A d v i ce . Id e a s .
I n sp i ra t i on
Volume 2, Issue 51
Useful Links
Webpage
Blog
Newsletter back issues
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Linkedin
Pinterest
Contact me
 Feedback
 Newsletter input
(tips, recipes, gar-
den photos etc)
 To be added to my
mailing list
anitakundu.nz@gmail.com
Inside this issue:
Po t t e r i n g ar o u n d
Anita’s Garden
Top 5 gardening tasks
for the week
Italian Seeds Pronto:
Herbs
How to grow strawber-
ries
Anita’s Garden
Editorial
Welcome to the fifty first issue of my
newsletter Anita’s Garden for 2020.
I hope you have all had a good week.
I thought I would write a little sum-
mary of what I have been up to in the
garden over the past week.
Transplanting roses
Some of my standard roses were acci-
dentally planted a bit deeper than the
others, so I have embarked on the
arduous task of digging up each of
these roses and re-planting them at a
higher depth. I have had to work very
carefully to try and avoid damaging
the roots, otherwise it may kill the
plant. So far, I have managed to lift
four of the roses higher and have a
further nine to go. Wish me luck!
Weeding in between onion seed-
lings
I love growing and eating onions, but
I hate having to weed between the
seedlings. With all the rain we have
been getting recently, the weeds have
grown vigorously and the plants are
getting choked by weeds. I have
started on this task but have been
busy transplanting some of my roses
2
(see above), so I will get the wwoofers
who we are hosting later this month
to help me with this task.
2 dormant, otherwise it will burn the
Seed catalogues
Some of the seed suppliers have re-
leased their new season’s catalogues.
2 Italian Seeds Pronto was the first to
do so and you can view their catalogue
here. It pays to get in quick with your
order as popular varieties can sell out
3
fast. I have learnt the hard way over
time!
Fruit trees
10 July 2020
Nurseries have started to get new sea-
son’s fruit trees in store. Mum and I
purchased a further two Rose Chiffon
dwarf peach trees to add to our mini
orchard as our existing tree performed
so well last summer. This is a white
flesh peach variety and was so deli-
cious. I also purchased some container
mix and will pot them up into large 35
litre containers soon.
Roses
New season’s roses are also arriving in
garden centres. For the best selection
and for hard-to-find varieties, I highly
recommend ordering from mail order
rose nurseries. This year, I am adding
Evelyn, a David Austin variety, to my
collection. I have three other places
where I lost roses and need replace-
ments, but I am taking my time in
choosing them as space is so precious in
the garden and I want to make the best
possible choices. It’s a personal prefer-
ence, but I really like standard roses
and all of the roses in our garden are
standards.
Spraying roses and fruit trees with
lime sulphur
Last Friday was a beautiful day so I got
outside and gave our roses and fruit
trees another reapplication of lime sul-
phur. Be sure to only use this spray
while your roses and fruit trees are
leaves. This helps to keep fungal dis-
eases at bay, such as brown spot, leaf
curl and brown rot.
I hope you find this week’s issue inter-
esting. I have enjoyed writing it.
Have a great weekend.
Kind regards,
Anita Kundu
PAGE 2
Pottering around Anita’s Garden
Here is a selection of photos from
our garden for you to enjoy.
My coriander seedlings, which
were kindly given to me by
Awapuni last month, have grown
so much and are doing so well.
They are planted in a 9 litre buck-
et. Coriander grows well this way.
Top 5 gardening tasks for the week
1. Prune roses
If you haven’t already done so, this
is a good time to prune roses, while
they’re dormant
2. Spray roses and fruit
trees with lime sulphur
While they are dormant, you can
spray your roses and fruit trees
with lime Sulphur to help prevent
fungal diseases in summer.
Italian Seeds Pronto: Herbs
Did you know that in addition to
stocking an incredible selection of
delicious vegetable seeds, includ-
ing a wide range of Franchi seeds,
Italian Seeds Pronto also stock a
great range of herbs in the Franchi
seeds range? In addition to sowing
two different types of basil
(Napoletano and Italiano Classico),
I will also be sowing Thyme and
Oregano from Italian Seeds
AN IT A’S G AR D E N
We have been enjoying stewed
rhubarb from our garden with
plain yoghurt as a diabetic-
friendly dessert. Rhubarb is
very easy to grow and will re-
ward you with a continuous
crop. Keep an eye out on
Awapuni’s website as they sell
bundles of seedlings.
3. Get potatoes chitting
Now is a good time to get your
seed potatoes chitting (sprouting)
in time for planting in spring
4. Plant strawberries
Don’t delay! Get your strawberries
in today. Visit Awapuni’s website
for everything you need for plant-
ing strawberries this season.
