 Rita's daughter Rheeya, with her prize It’s been awhile since I posted an update of activity around Anita’s Garden. So much has been happening here! I can’t believe it’s almost autumn. It’s certainly starting to feel that way. The days are gradually becoming shorter and we have been busy harvesting traditionally autumn crops. It hasn’t been the best summer, so I’m looking forward to the season ahead. Plant nursery My boutique plant nursery is open for plant sales. At the moment, I have a range of autumn and winter veggie seedlings for sale. You can view my complete stocklist here. To make an appointment to come around, please text me on 021 02762091. We are located in Papatoetoe (Manukau side). Anita’s Garden competition As some of you will be aware, I recently ran a competition to win a selection of seedlings for autumn and winter. This competition was limited to locals, who would be able to collect the plants but I promise to run another competition for those who live outside Auckland in future (I just need to find my gift certificates which I have misplaced). Here is a photo of the winner Rita Prasad with her prize. Congratulations, Rita!  Feijoas! For the first time in the history of Anita’s Garden, we have been harvesting feijoas in February! Normally, they crop in autumn, from March through to May. I’m unsure of the cultivar as the label has come off, but it is either Kaiteri or Kakariki from Waimea Nurseries.  The autumn and winter garden While I have been busy sowing seeds, the wwoofers who have been staying with us have been helping plant our autumn and winter garden. We have beetroot and kohlrabi growing in two of our large garden beds. There was also some space after the celeriac and parsnips were pulled out so Mathilde and Justine planted some cabbage “Ranfurly Mini” seedlings from Egmont Seeds. They also planted some Romanesco broccoli from Franchi seeds (distributed by Italian Seeds Pronto in New Zealand). Below is a photo of the “Ranfurly Mini” cabbage plants, which are looking incredibly strong and healthy just one week after planting.  Below is a photo of some of my Romanesco broccoli seedlings from Franchi Seeds.  A star performer in the plant nursery is my pansy and viola seedlings, raised from seed by Egmont Seeds. The owner, John McCullough, kindly gave me a selection of seeds to grow in the garden this winter and I am very excited to see what they will look like. I plan to plant them in the plastic hanging baskets which previously housed our Topsy Tom tomatoes (also from Egmont Seeds)  Spring bulbs
It’s now time to look through catalogues and order your spring bulbs. The best and most popular varieties sell out fast so it pays to be in quick. I find that the quickest and easiest way to purchase bulbs is by mail order. The selection, quality and prices are far superior to garden centres. By far the best company I have discovered is Bulbs Direct. Their bulbs are fantastic quality, very reasonably priced and the service is superb. They are the newest mail order company to the scene but have been giving the more established ones a run for their money. I highly recommend them. Anita’s Garden has a new collaboration with Bulbs Direct, which you can read more about here. Did you know that I have a Facebook page? I have reached nearly 1.4k Likes! Please help me to cross the threshold. When I do, I promise I’ll run another competition! Thank you for your on-going support.
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 To read the thirtieth issue of my FREE weekly newsletter filled with gardening tips, please visit the newsletters section of my website. I have uploaded the latest issue here.
If you're using a smart phone, it's best viewed as a pdf document received by email. To be added to my mailing list, please email me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com and write "subscribe" in the subject field. Have a great weekend! Anita I'm very pleased to announce that Anita's Garden has entered into a collaboration with New Zealand's leading mail order bulb company, Bulbs Direct.
As many of you will be aware, I am currently a brand ambassador for the following gardening businesses:
I have written a bit about what it means to be a brand ambassador, which you can read here. To kick off our new partnership, Bulbs Direct are giving me a selection of their tulip bulbs to grow in our garden this winter. In conjunction with Bulbs Direct I will be advising on how to grow tulips in warmer climates and following up on their progress. Now is a good time to pre-order your spring bulbs so you don't miss out on popular varieties. To visit Bulbs Direct's website, click here.  For Christmas, one of my aunts gave me a gardenia as a gift. I know absolutely nothing about gardenias, so I thought it would be a good idea to do some research before planting it in the garden. I also decided to write a blog post about this subject to help others who would like to grow this beautiful shrub but are unsure how.
