COMMUNITIES Piopio Fruit & Veg Stand

I TRUST everyone has cleaned up their summer veggie gardens and either planted winter veggies or put your beds down for a good winter’ snap with compost, manure, blood and bone and a bit of lime. I’ve just planted out our seed garlic,Pukekohe Long-Keeper and red onion seedings, and shallots. Conventional wisdom on garlic has been to plant on the shortest day in June and harvest on the longest in December, but because of problems some people have with rust the word now is to plant earlier.

At our place we’ve got broccoli, beetroot, coriander and silverbeet growing away outside, with lettuce,Cavalo Nero, Italian parsley and spinach in planters in the glasshouse. Cold ash from the wood fire (untreated wood) gets tossed on the kumara bed or into compost. Our community stand celebrates its seventh year in June. At the moment pots of berry jam,silverbeet, butternut, garlic, shallots,pumpkin and potatoes are coming in. We seem to be through the feijoas, at a certain point everyone has had enough of those! It’s that time of the year between summer garden abundance and winter citrus when anything you are able to contribute is greatly appreciated. In fact, anything you contribute is greatly and gratefully appreciated throughout the year!

Check out our Facebook page for updates on what’s on offer most weekday mornings, recipes and growing tips. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or issues. Happy growing! Karen Barrett