Gardening . . . good for the soul

Gardening feature (Page 14) Thursday Oct 19 NAG 19Oct17 - SWEET TREAT: Strawberries are just one of the rewards for those who put some effort into their spring gardening. HBG 09Jun18 - Strawberries are just one of the rewards for those who put some effort into their spring gardening. HBG 25Sep18 - Countdown has revealed a punnet of strawberries sold at an Auckland store had needles in it.

During the hectic festive and school holiday summer months, take some time out in your garden to enjoy, refresh and regroup. Being and working in a garden is good for your soul . . .

BerryliciousSweet and juicy bright red strawberries look so festive and chilled are a perfect healthy summer holiday snack, not to mention all the delicious recipes you can include them in.

It’s easy to grow your own strawberries at home, in a sunny garden bed, pot or hanging basket. Before planting strawberry plants into the garden enrich the soil first with some Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone. For potted strawberries use a quality potting mix like Yates Premium Potting Mix. Keep the soil or potting mix moist and pick strawberries regularly to help promote an extended harvest and feed each week with Yates Thrive Strawberry & Berry Fruit Liquid Plant Food.

It’s a complete plant food that’s boosted with additional potassium, the nutrient that encourages flowering and fruiting. Applying mulch, such as lucerne or pea straw, around strawberry plants will help to conserve soil moisture and also keep the fruit clean and off the ground.Snails and slugs like chewing into and ruining berries but they’re easy to control with a light sprinkling of Yates Blitzem Snail & Slug Pellets around the strawberry plants.

Christmas cherriesCherries are the quintessential summer treat, with delicious shiny red fruit becoming available in summer. A big bowl of chilled cherries is hard to resist, as are fruit and savoury salads with cherries, cherry glaze for ham, cherry puddings, cakes, tarts and cheesecake. We’re going to need a lot of cherries!

You can grow cherries at home if you live in a climate where you receive enough chilling hours. So cherries are best suited to areas with cool or cold winters, however, there are some varieties that will bear fruit in warmer areas.

Cherry trees vary in size from medium height trees down to smaller varieties like Compact Stella from Waimea Nurseries. It grows to around 3m tall, which is perfect for smaller gardens. In addition to delicious fruit, cherry trees also have pretty blossoms in spring and lovely autumn foliage.

Cherry trees are most commonly available in winter as bare-rooted plants but potted trees can be available at other times of the year. Choose a variety that’s suited to your climate and also check to see whether that variety is self-fertile or needs pollination from another cherry. They need a spot with at least six hours of sunshine a day and well-drained soil.

Cherry pest tip: pear & cherry slugs can attack and skeletonise cherry tree foliage. They can be controlled by spraying trees thoroughly every 7 days with Yates Nature’s Way Pyrethrum.

And during periods of wet or humid weather, cherries and other stone fruit like apricots, peaches, plums and nectarines can be prone to brown rot. Apply Yates Nature’s Way Fungus Spray every 10 to 14 days to help keep this destructive disease under control.

A taste of TahitiFrom freshly-squeezed juice in a refreshing drink to marmalade, cakes, desserts and marinades, limes can be used in multiple ways in the kitchen and they are an easy plant to grow in many warm areas around New Zealand.

Tahitian limes are heavy bearing trees growing to around 4m tall, with juicy fruit that is harvested green when the limes are around 6cm in diameter. Tahitian limes need a warm frost-protected position and well-drained soil.

They can also be grown in a large container filled with good quality potting mix such as Yates Premium Potting Mix.

When planting a new lime tree, mix some Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone into the bottom of the planting hole. It improves the quality of the soil and supplies the newly planted lime with gentle, organic nutrients as it establishes.