Getting started Gardenias like tropical, warm weather but will tolerate a little bit of frost. Like hydrangeas, they are usually in full bloom by Christmas. The foliage is green, lush and glossy. Gardenias are highly fragrant, so make sure you place it near an entrance or in a patio to enjoy the scent. Gardenias make excellent cut flowers. They can also be used as a hedge. Varieties There are many varieties of gardenias on the market. Some are compact, others grow tall and bushy. Compact varieties are suitable for growing in containers. I have Gardenia Veitchii, which is a popular double-flowering variety. Because it is a more compact variety, I am going to try growing it in a container. Another popular variety is Professor Pucci, which is a taller growing double-flowering variety which flowers from late spring. Radicans is a low-growing gardenia that produces delightful and richly fragrant, white flowers from late spring. Growing gardenias Gardenias should be grown in full sun to light shade. Plant in rich, acidic free-draining soil. Mix in lots of compost and sheep pellets prior to planting. If planting gardenias in a container, make sure you use a specially formulated container mix. Make sure you keep plants well watered, particularly over the warmer months when it doesn’t rain as often. Plants in containers need more water to survive. Feed regularly with a slow release fertiliser. Do not use a granular bagged fertiliser on potted gardenias. Alternatively, you can use a water soluble fertiliser. Gardenias should be pruned in winter or early spring to help retain their shape. Prune back to either a branch or a bud. Cuts should be made on a 45 degree angle away from the bud. Troubleshooting (tips taken from this page) One of the most common problems is yellow leaves. If this happens, give the plant some liquid fertiliser and a good dose of water. Most of the time, the problem resolves as the weather gets warmer but you can use Epsom salts on the plant if the problem persists. Aphids can be a pest. If they appear underneath the leaves, you can spray the plant with an insecticide. You can also spray for mealybug and scale as well. If you notice that the buds are falling to the ground, this may be a sign of weevils or leaf hoppers, which can also be sprayed. There are also a few diseases that affect gardenias. Root rot is common in gardenias with poorly drained soil. This can cause the plant to turn yellow. You can save the plant by digging it up and pruning away damaged roots and then re-plant it in a spot with better drainage. Powdery mildew can occur when air circulation is poor around the plant. It will cause a white, fuzzy or powdery coating on the leaves and affect new growth. A good prune to thin out the plant will help solve this. Propagation Gardenias grow easily from cuttings. To improve the strike rate, dip the end in some rooting hormone before planting in a pot with some potting mixture.  We’re now into the month of February, which is typically the hottest month of summer but has strangely been feeling like the start of autumn. I thought it would be a good time for a seasonal update to keep you posted with developments around Anita’s Garden
Anita’s garden plant nursery is open! I have some fantastic news. I have re-opened my boutique plant nursery and am selling plants again. I have a fantastic range of autumn and winter seedlings, which I hope to add more to over the coming months. To make an appointment to visit the nursery, please text me on 021 02762091 (text is better than calling as I’m often out in the garden and can’t pick up). Click here for a list of available stock. Plants for autumn and winter As you will have gathered from the re-opening of my nursery, I have been busy raising seedlings for autumn and winter. One star variety which has done really well is the mini cabbage “Ranfurly” from Egmont Seeds. The rate of germination was excellent and the seedlings look strong and healthy. These plants have proved popular among customers so far and I look forward to growing it in the garden myself this winter. You may recall me mentioning in a previous blog post that Egmont Seeds kindly gave me a variety of seeds to trial in the garden over autumn and winter, including a complete set of their range of broad beans as I was eager to do a growing trial and report back on the results of these different varieties. Among them was a red-seeded broad bean which will hopefully form part of their collection and will probably be called Lucifer. I am excited to be carrying out this work in collaboration with Egmont Seeds. Egmont Seeds also gave me a range of pansies and viola to grow this season and I am pleased to report that they have been germinating well. I am looking forward to transplanting them into my hanging baskets and containers when they are large enough. I will post photos to my Instagram account in due course. To purchase seeds from Egmont Seeds, visit https://www.egmontseeds.co.nz/ The lovely Gillian Hurley-Gordon from Italian Seeds Pronto, the New Zealand distributor of Franchi seeds, has also given me a range of autumn and winter seeds from her range, including Black Tuscan Kale, Broccoli Calabrese, Cauliflower Romanesco, Cauliflower Macerata and the Onion Tropea Rosso Tonda. I have already started to sow these seeds and look forward to having them in my nursery and garden this season. To purchase seeds from Italian Seeds Pronto, visit http://www.italianseedspronto.co.nz/# Collaborations At present, I am collaborating with the following gardening businesses:
I am always on the look out for new businesses to collaborate with. If you feel that you would like to work with me in promoting each other’s businesses, email me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com Selling cut flowers As many of you will be aware, I grow an exquisite range of flowers for making bouquets. So far, we have just used these for ourselves in our house, but I am exploring whether it may be possible to sell them. In particular, I am interested in supplying cut flowers from our garden on an on-going basis. If you know of someone who may be interested – whether a restaurant, hotel or other business – please get in touch with me by email. You can write to me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com  To read the twenty ninth issue of my FREE weekly newsletter filled with gardening tips, please visit the newsletters section of my website. I have uploaded the latest issue here.
If you're using a smart phone, it's best viewed as a pdf document received by email. To be added to my mailing list, please email me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com and write "subscribe" in the subject field. Have a great weekend! Anita  Two years ago, I sowed some tamarillo trees from seed and now there are two enormous trees in our garden, full of green fruit (see photo above). Every time I look at them I am filled with a sense of wonder at what I have achieved. I thought it would make a good subject for a blog post, so I can help others also grow tamarillo from seed.
