The only day of sunshine in Wellington this week, it’s appropriately arrived on 1 September.

The October fresh food garden courses on Saturday 2 and 30 are booking up quickly. A number of people have bought places on the course as very successful gifts for friends and relatives. I’ll send a gift voucher if you want to do the same.

It’s still cold and windy at times and the slugs and snails are ravenous, so you’re better sowing things in pots or buying seedlings at the moment. Peas do well in a piece of old guttering. They’ll still need some protection from the wind and rain. You’ve still got time to buy the things you’ll need:

seeds - keep them dry in an air tight container.

scissors - to open the seed packets. Gives a cleaner edge from which to tap out the seeds than tearing them.

fine permanent marker - to write the date, seed type and variety on your label.

pots of various shapes and sizes.

labels - cut strips from any white, plastic cartons.

spray bottle or misting hose-attachment – for misting seeds daily to keep them moist.

watering can with a fine rose or fine hose sprinkler – for watering once the seeds have germinated and the weather warms up.

potting mix - I buy mine but add home-made vermicast to increase it’s microbe count.

seed raising area - somewhere to keep your seedlings off the ground, out of the wind and afternoon sun, close to water. An old door on bricks is fine. You might need to erect a wind break around it in Wellington.

protection - wind break cloth, frost cloth, bottomless pots or cans to go around seedlings when they’re planted out.

Some things have to be sown straight in the ground – root crops such as carrots, turnips, radishes and beetroot for example. You may find them sold as seedlings but I wouldn’t bother buying them. Worth trying sowing some seed now under frost-cloth but still probably a bit cold.

If you sowed green manure in Autumn, you can keep warm by digging it in so it has time to rot down before you plant your crops. If you’ve made compost you can add that at the same time – spread a layer of 2-3cm if you’ve got enough. Check the pH of your soil to see if you need to add any lime if it’s too acid.

I’m back to reading English memoirs. Christopher Hitchens’ memoir Hitch 22: A Memoir requires me to have a dictionary on hand and uses no prepositions to end sentences. Sir David Attenborough’s memoir Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster is easier going, despite it’s length.

My mighty seed order arrived on Saturday within just a few days of my ordering on-line. Quite possibly the best money I spend in a year. All those packets of potential. I get quite excited just opening up the jiffy bag – even though I already know what’s inside. The seeds will keep for a few years if stored well. I used the wedding formula for ordering seeds:

something old - rocket, perpetual spinach, coriander slowbolt komatsuna mustard spinach, carrot kuroda improved, pumpkin wee be little, zucchini gold rush. All repeat orders from previous years.
something new – zucchini rampicante, squash sweet dumpling, spinach red stem, tomato green zebra, turnip red round, tomato early doll, radish minowase. Lots more still to try. New to me at least.
something borrowed – Lebanese cucumber, Egyptian beetroot, Japanese green shiso and Nigerian okra. Seeds borrowed from around the world. I’m not even sure okra will survive in the tunnel house, but that hasn’t stopped me trying other things before. Come to think of it, I don’t even know if I like to eat it.
something blue – cornflower dwarf blue (plus yellow sunflower sonja and marigold citrus bedding mix). The first flower I ever grew.

I made mayonnaise last night to make my own coleslaw. Carrots and cabbages are the best of the winter crops in the garden at the moment. It split twice due to my haste in adding the oil, but eventually turned thick and extraordinarily yellow. The good thing is there’s more mayonnaise and enough egg whites for a small batch of friands.

The next fresh food garden courses will be on Saturday 2 and 16 October 2010. If you are interested in a doing a course but would prefer a Friday afternoon or two-evening format, please please email me. I’m happy to provide a gift voucher if you want to buy a course for someone else.

