Tui Autumn Times Magazine Tui Autumn Times 2018 | Page 10

GARDENING ON A SHOESTRING
Whether you are gardening for food, pleasure
or family fun, there are many ways to save in
the garden and still reap the rewards! Below
are top tips and tricks shared by our Facebook
friends for gardening on a shoestring.
cuttings – gardeners love
Always ask a gardener for
to share.  Kate
Save seeds from the food you have, then you are
growing free food! Karina
Upcycle pallets! So handy for so many things. Kara
Use old shoelaces to tie up a few plants. Also, get
as many cuttings and free plants from friends and
neighbours as you can. Bernadette
or two of a plant
Divide, divide, divide. I often buy only one
divide it myself,
I
even if I ultimately want to mass plant it.
s me lots of
it just takes time and patience. It also give
Rebecca
plants I can share with family and friends.
m wee, WOW, it makes
Worm farms are amazing, the wor
at least one of each
a difference in your garden! Let
it drop its seeds and
thing you plant go to seed and let
. Swap your produce
hey presto new plants next season
have and have what you
with people who want what you
ce as currency to trade
want. Also use your overabundan
for goods or services. Donna
Buy seeds, you don’t have to use them all
at once.
Keep them in a small box and check expi
ry dates now
and again. Maxine
I found a good idea online – buy a large galvanized
garbage can with a good lid. Drill holes all around the sides
and bottom for air and bury half of it in soil. Use some
ripped newspaper/compost as a starter in bottom and
a stretchy bungee cord to secure the lid on via handles.
Essentially it is an organic rubbish reducing idea if it’s a
disposing spot, or a compost maker if cared for. Karlee
Old rubbish bins covered with second han
d hessian
sacks. A super cheap way to make your
own large
pots for climbing plants. Erin
TOP VEGEPOD TIPS
Vegepods are a simple and effective way to ‘grow your own’. With a protective
mesh canopy, mist spray irrigation and a water reservoir to reduce water usage
by 80%, the self-watering pod creates the ultimate vege garden. To ensure a
bumper crop of veges, follow the below tips when growing in a Vegepod.
• Position in full sun. Make sure you are happy with the
location before filling with soil as it will be too heavy
to move.
• Use a good quality vegetable mix such as Tui Vegetable
Mix. Fill to the top so you have 30cm of depth to grow
root vegetables.
• Grow from seed or seedling. Choose dwarf or patio
varieties of tall vegetables (tomatoes, beans) due to
the height of the cover.
• Plant close together to maximise space and rotate
planting so you don’t have everything ready at once.
Leave space around the edges as closing the lid when
your plants are established can be difficult.
• Don’t overwater. Use the mist spray irrigation for five
minutes each day for the first two weeks to establish
seedlings. After this cut right back and only water on
hot days for a few minutes. The self-watering reservoirs
will feed the roots from below for up to three weeks.
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TUI AUTUMN TIMES 2018
• Leave the cover down all the time to protect from pests
and harsh weather. This will also create a microclimate
for year-round growing.
• Dig the soil over and feed in between harvesting. Use good
quality sheep pellets and Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser
to put nutrients back into the soil.
For more information visit www.vegepod.co.nz