Growing tamarillos from seed is not difficult and the offspring is said to be stronger and healthier than plants purchased at the garden centre. It is also an economical way of raising a lot of plants. Even if you only have a small garden, it’s always good to have some spares in case some plants don’t survive. You can also give some plants away to family, friends and neighbours. Getting started Tamarillos come from South America. They do best in a warm, sunny climate. They can be grown in many parts of New Zealand, including Auckland and Northland. As I discovered, they do best in a sheltered spot, where they can be protected from wind. Ours are growing next to our banana tree, near our house. It’s not difficult to source tamarillo seed, but make sure you start with one of a high quality. I highly recommend Egmont Seeds for the freshness of their products. Their range includes the tamarillo “Ruby Red” and it is $3 for a packet of 25 seeds. Sowing tamarillo from seed Tamarillo can be sowed from spring through to autumn. If you are sowing seed in spring, you may find that you need to use a heat pad or your hot water cupboard to aid germination, as seeds need warm temperatures in order to germinate. If you are sowing tamarillos in summer or autumn, this is not necessary and you should find seeds germinate easily outdoors. Simply sprinkle your seeds in a punnet filled with a little seed raising mix and cover lightly. When choosing a seed raising mix, try to get one that is fine in texture without pieces of bark which make it difficult for seeds to poke their heads through the mixture. Leave outdoors. Don’t forget to water regularly as dryness can hinder germination. In around two weeks, you should notice seedlings emerge. Let these grow for awhile and when seedlings are a bit bigger, prick them out and pot them up into six-cell punnets using a little potting mixture. You need not purchase an expensive mixture to do this, just a basic all-purpose one is fine. Don’t forget to water your seedlings regularly as they dry out in this heat. When your seedlings have outgrown their six-cell punnet, it’s time to transfer them into individual pots. Make sure you are careful not to disturb the roots of the plants too much when doing this. Continue to water your plants regularly. Caring for your plants I grew my tamarillos organically so I didn’t use any sprays on them. However I did notice something attacked some of the leaves of some of my plants, but I simply disregarded those ones and concentrated on the plants that were healthy. Should you wish to protect plants from insects, a spray like Yates Success would be ideal (but note that it is not organic for those of you wishing to garden organically). Sometimes I think that whether insects attack plants is nothing but pure luck. Last year, I had a terrible time growing eggplants and most of my plants were attached by caterpillars who ate most of the leaves and left the plants in a very unhealthy state. I used Yates Success on the plants with limited success. This year, I haven’t had any problems with insects and my plants are the best and healthiest ever since I started gardening back in 2013. Bear in mind that tamarillos are in the tomato family (they are known as “tree tomato”) so they can be susceptible to the TPP, if that’s a problem in your area. You may need to spray plants if this is the case. It helps to plant your tamarillos away from your tomatoes to prevent the spread of disease. When your plants are big enough, you may wish to plant them in the garden. I did this when mine were in 10 cm pots and it was in April, when the temperatures were cooler. Putting in plants during summer is always more challenging due to the heat and dryness, so I recommend waiting until it’s a bit cooler like me. To encourage your trees to branch out rather than continue to grow upwards, you may wish to pinch out the middle. I forgot to do this when the trees were young and ended up doing this when they were quite high, but it worked out alright and the trees seem to be okay. They are perhaps a bit taller than they should be, so if you want to keep them at a more moderate height it’s a good idea to do this when they are about your height. The biggest challenge with growing tamarillos, whether from seed or purchased as plants from the garden centre, is getting them through the cooler months. Frosts will kill the plants. I managed to get my plants through their first year by spraying them with Vaporgard, which is a liquid frost cloth that I purchased from Wally. It is also available at Mitre 10. Once trees are well above ground level, frosts are not such a problem but you may wish to continue to spray them with Vaporgard during winter as a precaution. Otherwise, I don’t use any sprays on the trees, simply because it is not necessary. We are very fortunate that TPP isn’t a problem in our garden. As your trees grow, you may find that they need some support. I secured mine with wooden stakes in either side and tied the plant to them with some old pantyhose. As our trees continued to grow, we ended up securing them to the banana tree that they are planted next to, because it can get very windy where we live. From spring through to autumn, I feed my trees with a granular food designed for fruit trees. I also try to liquid feed the trees weekly using a water soluble plant food designed for citrus and fruit trees. We are looking forward to harvesting our first fruit in May! Hopefully, with the help of this guide, you will also be on your way to growing your own tamarillos.  With everyone’s summer gardens in full swing, I thought it might be useful to tackle a common problem at this time of the year – what to do with an abundance of zucchini. Here is a list of ideas. All you need to do is google some recipes to find the ones that you like best and take them straight to your kitchen!
Whoops! If your zucchini have turned into marrows (which can happen easily in the height of summer!), here are some ideas:
To read the twenty eighth issue of my FREE weekly newsletter filled with gardening tips, please visit the newsletters section of my website. I have uploaded the latest issue here.
If you're using a smart phone, it's best viewed as a pdf document received by email. To be added to my mailing list, please email me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com and write "subscribe" in the subject field. Have a great weekend! Anita I have been so busy in the garden lately. This past week, we have been hosting a wwoofer from Germany called Veronika. She has been helping me around the garden.
Here are some of the things that we have been doing:
These are tasks which are on the agenda. We have two wwoofers, Zoe and Margaux from France, arriving in ten days time, so I will work through them with the girls
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