I can’t remember whom I should thank for recommending I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett but I loved it. I’ve devoured The Shadow of the Wind by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafon too. I’ve had the luxury of travelling to Mississipi and Barcelona within a week without having to get on a plane.

www.thekitchengarden.co.nz

The first shoots of garlic are coming through at last (planted 1 June). No sign of the elephant garlic, sown at the same time, yet. There’s even the tip of an asparagus spear appearing above the mulch.

The broad beans are doing well too. The seeds I sowed mid-May managed to avoid getting eaten by mice or rotting in the ground. I’ve mulched them with a fine mulch from my shredder, to reduce weeding. I’ll do the same with the garlic once all the shoots are through.

I knew the chooks were laying with the days starting to lengthen but I had to confine them to their run for three days before they decided to lay an egg in the right place. They’ve been roaming around freely and no doubt have stashes of eggs in all sort of places. Rodriguez the rooster is looking very fine and has started hopping over the fence into the vegetable garden. A habit I am keen to nip in the bud and another reason to get them out of the habit of roaming so far.

Rhubarb and silverbeet are staples at the moment so I’ve made silverbeet, feta and pine nut triangles and rhubarb gingerbread.

I’m not selling vegetables this year but will be running a ‘weekly’* draw during the summer for a box of seasonal produce. Everyone who gets this email will automatically enter the draw so if you’ve got friends who’d enjoy some fresh produce, forward this to them so they can sign up for updates. If you win the draw and you’re not in Wellington or don’t want the vegetables I’ll send you a small consolation gift.

Time to start watering your garden regularly if you have not had to already. Scratch under the surface of the soil to see if it is dry. Water thoroughly once a week rather than a quick sprinkle every day. Use some seaweed tea to give your plants a boost too. Some things will need watering more often – particularly seeds, seedlings and greenhouses but if you’ve used mulch and planted things close together you may be surprised how rarely they need it. The more organic matter you incorporate into your soil via mulch, compost and green manure the less you’ll need to water too. Early morning and late evening are good times to commune with your plants and unwind with a tour round, picking and weeding as you go. There are a few places left on the fresh food garden course on Saturday 6 March 2010 if you want to find out more.

If you’ve got a zucchini glut you might want to try some zucchini meatloaf, lusaka, zucchini fritters or zucchini and feta pies.

Mabel and her chicks are progressing well.

‘Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives‘ proved a fascinating read and a sad indictment of human nature illuminating the influence of a child’s name on his success, how to write a successful personal ad and what’s the best way to tell if someone is lying.

www.thekitchengarden.co.nz

* ‘weekly’ refers to a pretty flexible schedule in this instance. Sometimes more often, sometimes less.

I’ll be running the final fresh food garden course of the season on Saturday 6 March 2010 12 noon to 5.30pm. Just nine places so please book early. The next courses will be in early October 2010.

Although it’s very suitable for beginners, some of the people who’ve enjoyed the course the most have been experienced gardeners. There’s a mixture of talking, demonstrations, practical, discussion, questions and answers. You can see most of the things we cover working here at The Kitchen Garden. Don’t be deceived by the short timeframe. We cover a great deal and you’ll get comprehensive notes to take away.

It’s proved a very successful gift to people for whom it can be difficult to buy. I provide a gift card which is transferrable to any date within 12 months.

You can book on line and pay by credit card or direct credit. Please email me if you have any questions or have a look at this information.

www.thekitchengarden.co.nz

I picked what I thought were snow peas yesterday. When I got to the end of the row I thought I’d check when I’d sowed them and discovered they were shelling peas ‘progress‘ and I’d just picked them before they’d developed. Another reason to label things well. We have a broad bean feast (commonly known as a glut) so I enjoyed a broad bean and feta salad for my lunch. I found a few fallen grapefruit that went into citrus mini muffins for the freezer.

