisture and lowers the humidity around the plants. Occasionally hand pollination is needed in cooler weather. Do this by rubbing a male flower (with petals removed) into a female flower (it has a tiny pumpkin at its base).

It will take 4-6 months to harvest time.

Fertiliser

Growing pumpkins in a planter requires plenty of good organic fertiliser – say one bucket of well rotted farmyard manure and a cup of blood and bone. If the leaves start turning yellow it is an indication of being short of nitrogen.

Feed with liquid fertiliser every couple of weeks after flowering commences.

Pests and Diseases

In late summer pumpkin leaves often develop ash-like covering of powdery mildew. It is a result of high humidity, poor air circulation or irregular watering. It is best to do the watering through the water sight glass to avoid splashing water onto the leaves. Remove the mildew -affected leaves as soon as it appears. You can also spray with baking soda spray.

Powdery mildew on growing pumpkins

Companions

Pumpkins grow well with corn but pumpkins and potatoes don’t do well near each other.

Harvesting

Pumpkins are ready to harvest after the leaves have died away and the skin leaves no impression when pressed. Try testing by tapping them with your knuckles. When your ‘knock knock’ (there is no joke to follow !) results in a hollow sound they are ready. Leave the stem on the pumpkin as cutting it off can result in rot. Leave 5 cm stem. Leave the pumpkin in a warm spot like a sun porch to dry out the stem. Then store in cool dark place off the ground.

The NZ pumpkin record size is 721 kg – an Atlantic Giant.

In the Kitchen

Try out this Thai pumpkin soup from Anabel Langbein.

www.annabel-langbein.com

Pumpkin seeds are nutrient-rich. Here is a great recipe.

www.simplyrecipes.com

Check out the pumpkins on this NZ Italian seeds website

www.italianseedspronto.co.nz

Come and talk to us at the GoGreen Expo in Wellington Nov 8-9.

There will be all sorts of sustainability ideas and products.

http://www.gogreenexpo.co.nz/

Happy gardening,
Bill.

chillies grown from seeds

The sight of the glorious glowing red fruit makes most people feel happy!!

But they are also another of those vegetables that people either love or loath. Chillies have been cultivated in Latin America since 7500BC. Christopher Columbus’ physician is credited with bringing chilli seeds back from the New World on Columbus’ second journey. The Portuguese then took chilli seeds along their trading routes and within only 50 years they had spread to Africa, Asia and Europe.

Small chillies are hotter and shorter lived than bigger chillies. Sometimes chilli plants will live for two seasons. Last year I kept some of my chilli plants alive through winter and they were ready to start harvesting in December. We live in Wellington so it is out of the question to grow them outdoors as there is not enough summer warmth.

The heat in chillies comes from a compound named capsaicin, most of which is in the chilli seeds and white flesh. Generally the smaller the chilli the more heat. The heat is measured on the Scoville Scale which  is a method of comparing the heat of all kinds of chillies. I will write more about it another time.

Chilli seeds growing conditions

Chilli seeds are really easy to grow provided you follow some basic rules. Chillis love hot humid conditions. The more sun the better. The roots like good aeration so the air pocket under the false floor of a GreenSmart pot provides great aeration. They love rich, free draining soil and hate having wet feet. Once established, they are quite tolerant of dry conditions so I find that the plants keep thriving even when the top couple of cm of soil is quite dry. Warmth is essential.

Start the seeds in September or October. They can be slow to get started – it varies from one to six weeks. They need warmth, oxygen and moisture.

Options for chilli seeds. If you try growing chillies from store-bought chillies, there is a possibility of them being hybrid seeds. Better to buy certified seeds or save your own from non hybrid plants. However if you have grown more than one variety of chilli and saved some seeds there is a high risk of them being cross bred ie not true to type.

Moisten the seed raising mix, add the seeds – at a depth of only about 1 mm. It is critical to provide enough warmth – they need to average about 20 deg C over 24 hours. Here in Wellington, I grow them in a tunnel house. You can start them off in a sunny spot inside the house. They don’t need light until after the first leaves emerge. Then shift the GreenSmart pot to somewhere warm and light. If you grow four to six plants they will provide you and your friends with an abundance. Aim to plant seeds in September – October and transplant seedlings in November- December.

Kings Seeds have a selection of about 30 types of chilli seeds. www.kingsseeds.co.nz

Use 50 cm long bamboo stakes to support the plants so they don’t fall over.

The plants will draw very little water as they approach maturity. Don’t worry if the top layer of the soil is very dry.The plant roots will draw the water up at the right rate.

Pests and Diseases

Generally not a problem. If growing in a hot house be sure that they have plenty of air movement to minimise  mould problems. Avoid overhead watering. Add water via the water sight glass to keep the top layer of soil dry.

Sapsuckers…Aphids may gather in clumps. Move quickly – a daily quick squirt with high pressure hose for a few days. Or a garlic spray.

Fertiliser

From flowering, feed them fortnightly with liquid seaweed or comfrey tea directly into the water sight gauge.

Companions

Tomatoes and basil are good friends with chillies. Grow a marigold with your chilli plants as a deterrent to aphids and white fly.

Harvesting

Start picking as soon as the first few are ready – to encourage them to keep fruiting. It is better to harvest when they are mature but before they are fully ripe.

Handling chillies can be a dangerous business. Avoid touching them. Don’t let the juice get under your finger nails.Be careful about touching other sensitive parts of your body. If you do get burned, moisten yours hands with cold water, apply plenty of dish-washing detergent. Scrub for at least five minutes.Better still, use gloves to harvest the hottest ones.

A few years ago when we were holidaying in a rural part of southern China we came across these chillis being dried on the school playing grounds during the summer holiday.

