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Keep any gardening queries coming to the Facebook page called Palmers or their web site www.palmers.co.nz
and I will answer in detail all of your queries.
Eden Living is still
running in full swing as I work alongside NZ's largest garden retailer. If you prefer you can contact me directly through my web site www.edenliving.co.nz
Wherever you are in the country you have a Palmers near by and everything I talk about here is available at a store near you.
Mmmmmm My (or "Our" - if anyone else is lucky to get any) Peach Tree!!
We are all so excited about eating from our peach and nectarine trees this summer having not had the pleasure of living at a property with established trees before - or should I say, many years ago when my husband and renovated a property we did the common, but now I find unthinkable act of moving in and 'downing all those old fashioned fruit trees' to give a modern "landscaped" finish to the property. Although this back yard was certainly transformed into a wonderful and easy to manage yard for 3 busy pre-schoolers to play and explore, I think back to that garden and know that we could have saved a fair amount of the fruit trees and still had a really usable, modern and functional yard.
My main reason for thinking get rid of them was the idea that looking after those trees would be too hard. This could not be further from the truth and I can't deny my regret for not having given it more thought. As I look out to my garden I have now, I can see that someone really put a lot of thought into creating a fruit haven that is small but functional.
Your not alone
When I reel back 12 years when we lived at that home I could be forgiven for being intimidated by the confusing array of plastic bottles of concentrate liquid lining the garden centre shelves. As a newby to pip fruit, stone fruit and citrus care, I didn't find it easy to understand or feel confidant about mixing and using from an industruial sized spray pack not unlike my son's star toy story jet pack get up. It was easier to just to trash the tree and plant something with fine lines instead.
What has changed?
Now days as I look at the range of spray options if you were inclined to buy off the shelf instead of make you own and I am pleased to see you can literally pick a brand and pick either Organic or Chemical solution and be away quite quickly with a point and shoot trigger spray bottle not unlike my bench top cleaner that as a mum of children I am well used to operating.
What if you decide not to spray?
A garden left to it's own devices to breed a host of bacterial, fungal and insect problems is never an attractive sight, not to mention if you are going to grow it you may as well get the most out of it. A sick tree will drastically reduce the amount of fruit you could be potentially picking from; not to mention a real shame to find that the fruit suffers from rot or fungal diseases that mean they are completely inedible.
I often hear... "I don't like the idea of sprays!"
So many people say that they don't like the idea of spraying. When questioned as to why, most often I hear it turns out to be the same reasons I dumped those huge old trees - the lack of knowledge, the time in our already busy lives to turn more education to something else, or the mindset that spraying is only a chemical solution. I personally do not use chemical control at all on my garden, but recognise the importance of adopting a natural or organic where possible management program. I do this with ready made sprays, concentrates or more recently I have chosen to play around with some home made remedies from trusted sources. A smattering I have popped on my web site under Plant Doc on www.edenliving.co.nz to help share my favourites. Visit your local garden store and ask the approachable staff what spray solution is right for you. Your trees will love you for it! We are lucky to be gardening in a time of edible revolution and I don't think it is a bad
thing at all to reach for something in a bottle pre-mixed to grab and
shoot your way to plant health if that is all you can manage - at least the job is getting done! A foot in the success tray is better than neck deep in muck!
When should you spray?
I am writing this in early August as now is the time to get underway while your fruit trees are not in bud (flower or leaf) so as not to damage these or beneficial insects. The time of day and weather is also important to consider. A calm, rain on the horizon free, morning - before bees are likely to be present is your garden is the time you choose to spray. Start with enough time to do one tree if you are new to this so you have time aside to get the whole tree covered, don't pressure yourself with undertaking too much in a too short of space time line.
What to do in the garden in this weeks Luna Cycle
August 6 and 7 Root crops can be sown (I'm planting carrot 'purple dragon' and scarlet nantes along with Heirloom white beetroot)
Spraying can also be done on these days.
August 8th to 13th Pruning is so important and these are good days to get this task completed. Just make sure you are not expecting rain and get a good quality pruning paint from your local garden centre to paint all of your cuts as you go.
August 14 and 15 are days that more root crops can be sown.
Maria Quayle-Guppy