The temperature in Wellington has been very variable and it’s rained a great deal. Silverbeet (chard), parsley, coriander (cilantro), spinach, beetroot and rocket are all going to seed very quickly. The bees will enjoy the flowers as they’re having a hard time of it at the moment. If you leave the plants in the ground, most will self-seed for next year. Sow some more now as well as lettuce, spring onions (scallions), basil, beans, carrots, beetroot and white turnips. If you’ve got space you could try a few more peas too. I’ve grown a red silverbeet this year called ‘cardinal‘ and it’s coming on very well. I added it to ‘lusaka‘ – a home-grown combination of lasagne and moussaka.

Time’s running out if you’d like to buy someone a place on the fresh food garden course for a Christmas gift.  Read the FAQs about it if you’re not sure it’s for you. The next course is Saturday 30 January 2010.

The ten Plymouth Barred Rock chicks are now quite grown up. The four girls will by my laying hens next year. I have Rhode Island Red fertile eggs for sale currently for $2.50 each if you want to raise your own chicks – most broody hens can cover at least six comfortably (if anything can be comfortable when you’ve sat on it for three weeks). Wellington Feed and Saddlery can supply chook food (and chick crumble), dog food and have horse manure for sale by the trailer load.

www.thekitchengarden.co.nz

Here’s one of my honey bees busy on the red kale that’s gone to seed. It’s been the coldest and wettest October for years so there’s no honey in the hive and the girls are making the most of every fine day to gather provisions. Bees and native birds both benefit from plants that provide pollen and nectar. They also need a constant source of easily accessible water. On a sunny day the bees will be resting on the rocks by the edge of the pond for a drink.

It’s time to sow more seeds, plant out seedlings and keep weeding. Mulch potatoes and garlic if you can. You’ll probably have some ingredients to make compost. If this is one of the things you struggle with, the fresh food garden course will help you. We had another enjoyable course on Saturday and there’s a couple of spaces left on this Sunday’s course if you’d like to come along. Thank you to everyone who came to the Ohariu Valley Garden Ramble and entered the draw for a place on the course and came to my talk.

Martin Bosley on Radio NZ lamented the lack of broad beans so far this year but gave a delicious sounding recipe for asparagus salad with broad beans and salmi. My broad beans are nearly ready and I’ve pinched out the tops to stop them getting too tall. Even if you don’t like broad beans they’re a good green manure crop, fixing nitrogen from the air into the soil.

I may be the last person in New Zealand to discover the joys of popping corn. That all changed when I visited the wonderful Somerset Cottage near Tauranga. I’m now determined to grow some of my own popping corn. I’m probably also the last person to read a Dan Brown book so I’m starting with ‘The Lost Symbol‘.

This Sunday 1 November 2009 10-4pm is the Ohariu Valley Garden Ramble. Visit special gardens in the country but less than half an hour from Wellington. Refreshments available. Native plants and fresh produce for sale. $20 per person.

Now is the perfect time to sow seeds in Wellington. Once it stops snowing. Either outside or in pots. Beans, carrots, leeks, onions, lettuce, beetroot, turnips, radishes, fennel, herbs, silverbeet, spinach, zucchini, squash and cucumbers can all go in now. Make sure you have some protection ready for the wind and birds – it will make a big difference to their success. I sow corn either in the ground or in root trainers to get some long roots started. If you’re finding getting started a struggle despite a shelf full of gardening books, you’ll get the motivation you need on the fresh food garden course. We cover a great deal in a short time so you can apply it as soon as you get home. It’s amazing the difference one afternoon can make. Next course is Sunday 8 November 2009.

Get some defences in place for your strawberries if you want the birds to leave any for you.  Mulch up your potatoes with seaweed and plant some more while the soil is still moist.

I was having trouble getting all the chicks back in their house so I could move it to a new area. Just at that moment the helicopter came over to spread lime. Within an instant Mum and her eleven charges had gone inside. Helicopter chick-herding may be an extreme solution but it worked a charm. Tess discovered Mabel’s nest in the garden and dispatched the nine eggs in it this week. Not sure if Mabel will be back to lay in the same place. Tess will certainly be keeping an eye out for her if she does.

