Growing your own has benefits

Election promises notwithstanding, the cost of living continues to be a concern for many.

National Gardening Week, which runs from October 16 to 23, aims to foster a love of gardening, with this year’s focus on growing not only plants but also friendships, good health, strong communities and closer connections with nature.

The event is sponsored by seed company Yates, which is promoting the benefits of growing your own vegetables.

It’s no news that homegrown vegetables are cheaper and fresher. Homegrown produce usually has a higher nutritional value, too, because the longer the period between harvesting and eating, the more nutrients are lost.

Then there’s the great sense of satisfaction at harvesting time, a huge incentive for kids to start gardening.

To help novices get growing, Yates has prepared what it calls gardening hacks for beginners. Some of the hacks are:

• Clear plastic tomato or salad “clamshell” containers make great mini greenhouses for getting seeds started. Just poke a few vent holes in the lid, fill the bottom half with seed raising mix and sow your seeds. Add a little water, close the lid and place the container in a sunny spot.

• Protect seedlings from late frosts — and slugs or snails — by using 2 litre soft drink bottles. Take off the top, cut off the bottom and push the bottle down over the seedling, into the soil. When the plant is ready to face the elements, remove the bottle during the day but pop it back on overnight until the seedling is mature enough to grow on its own

• If there are cats in your neighbourhood, stop exasperating litterbox action in your newly sown areas by “planting” disposable wooden forks or chopsticks into the soil, to discourage digging.

• Take advantage of sunny house or garage walls to grow tall tomatoes. Plant seeds in polybags and hang lengths of stretchy cotton plant ties from cup hooks under the eaves. Spiral it around the main stems to hang up the plant, then gradually train it to full height

• Join a garden club or community garden — great places to learn.

• Grow from seed instead of seedlings. The maths is simple — you get dozens more plants from a packet of seeds, for a fraction of the cost.

Yates, founded in 1883, is celebrating its 140 years by releasing a dozen heritage vegetable and flower seeds.

Although there is a cut-flower mix, the focus is on edibles — beetroot, Savoy cabbage, two types of lettuce, Pink Beauty and a mixed radish packet, broccoli, an old Italian onion, broccoli, oregano and my favourite yellow tomato, bite-sized "Yellow Pear", which has been grown since the 18th century.

Finally, there’s the perfect companion plant, "Bonita" marigold, which not only looks charming but can be grown to keep whitefly away from glasshouse tomatoes and repel some pests in the open garden.

GIVEAWAY- WIN WITH YATES

In conjunction with Yates, the Otago Daily Times has five packs of the Yates Heirloom range to give away. Each prize pack contains 12 packets of seed and a sturdy fabric tote bag.

To enter the draw, write your name, address and daytime phone number on the back of a standard envelope and send it to National Gardening Week, Editorial Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, Dunedin 9054, or email playtime@odt.co.nz with National Gardening Week in the subject line.

Entries close 5pm at Thursday, October 19 and the winners’ names will be published on Friday, October 20.

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