Autumn 2018

on By 2 Comments
‘Orleans Reinette’ apple
‘Liberty’ apple
Kiwifruit almost ready!
Zingiber mioga (Japanese ginger) flowers ready to be pickled with rice wine vinegar and sugar
Autumn raspberries and tomatoes
‘Niagara’ grapes
Parsley and rengarenga amongst gooseberries, plums and blackberries
Winter Nellis pears
‘Disovery’ apple
‘Brown Turkey’ fig, ‘Meyer’ lemon
‘Egremont Russet’ apple
‘Meiwa’ Kumquat – newly planted where a feijoa just came out. Kiwifruit vine overhead on a north facing wall
‘Blackboy’ peach slurry
‘Blackboy’ peaches

Kiwifruit…in Dunedin!?

on By 8 Comments

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.

DSC07311

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

on By 1 Comment
Thornless blackberries
Echinacea, bergamot, valerian, asparagus, borage and haskap under persimmon
Brown Turkey fig on west wall
Merton Russet apple
Runner beans, Tamarillo
First crop Schuyler grapes
Sungold cherry tomatoes, outside ripened mid January!
Brown Turkey fig
First crop of Niagara grapes
Seedlings for Taste Nature Gardens
Moorpark apricot

Summer / Autumn 2017

on By 3 Comments
‘Schuyler’ grape, Poroporo, brambles.
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.
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.
One way to lower young branches. Use as much water as you need weight.
Tydeman’s Late Orange apple.
Nursery space.
View across the garden to Signal hill.
Kitten/fluff monster.
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).
It’s March and we’re finally getting tomatoes! A yellow cherry variety on the left and some other kind I forgot.
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.
Raspberries, kale, double grafted Initial and Akane apple.
Loquat ‘Thames pride’.
Runner beans growing on a sacrificial young Hoheria seedling.
First year of delicious Moorpark apricots.
Merton Russet apple espalier.
Egremont Russet apple.
The back side of the lean to. Runner beans and a tap. The tanks are connected via a siphon over the tops.
Hardy Kiwi
Night time friend.
Blackboy peach.
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.