Spring

Newsletter & Specials

Finally, spring has arrived.  

The rain has settled (at least for now), the days are longer and the ground is warming up. We have bouncy lambs and happy livestock in the paddocks... which all look at us in disgust whenever the lawns are mowed!  The first of our vege's have gone into our raised beds and the chickens have been confined back to their run for now.

We had a recent day trip down to Whakatane to meet with the regional council to arrange for trials of DEBug and Bamboo Vinegar to tackle their seasonal Willow Aphid problem, along 350km's of river beds.  Also a lovely visit to Coastlands Plant Nursery where they were potting Pingao native grass seedlings into Fertilpots for a revegeation project.

Education & Giving

Spring is the busy season for all of our retailers.  Duncan has been busy dashing around the country for various retail staff training sessions on our ranges and attending supplier events, meeting their customers. More 'evenings' to come over the next few weeks.

We have been happy to help local schools by sponsoring product for Conservation Week, Enviro Schools and Ag Days.  We also supported community groups Sustainable Coastlines with Bamboo Fibre Gloves and Good Neighbour - who will be running a giant pumpkin growing competition and our kids earned their pocket money (which was promptly spent on marshmellows), by preparing 1,000 Fertilpots with Peat Soil Pellets and plant tags into trays.

If you know of any other community groups and worthwhile projects in need of support, please get them to touch base.  We're usually more than happy to help were we can.

ON SPECIAL
FINAL CLEARANCE On the last of our old style Felt Grow Bags. Great for your seasonal vege's & fruit. Round 17x15cm (3.8L) $7.90  $4.00 Rectangle 38x28x20cm (20L) $13.90  $8.00	FREE Set of 10 Plants Tags, with any pre-loaded propagation tray purchased. Trays from 28 to 50 cells including Fertilpots, priced from just $9.00
MINI SMART GARDEN Great gift Idea for Christmas...   The Mini Smart Garden is a unique indoor gardening product that is clean and green. The pots come with a fertilised non-soil planting media  and have an optional multi-cell planting cover so are great for growing Microgreens,  Bulbs, Seeds and Herbs for transplanting or use in the kitchen.  Read more.... RRP $79.00   $49.00

Strawberries Thrive in Fabric Grow Pots

One of the best crops for newbie container farmers to grow is strawberries.  Available in different varieties, with a broad range of tastes and sizes, strawberries are easy to cultivate in fabric grow pots.  No matter which variety, you will have plenty of space for a thriving bed of strawberries with an EcoFelt Grow Bag or Vertical Planter.

The benefits of growing strawberries in fabric grow pots are many:

• pest and fungus control
• easy access for quick, reduced-bend picking
• simplified maintenance for watering
• mobility for increased light
• NEVER OVER WATER, PERFECT DRAINAGE

Strawberries require excellent drainage, and yours will get just that with quality fabric grow bags.  Thousands of interwoven perforations allow for increased soil aeration and more efficient drainage.  Where overwatering has been a danger in the past and poor soil aeration promotes damaging fungal outbreaks, strawberries grown in our fabric grow bags always have just exactly the amount of water they need to thrive with better soil for healthier roots.

Vine-ripened berries, anyone who has tasted them we’ll tell you, are more flavorful.  The simple reason for that is that store-bought berries are picked to ripen in transit, without the benefit of the healthful sun or rain.  Home-grown berries are always better berries.

How To Grow Your Own Strawberries in Fabric Grow Bag or Pockets:

1. FILL the fabric grow bag or planter pocket 1/3 of the way up with compost and/or brown matter such as dry leaves.  Add in a soil conditioner, such as Biochar or DEGranules, to help regulate moisture and transfer nutrients.

2. FILL the fabric grow pot the rest of the way (to 5cm from the top of the container) with veggie-friendly potting soil.

3.  PLANT your healthy strawberry seedlinga about 10cm from the edge of the fabric grow bag, leaving equal spacing between plants so that a square is formed.

1. DIG a small hole for each plant.

2. PLACE each plant so that the crown sits above the soil line.

3. REPLACE the soil around the plant in a mound so that the crown is parallel to the top of the mound.

4. PAT gently to make the soil firm.

5. WATER gently at the center so that the water disperses to all the roots.

6. FERTILISER as required with a quality fertiliser (try our Organic Liquid Fertiliser)

Strawberry plants need 6-8 hours of sun a day.  Place the fabric grow bag or vertical planter where such sun is most available.  Water daily as overwatering will not be a problem. Whenever soil is dry at the top 3cm of soil, the strawberry plants will be thirsty.

Note: If pests become an issue, dust (or spray) around a little DEBug Diatomaceous Earth.  With no withholding period, you can still just pick, rinse and eat.

Extracts from Growing Wisdom by Treasure Ingels-Thompson 

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