We still enjoy our aging three-burner barbecue for outdoor cooking but I wonder whether our cooking would benefit from ‘Your Brick Oven: Building it and Baking in it’ now that summer is coming. I came across the book when I visited Maggie Beer’s property in South Australia. On a slightly different note, I can thoroughly recommend a charming children’s book I was recently introduced to called ‘The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business’. Toilet humour at its best.

You might want to try these five ideas  for making more space in your vegetable garden. We’ll cover all these in the fresh food garden course.

I have tomato plants available. Please have a look at the varieties and email me with what you’d like. I’ll supply as long as stocks last.

Keep sowing a few seeds each week – the lettuce I sowed on Thursday is already up despite the dismal weekend. And at least we haven’t had to water anything.

Sunday 1 November 2009 is the Ohariu Valley Garden Ramble. The only opportunity to visit the kitchen garden unless you come on a course.  You’ll also see other vegetable gardens in all styles and sizes. Get a group of friends together and make a day of it in the country.

Another stoat in the trap (the third this month) so in this time of ducklings and chicks, if you get the chance, set a trap to catch one of your own.

We had two very successful fresh food garden courses over the weekend. Lunch on Saturday featured seasonal produce including silverbeet filo pies, asparagus tart and chickpea and kumara salad.  There’s a big difference between doing a course and just reading a book or a magazine. Reading’s great, but because of the way our brains are wired, you can’t beat some social support and inspiration.

There are a few places left on the next course on Saturday 31 October 2009. If you have friends and family who might be interested in this course, please forward this email to them. They can also sign up to get these newsletters regularly too. Who knows, they might buy you a place on the course as a gift? If they do, I’ll provide a gift card for them to send.

Here’s what people said about their experiences:

‘there was a nice balance between instructive and practical.’

‘relaxed, open and convivial atmosphere.’

‘friendly session with accessible information. Inspiring!’

‘great for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.’

‘very helpful for someone wanting to set up a vegetable garden.’

‘I certainly got more than I expected.’

‘I would thoroughly recommend the course – very informative and practical.’

‘I’m already recounting a multitude of things I learned and am coming up with ideas that the course gave me.’

Here are some frequently asked questions – please email me if you want more information about the fresh food garden course.

Is the course suitable for me if I’ve never gardened before?

You don’t need any gardening experience to come on the course. The atmosphere is relaxed with lots of opportunities to ask questions. We cover a great deal in a short time so that you can get started right away.

What if I’ve got some gardening experience, is it still worth coming?

Some very experienced gardeners have been on the course and they’ve still very much enjoyed and learnt a great deal from it. They’ve also become re-energised by spending time with other vegetable gardening enthusiasts. Some wanted to try some new vegetables, grow through a longer season or adopt organic methods. Others just enjoy a relaxing afternoon in a beautiful country setting with great food and interesting company.

What would I learn that I can’t just learn from a book?

You’ll see a productive and practical edible garden and learn tips and techniques specific to Wellington gardening. You’ll do some practical and see demonstrations including (depending on the season) testing your soil, how to sow seeds, making compost and double digging. You’ll be able to see espaliered fruit trees, a tunnel house, hot compost heap, liquid fertiliser production, a wormery, vertical growing, mulching and raised beds.

What topics do we cover on the course?

We have a variety of practical, demonstrations and talking. We cover preparing the soil, composting, choosing what to grow, planning your garden, starting plants, weeds, pests and diseases and tools. You’ll develop your own eight week plan to take away. Here’s a typical agenda.

What if I have gardening problems after the course and I don’t know what to do?

You’ll get a folder of comprehensive notes including pictures, charts and diagrams which is yours to keep. I’m available to answer questions by email and offer consultancy to anyone who has been on the course.

What if it’s cold, windy or rainy?

We’ll spend more time inside but we’ll still go outside so come prepared with suitable clothing and footwear. Some of our best courses have been on days when the weather has been at its worst.