Sharon Fitzgerald, of Mosgiel, shares her garden with readers.
• How would you describe your garden?
A moderate-sized garden consisting mainly of vegetables grown in four raised beds and fruit trees grown along boundary fences and in containers.
These include apples, pears, a variety of citrus trees, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes and feijoas. Along with a glasshouse housing tomatoes and red peppers this year.
Most of my vegetable plants are grown from seed. I utilise any available materials such as grass clippings, coffee grinds, leaves etc to make compost in four large bins and I have a small worm farm.
The tomatoes I prefer to grow are Sweet 100 and Early Girl. My potatoes I have growing this year are Liseta and Red Rascal.
Around the boundary of the section there is a sweeping garden around the lawn containing roses, rhododendrons, peonies and a variety of spring flowers.
• First memory of gardening that got you hooked?
My grandfather had a huge immaculate vegetable garden. As a child I remember raiding the peas, blackcurrants and gooseberry bushes. I guess my love of gardening stemmed from there.
• What’s your favourite part/area of your garden?
The edible garden.
There’s nothing better than picking fresh raspberries to eat with ice cream. Or collecting fresh vegetables to make a quiche, stir fry or salads. Any excess fruit or vegetables is given to friends and family, or turned into chutney, jam, sauces or dehydrated.
• What would you describe as its biggest challenge and why?
I couldn’t single out one challenge, there are a few:
1. Living in Mosgiel, the frosts would have to be up there in the winter months.
2. Birds and white butterflies. I even had a wild rabbit take up residence earlier in the year, thriving on young seedlings.
3. My husband, being in the garden unsupervised!
4. And the grandchildren beating me to the ripe strawberries and raspberries.
• What’s your favourite gardening aid that you couldn’t do without and why?
1. Frost cloth: I have used irrigation tubing to attach frost cloth during the winter months.
This enables a constant supply of vegetables like, carrot, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions and lettuce pretty much all year round. And also protects the lemon, limes and mandarin from harsh frosts.
2. Google: Anything I don’t know, Google is sure to have the answer. For example, I utilise companion planting, ‘‘onions are great companions for strawberries as their strong smell deters pests’’ and have found cost-effective home-made sprays and remedies such as ‘‘an aspirin spray on tomatoes helps boost their natural defence against blight and leaf spot’’.
• If climate wasn’t an issue what plant would you love to grow ?
Tropical fruits the likes of dragon fruit, star fruit and jackfruit. For their unique appearance and flavour.
♦ Do you have an area of your garden you would like to share? Send your photos and answers to the above questions to odt.features@odt.co.nz with ‘‘Gardener’s Corner’’ in the subject line.
