The Star: March 22, 2018
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32<br />
Thursday <strong>March</strong> <strong>22</strong> <strong>2018</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> magazine for<br />
gardeners who<br />
like To geT <strong>The</strong>ir<br />
hands dirTy<br />
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Gardening<br />
Grow some cool<br />
If you haven’t already<br />
ousted them from the<br />
greenhouse, summer<br />
plants such as tomatoes,<br />
capsicums and<br />
cucumbers will soon be<br />
ready for the compost.<br />
When you do finally<br />
give them the heave-ho,<br />
a whole new growing<br />
space presents itself. So<br />
let’s go on a cool-season<br />
growing spree says<br />
Diana Noonan<br />
Mediterranean herbs<br />
If there’s one thing that<br />
livens up winter dishes, it’s<br />
fresh herbs.<br />
While the dried variety<br />
will do the trick, fresh<br />
flavour adds pizzazz<br />
to root vegetables and<br />
comfort foods such as<br />
pizza and soup.<br />
Some of the tastiest<br />
herbs are those in the<br />
Mediterranean category –<br />
the ones that prefer a dry,<br />
hot climate. Coaxing them<br />
into performing over the<br />
colder months is almost<br />
impossible, especially for<br />
the likes of oregano, which<br />
is downright deciduous<br />
in the coldest parts of the<br />
country, so this is where<br />
the greenhouse comes into<br />
its own.<br />
<strong>The</strong> best part about<br />
growing Mediterranean<br />
herbs indoors is that<br />
even if your undercover<br />
summer plants have<br />
experienced disease, the<br />
soil they grew in won’t<br />
bother these herbs.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s not even the need<br />
to replenish spent soil<br />
as Mediterranean herbs<br />
thrive in poor ground.<br />
And if you’re heading away<br />
on an autumn or winter<br />
holiday, water can wait –<br />
thyme, oregano, sage and<br />
rosemary won’t thank<br />
you for wet feet and will<br />
happily wait (within<br />
reason) for moisture until<br />
you return.<br />
Once your greenhouse<br />
KEEP DRY: Sage is no lover of wet conditions. Bring<br />
it in from the rain and grow it in the dry warmth of<br />
the greenhouse over the off-season.<br />
summer plants have<br />
been removed, gather up<br />
any dead foliage from<br />
the ground, give the<br />
greenhouse a good clean<br />
down, inside and out, with<br />
a window brush or water<br />
blaster, and cut back any<br />
foliage that has encroached<br />
over summer (this will<br />
help let in as much light as<br />
possible). Finally, loosen<br />
the ground to help aerate<br />
it.<br />
If you’ve potted-up herb<br />
cuttings over spring and<br />
summer, good for you. If<br />
not, head to the garden<br />
centre for potted fresh<br />
herbs and be sure to buy<br />
several of each variety<br />
as growth will not be as<br />
strong over the colder<br />
months as it would be if<br />
planting outdoors<br />
in spring and summer.<br />
If you’re in regions that<br />
experience mild autumns<br />
and winters, you can<br />
include basils in your<br />
purchases but those of<br />
you living in colder climes<br />
would be best to leave<br />
these off the list.<br />
Pop your little plants<br />
into the soil closer to each<br />
other than you would if<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong><br />
planting into the garden.<br />
Water the soil for the first<br />
week after planting to help<br />
roots establish, but hold<br />
back on the moisture after<br />
that. Water only when the<br />
ground to a finger’s depth<br />
feels dry. Harvest your<br />
herbs carefully, snipping<br />
a few leaves off each and,<br />
while you’re at it, revel<br />
in the fragrance of the<br />
Mediterranean at a time<br />
when the sun can seem<br />
very far away.<br />
Winter fragrance<br />
Colour and fragrance<br />
lifts the spirits like nothing<br />
else, especially in winter.<br />
<strong>The</strong> natural way to achieve<br />
this is to press an otherwise<br />
empty greenhouse into<br />
service so that you can fill<br />
the house with inexpensive,<br />
season-defying homegrown<br />
bulbs that bloom in the<br />
coldest months. Sheltered<br />
from wind and rain and<br />
driving sleet, greenhousegrown<br />
bulbs lack all the<br />
imperfections we find in<br />
those grown outdoors and,<br />
better still, you bring them<br />
into the house only when<br />
they are about to burst into<br />
flower.<br />
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Phone: (03) 349 9240<br />
allwood.co.nz
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