Summer - Heat
... To all avid fruit Gardeners

Long sun soaked days are here for enjoying the lush green shade of your grape pergola or dappled shade of the Japanese Raisin Tree. It is a pleasure to wander around and enjoy the results of your plantings, pruning and feeding. The first berries appear in time for Christmas; these must be protected from the birds or plant enough for them and you! These dark fruits - red, blues and purples are full of antioxidants as well as hefty portions of vitamin C and fibre. Great for the body and soul. So go on relax enjoy your paradise and the fruit of your labour knowing it is all good for you.

In this issue

	Steve's Words of Wisdom ... more
	Tracey's 'Summer Choice'. Grapes - don't get the Pip! ... more
	Win 2 x 'Blueberry Muffin™' plants ... more
	Fiona's Update incredible edibles® Fertiliser ... more
	Beat the Bugs ... more
	Frequently Asked Questions - Raspberries ... more
	Guided tours ofincredible edibles® Garden ... more
	Pick Me Now ... more
	Plant Now ... more
	Mouth Watering Grape Recipes ... more

Steve's Comments

Steve our Nursery Manager Mulch

Having just experienced an extremely wet winter our last thoughts are on the hot dry summer months that are about to affect our gardens.

Now is the time to take action. Mulching is a long-established horticultural practice that involves spreading a layer of material on the ground around plants to protect their roots from heat, cold, or drought or to keep the fruit clean.

The goal during the summer months with mulch is to help provide moisture and cooler soil for the plant's roots.

Most types of mulch can help control weeds by blocking the emergence of seedlings if the mulch layer is thick enough to exclude light. Many materials can be used to mulch a garden, including compost, straw, sawdust and bark.

Remember, however, that the more woody your mulch, the more nitrogen will be used by the soil bacteria to break it down; a good source of nitrogen should be applied to the soil before mulching to help offset this loss.

When applying any kind of mulch be careful to leave some space around the plant crown, or tree base. If you pile thick layers of mulch up against the crown or stem you may cause rotting of the plant.

Donna, our Despatch Manager (aka Queenie)

Donna's Treat

WIN 2 X Blueberry Muffin™
Nature's Lollies

Go into the draw for 2 plants of Blueberry Muffin™.

Forward this newsletter onto a friend and email me your friends email address and local garden centre. Both of you will go in the draw.

Drawn 15/01/12 and results in Autumn Newsletter.

Congratulations to Shona Lee the Loquat Mogi plant winner of the spring newsletter. Shona will collect her Loquat Mogi from Fairfields Garden Centre, New Plymouth.
Congratulations.

Tracey our Retail Sales Manager Candice Seedless

Tracey's Choice - Don't get the Pip!?

Seedless Grapes - Candice Seedless & Lakemont Seedless

• Bunches of red and green sweet grapes
• Ripening mid-March to early April
• Highly decorative and graceful vine
• Excellent growing over a pergola and having the fruit hanging down
• Grows best in full sun
• Ideal for a variety of sandy to heavy clay soils but needs good drainage
• Carefree, easy to grow. Hardy to -10°C
• Rich in fibre to keep you regular, vitamin C to keep your immune system healthy and potassium for controlling acid balance
  

Fun Facts

• Grapes consist of 80% water - low calarie snack
• Eating too many will give a laxative effect
• Largest food industry in the world
• If left alone a grape vine will spread 15 metres
• Indulge - cheese, crackers, grapes and a refreshing glass of wine
  

Click here to find out more

Fiona

Fiona's Update - incredible edibles® Fertiliser

Available Now!

incredible edibles® Citrus  Fertiliser 
incredible edibles® Fruit Tree and Berry Fertiliser                       
incredible edibles® Tomato Fertiliser
incredible edibles® Strawberry Fertiiser     
incredible edibles® Vegetable Fertiliser

Available at your local Garden Centre

Fruits to Plant

December, November, January

Chilean Guava flower

Guava Yellow Cherry flower

Cipo Orange flower

Mouth watering Loquat Recipes

FROSTED GRAPES WITH DESSERT WINE SORBET

• 500g seedless green grapes
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup caster sugar

Cut the grapes into small bunches.
Beat the egg whites slightly, dip bunches of grapes into the whites, brushing off any excess. Cut the grapes from the stems by using scissors, and toss in the sugar. Lay them separately on baking paper until dry.

SORBET

• 1 x 350ml bottle of sweet dessert wine
• 2/3 cup water

Pour the water and wine into stainless steel tray and freeze until completely solid. Scrape the frozen wine with a tablespoon to make fine ice. Combine with the grapes and spoon into shallow glasses. Garnish with mint.

GRAPE JELLY

• 6 cups black or white grapes
• 2 cooking apples
• 4 cups water
• Sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Remove grapes from the stalks, and wash well. Cut apples roughly, without peeling or coring.
Place apples, grapes and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 20 minutes or until the fruit is very soft.
Pour into a jelly bag and leave overnight or until the mixture stops dripping.
Measure the liquid and return to the saucepan. For every cup of liquid add 3/4 cup sugar. Also add lemon juice.
Boil rapidly until jelly gives setting test. Pack and seal.

Share with us your favourite recipe or gardening story. Email me on info@edible.co.nz.

Frequently asked questions: Raspberries

Query

Small orange spots occurred on the plant within the first few days of having it, and now the leaves are starting to die off.  I am a bit disappointed as the plant is not cheap and I wanted to buy several more.
I look forward to hearing back from you

Answer

Sorry for the delay in replying. I have now had it confirmed that it is rust and can be sprayed with Bravo twice with 10 days between.
Your plant should then motor away and have no adverse affects.

Query

Can you please throw some light on why our Raspberry is only producing fruit that falls apart in your fingers when you pick them? The fruit has not developed properly. Our soil is poor, can be dry and they are planted in a shady position. Can you please tell what is wrong with our raspberry fruit?

Answer

Crumbly Berry is where the drupelets do not form properly; they are only loosely joined so when they are picked they just crumble. This condition can be caused by the following;

• Poor Pollination
• Damage to flower parts due to botrytis
• Frost damage
• Wet soil root rot
• Boron deficiency
• Insect damage to flower
• Inadequate transfer of pollen by insects
• Spraying of insecticides so lack of bees in the area
• RBDV - Raspberry Bushy Dwarf virus)
• Which is virus transmitted pollen,moved by Honey Bees from plant to plant.
• Unfortunately if RBDV control is destruction of plant and planting a clean plant in another position.

Alistair Waters IPM Services (2009) Ltd www.ipmservices.co.nz

Beat the Bugs

Leafroller Caterpiller

Leafroller caterpillars are small in size but the damage they cause is significant. They feed on the fresh new leaves giving plants an unsightly and tatty appearance. They then roll the leaves together in which they form compact hiding places which can go unnoticed. This is where the name leafroller comes from. In the most severe cases they can defoliate plants.

Most fruiting plants can be affected by leafroller including; feijoa, apples, blueberries, berryfruit, guavas and avocados.

Control methods are;

• Remove the damaged vegetation but this should be the last resort.
• The home gardener is able to use a spray called Success naturalye which is available from your local garden centre. This is a semi-organic contact spray so will need to be sprayed fortnightly. It has a 1 day withholding period.

Apple foliage damage

Unravalled Raspberry Leaf

Attracking leaf & flower

Experience the incredible edibles® Garden

incredible edibles® is opening its doors to offer guided group tours of its extensive stock gardens. Contact me today to make your booking to visit the incredible edibles® Garden in sunny Bay of Plenty.

Click here for booking form and/or request for more information.