Twenty months of on/off lockdowns and shifting Covid-19 levels, combined with the shutdown of overseas travel, has led to a focus on activities closer to home.
Now is the season to be enjoying growing food, choosing favourite vegetables, scattering seed packets and generally getting your hands dirty.
Home grown is high on the gardening priority list for several reasons. There is the freshness and taste, the attractiveness of a productive vegetable patch, not to mention the sense of achievement that goes with it.
There are other motivations – families with school age children who may not see the inside of a classroom again this year can take this opportunity to get the kids interested in where their food comes from - it’s not difficult to get some tomatoes, capsicums, and beans in production, even in the smallest gardens.
Growing summer herbs is an easy way to get plentiful supplies for making dips, marinades and pestos. It can be more economical too. For example, a few seeds of coriander sown regularly is far cheaper than bought bunches that last all of two days in the vegetable section of the fridge.
In the past couple of years, the team at Central Landscape Supplies Avondale have found that growing food organically is hugely popular, motivated by the realization that mainstream crop production often involves intensive chemical fertilizer application.
They recommend starting with Living Earth Organic Veggie Mix, a planting mix packed with organic nutrients that get the plants off to a great start. Since Auckland moved to Level 3 in September, Veggie Mix has become one of their top-selling mixes, and it is ideal for use in an existing garden or to fill raised beds.
For help with getting the vegetable growing started, Avondale Central Landscapes is open seven days for contactless deliveries and collecting orders. They ask that you follow all protocols when visiting their yard.
CENTRAL LANDSCAPES AVONDALE, 419 Rosebank Road, T: 09 828 5533, Facebook: @CLSAvondale, www.centrallandscapes.co.nz
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Published 5 November 2021