Drying chillis

Photo of drying chillies in Chinese school

Storage

Chillis are easy to dry for storage or you can simply bag and freeze them.

For the real NZ chilliphiles you can register on this forum site: www.chilliforums.co.nz

Happy gardening,
Bill.

These growing tips are about Brassica juncea – aka Indian Mustard, Chinese Mustard, Leaf mustard, Gai Choi and tat soi. The leaves, stem and seeds are all edible. Mustard greens are very high in vitamins K, A and C. They are believed to also have anti-cancer properties.

The mustard greens plant produces acrid tasting seeds that are used for making Dijon mustard.

Mustard greens, mizuna and coriander

Mustard greens Growing Conditions

Mustard greens prefer to grow in soil conditions of 10 – 35 deg C but will also tolerate a light frost after they are established. A light frost ‘sweetens’ the flavour. They are ideal for growing in autumn, winter and spring.

If starting from seeds, sprinkle them across the top of your GreenSmart pot and lightly cover with seed raising mix to a depth of three times the diameter of the seed . The seeds are tiny so are tricky to see once they are on the dirt. They will emerge in 7-10 days. During hotter times of the year, stretch the elasticised cover across the top of the pot until the plants are a couple of cm high so the seeds get some initial moisture. Later thin out the plants so they are about 20 cm apart. Alternatively buy seedlings and plant 12-15 per large pot. You can also plant together a mixed  pot of say mustard greens, coriander and Mizuna like I have got in the above pot.

Give them maximum sunlight and they will grow quickly. You will be able to start picking leaves for salads when the leaves are about 6-8 cm long. If left alone they will grow up to 40 cm in length.

Fast growing mustard greens need continuously moist soil so the self watering, wicking mechanism makes it easy to provide continuous watering. The plants will quickly go to seed if they run out of water.

We often get asked how long will the water last in a GreenSmart pot. In this video I answer the question about watering.

Fertiliser

Before planting, add a good layer of organic fertiliser halfway down the depth of the pot. Mustard greens are shallow rooted.Add liquid fertiliser (eg seaweed) through the water sight glass while the plants are rapidly growing to promote root growth.

Our liquid seaweed fertiliser makes up 75 litres. It is made from  invasive seaweeds on Marlborough mussel farms. Click the add to cart button below to buy some liquid seaweed now.

Pests and Diseases

Mustard plants are not too prone to diseases and bugs. Keep a look out for caterpillars and deal to them with digital controls.

Companions

As mustard greens are part of the brassica family, it is best to not plant them in the same potting mix used for other brassicas ( like cabbage, broccoli,cauliflower)

Harvesting

Either cut the outer, larger leaves or cut all the leaves off at about 10 cm above the soil. They will regrow from the stub. The plants will go to seed when the weather gets hot and produce a flower head. It is time to pull the plants out or let the seed head develop so you can harvest the seeds.

In the Kitchen

Use the young leaves of mustard greens for a little pepperiness in a salad. It is a similar flavour to raw radish. In Sichuan cuisine a pickle is made from the swollen green stem of the sub species tat sai. More information here.

Here is a great recipe for braised mustard greens and bacon.

Happy gardening,
Bill.

Plant pots Growing Conditions for spring onions

Plant pots of spring onions can be planted nearly all round in most parts of New Zealand. Best results are achieved when the soil is 10-20 deg C. The best times to grow are in spring and autumn.If planting seeds, then first fill the GreenSmart plant pots with potting mix and then cover the top layer with a 1 cm layer of very fine soil or seed raising mix. Sprinkle the seeds over the soil with about 1 cm between seeds and then sprinkle a thin layer of soil over the seeds to cover the seeds to about three times their diameter. Stretch the elasticised stretch cover over the GreenSmart plant pots and leave in place until the plants emerge. After about five weeks the plants will be big enough to thin out or transplant.

Thin them out to being about 4 cm apart. If planting seedlings take care when separating the roots to not damage them. Gently tease them apart. I normally plant spring onions as seedlings and plant more every month to give continuity.

Spring onions don’t like dry conditions so the self watering, wicking GreenSmart plant pots are an ideal way to be sure that the spring onions get continuous moisture. In wet conditions the plants won’t become flooded as the excess water will drop out of the overflow holes. How simple is that?

In colder parts of the country, spring onions will continue growing through winter in a pot in a hothouse.

Fertiliser

They need good soil fertility. Don’t rely on the potting mix to provide sufficient nutrients. I suggest adding additional fertiliser (eg well rotted animal manure). Add diluted seaweed fertiliser or worm wee directly into the water reservoir or spray onto the plants.

Pests and Diseases

Generally you won’t have to worry about spring onion pests and diseases.

Companions

Lettuces love growing around spring onions in plant pots. So do beetroot, carrots and silverbeet. However peas and beans are not good neighbours for spring onions.

Harvesting

They are ready to harvest when they reach about 15 cm in height. Gently tug them out of the ground or snip off the outer leaves near ground level and leave the plant to regrow.

Try regrowing your spring onions this spring.

In the Kitchen

Try this spring onion curry side dish recipe

 http://www.ticklingpalates.com/2014/02/spring-onion-curry-recipe-side-dish-for.html

Seed saving. It is worth letting one of your best spring onions go to seed. Check out how simple it is on this you tube clip.

What are Egyptian walking onions?

Aka top onions, Egyptian tree onions, perennial onions. Apparently they don’t walk around your garden but do spread by an unusual method. The bulbs bloom on the top of the plant stalk, grow and become top heavy. The stalk can’t support the weight, it bends over to the ground, the small bulbs take root and a new plant is formed! Here is what my Uncle Wiki says about them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_onion

How about Welsh onions?

These are perennial onions (grow for more than one year) and spread by forming more bulbs.

happy gardening