Pronto’s collection. I am very ex-
cited to be trying these. Thank
you, Gillian! Also available in Ital-
ian Seeds Pronto’s range is Basil
Misticanza di Basilico (Golden
Line), Basil Foglie di lattuga, Ca-
pers (a little tricky to germinate
but well worth the effort), Chives,
Marjoram, Tarragon and Sorrel.
If you are waiting to try growing
V O LU M E 2 , ISSU E 5 1
Last summer, Awapuni gave me a
free Atlantic Giant pumpkin seed-
ling with an order I placed and
here is the resulting pumpkin!
This variety is supposed to be in-
edible, but we thought it would be
a shame to waste it and made a
delicious pumpkin soup from it!
I’ll definitely be getting more
plants from Awapuni this year!
5. Plant fruit trees
New season’s dormant fruit trees
have started arriving in garden
centres. We have already pur-
chased two peach trees to add to
our mini orchard. Try to be realis-
tic about how much space you
have. If you have a city garden
and space is an issue, look for
dwarf trees, which can be planted
in containers or in the ground.
capers, there is some very useful
germination advice on Italian
Seeds Pronto’s website from the
late Virgil Evetts.
In the near future, I will explore
each of the herbs in Italian Seeds
Pronto’s catalogue on Page 3 of my
newsletter and provide you with
advice on how to grow them.
 V O LU M E 2 , ISSU E 5 1
How to grow strawberries
Strawberries are a favourite in our
garden every year. They are easy
to grow and kids love eating them.
With a bit of care, you’ll be able to
grow your own juicy, sweet red
berries.
How to grow strawberries
Most gardeners start plants with
runners, which are available from
garden centres. You should find
that they are in stock now, as this
is the perfect time to plant straw-
berries. If you plant them during
winter, they will develop stronger
roots. The plants do better with a
bit of a chill, which enables them
to fruit more. You’ll also find that
they crop earlier, too. We usually
pick our first strawberry as early
as late September!
Awapuni is your one stop shop for
everything you need to grow
strawberries this season. From
plants to polythene, to fertilizer to
pea straw, Awapuni stock it all.
They deliver direct to your door
too, which is really handy.
Varieties
Awapuni stock the reliable variety
Camarosa, which is used by com-
mercial growers. They also stock
Ventana, which is also very prolif-
ic. Another variety which I have
grown successfully in the past is
Pajaro, which is also used by com-
mercial strawberry growers. It is
also possible to find Alpine straw-
berries, although they are more
rare.
If you have a big garden, it may
make sense to buy plants in bulk
and bare-rooted (not potted) to
save money. Awapuni sells mega-
bundles of 100 plants for $99 and
50 plants for $55.
Bear in mind that strawberries
fruit best on second year runners
and production declines thereafter.
So for the best strawberries, try
and track down two year old
plants.
PAGE 3
AN IT A’S G AR D E N
Tips for eating strawberries
 Fresh, straight from the
garden. Don’t forget to
wash them first!
 Fresh, with cream
 Chocolate dipped strawber-
ries
 Use them to decorate your
Christmas pavlova
Tips for growing strawberries
 Eton Mess
1. Pick a sunny, well drained
spot.  Trifle
2. Prepare the ground well  Strawberry cheesecake
beforehand. Mix in lots of
compost and sheep pellets.  Strawberry shortcake
 Mousse
3. Before you plant your rows
of strawberries, insert tun-
 Use them to decorate fruit
nel hoops over the rows so
tarts
you know where to place
your plants so that bird net-  Used as a topping on pan-
ting can drape over the cakes
hoops when the time comes
to cover your strawberries.  Make ice cream from them
4. In each hole, sprinkle a lit-  Smoothies
tle strawber-
ry fertilizer
prior to “They are easy to grow and
planting. kids love eating them.
With a bit of care, you’ll be
5. Make sure able to grow your own
you don’t cov- juicy, sweet red berries”
er the crown
of the plant with soil when  Milkshakes
planting.
 Frozen yoghurt
6. Space plants 20-30 cm
apart.  Jam
7. Mulch plants with pea straw  Cocktails
to keep the weeds down and
add nitrogen to the soil.  Jelly
8. Water plants regularly.  In salads
Strawberries need lots of
water in order to fruit well!  Strawberry pie
9. Liquid feed plants weekly  Parfaits
with a water soluble plant
 With French toast
food ideal for berries. It’s
fine to use one formulated Have a great weekend
for tomatoes as I’m doing, as
it is high in potassium. Happy gardening!