Autumn 2018

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‘Disovery’ apple
‘Meiwa’ Kumquat – newly planted where a feijoa just came out. Kiwifruit vine overhead on a north facing wall
Winter Nellis pears
‘Blackboy’ peaches
‘Liberty’ apple
‘Orleans Reinette’ apple
‘Niagara’ grapes
Zingiber mioga (Japanese ginger) flowers ready to be pickled with rice wine vinegar and sugar
‘Blackboy’ peach slurry
‘Egremont Russet’ apple
Autumn raspberries and tomatoes
‘Brown Turkey’ fig, ‘Meyer’ lemon
Kiwifruit almost ready!
Parsley and rengarenga amongst gooseberries, plums and blackberries

Kiwifruit…in Dunedin!?

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About five or six years ago I planted what was sold to me as a male and a female (Hayward) kiwi potted together. Over the years I have trained them overhead roughly 10 m along a north facing wall painted white.

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The previous three seasons both vines flowered well but no fruit ever set. During each flowering period the weather was fine and many bees were seen foraging in the blossom. I learned that kiwifruit are often incompletely pollinated by bees (wind is also a vector). In 2016 one fruit happened…

Continue reading “Kiwifruit…in Dunedin!?”

Summer 2018

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Sungold cherry tomatoes, outside ripened mid January!
Thornless blackberries
Seedlings for Taste Nature Gardens
Brown Turkey fig on west wall
Echinacea, bergamot, valerian, asparagus, borage and haskap under persimmon
First crop Schuyler grapes
Runner beans, Tamarillo
First crop of Niagara grapes
Brown Turkey fig
Merton Russet apple
Moorpark apricot

Summer / Autumn 2017

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Merton Russet apple espalier.
The back side of the lean to. Runner beans and a tap. The tanks are connected via a siphon over the tops.
First year of delicious Moorpark apricots.
This corrugated perspex lean to was built as a dry social space, a structure for hardy kiwi and passionfruit vines to grow under and a propagation space. 3×250 litre barrels (food grade) are supported by a small raised bed growing the passionfruit vine and tomatoes.
View across the garden to Signal hill.
One way to lower young branches. Use as much water as you need weight.
Raspberries, kale, double grafted Initial and Akane apple.
Nursery space.
This gate was built specifically to mitigate strong gusting winds rushing off the walls and funnelling into the garden. This helps keeps temperatures up and makes our back patio a little more peaceful.
‘Schuyler’ grape, Poroporo, brambles.
Another way to tie down young branches. The branch being tied down is above and a mirror of this sturdy lower one. The rubber bands allow some flex and don’t hurt the wood like string. Hemp twine is really strong, cheap and you should be able to use it again after one season has set the branch at a good angle (as close to 90 degrees as possible).
Tydeman’s Late Orange apple.
Egremont Russet apple.
Blackboy peach.
Night time friend.
Brown Turkey fig. Kept low with a dark painted heat sink wall behind and reflection from paving stones and the back of curtains. West facing wall.
It’s March and we’re finally getting tomatoes! A yellow cherry variety on the left and some other kind I forgot.
Kitten/fluff monster.
Loquat ‘Thames pride’.
Hardy Kiwi
Actinidia arguta. Hardy Kiwi fruits. This is the first season they have produced and we are looking forward to big crops in the years to come as the vines are growing vigorously. Due to the PSA virus (?) these plants are unavailable anywhere as far as I can tell (please be in touch if you find a source). So delicious! Sweet and gummy and for those that don’t like fuzzy kiwi skins there is none of that. They give slightly to pressure when ripe. Grown on north and west facing walls.
Runner beans growing on a sacrificial young Hoheria seedling.