Oi ole-fella-Jack,

"Bugger"....Tolya before ya grizzly ole twerp ya needa bitta Squirter's expertise. I've still gotta bitta Napalm 'ere.

Snow o'clock down there is it ole horse.

Thanks Benny. I tried to follow the complicated explanation on the daff packets. Mind boggling.

How nature did it before gardening experts came on the scene astounds me!

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Totara,
How about if I planted some blue berry bushes and Currants under that tree?? As it is quite a big spot to only just plant bulbs, and with my section being so small, I have to make the most of the space. So I have leaned towards having an edible landscape.
Cracker day out there today, but we did start with a real crisp frost.

Don't know much about Blueberries and too warm in the winter up here for currants. Maybe some Nelson GUps can help.

Thanks Totara. Will ask them about that. But some of them live out in the sticks so they get the extreme frosts etc. We are having a gathering this sunday so will ask, as we all love gardening.
We had a real cold frost this morning, even the rubber door mat was frozen, nearly slipped on it. lol.

I haven't been through the entire discussion as a new kid on the block, some of my comments may have already been covered before. Blueberries need acid soil, plant them in peat moss. Some varieties should be alright for northern areas, a fruit nursery may be able to advise. Happened to spot one post mentioning a Japanese scientist. Masanobu Fukuoka is famous for pioneering a method of cultivation with the least effort, don't know if he is the one alluded to. He started the conventional way, and set out by asking himself, "What do I not need to do?", and eventually found he could get good results with no fertiliser, no chemicals, no cultivation. His book "The One Straw Revolution" was published many years ago now, actually now a collector's item, may be able to find a copy in a library, or interlibrary loan. Permaculture employs similar concepts, the idea was pioneered in Australia, but the principles are adaptable to any climate. Several permaculture groups around New Zealand. If you look at the zone where grassland meets forest, there you find a diversity of plants - grasses, herbs, perennials, shrubs, trees - all thriving without any assistance from humans. Permaculturists try to imitate this using edible plants. It's definitely an acquired skill, but worth pursuing, you can even apply the idea in a city flat (window sills, patio planters, hanging baskets). Anybody who thinks it can't be done in that circumstance should go to Havana, Cuba, where it has taken on. Shapir

That is very interesting shapir-I am glad this thread has started up again as spring and new planting begins.

I grow some herbs in my flower garden, and even some vegs seem to do well there,so one may find some lettuce next to the pansies,or daffodils,read about it somewhere so gave it a go last year and it was really good.Think that one gets a lot of pleasure out of growing one's own,brings back memories of dad out there in his vegy patch, and Xmas Eve picking the peas for Xmas dinner, and podding them, more often going into the mouth than into the pot, but what fun we had.

Booklover and garden lovers-Do google*Chriesi Wald Patea*,and scroll down to *NZ House and garden* to read the article about the garden's creator -Rudi Milesi.It is themost amazing garden I have ever seen-could spend hours wandering around.He too has tomatoes,cabbages ,lettuces,herbs among the maples and flowers-such a lush garden-probably my favourite garden ever.BTW,Rudi is in his 80s.

Rudi's garden is indeed an achievement, thanks for the link Emelle. Viewing a garden you enjoy seeing brings up a couple of other factors as to why it is worth growing your own: Aesthetics and quality of life. For example, how about the fragrance of night-scented stock wafting through bedroom window as you drift off to sleep? Or the artistry you employ in planting a barrel of strawberries on the patio. There is scope for creativity inside and out. I've built a herb spiral around the centre of my rotary clothes line, complete with pond. Ponds and wind-blown clothes don't mix. That's okay, just hang 'em up again.
Afterthought: Now is the time of year when the bulbs you forgot to plant last autumn will fail to bloom!