A LITTLE PIECE OF ‘THYME OUT’ FOR YOU

Bi-Monthly Newsletter – September to October 2009

Hasn’t the sunshine we’ve been having fantastic!  Time to relax now, got your drink?

Jobs to do in your garden during September include:

• Finish tidying up all scruffy individuals (in the garden) as new growth is making its move.
• Prune your grapevine if you haven’t done so already – very important!
• Time to fertilise your fruit, roses and garden in general.
• I hope I’ve drummed the mulching factor in enough!
• Think about bees.  Plant lots of flowering plants whether it be wild flowers or lavender /thyme.  They are necessary for pollination of your garden goodies.
• Get some black magic seed raising mix and get sowing!  Yep, things are happening and it’s getting warmer – yay.
• Sow seeds of lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and cabbage.
• Ensure your vege garden has been dug over and add lots of compost and goodies to give your veges a great start.
• Sow root crops (carrots, beetroot, radishes etc) into shallow trenches in the garden, as they don’t like their roots being disturbed.
• To protect against frosts, cut the bottom off lemonade /coke bottles and place them over your seedlings.
• Keep up your spraying routine and ramp it up to weekly/ fortnightly spraying alternating each time.

Jobs to do in your garden during October include:

• Get cracking on your compost.  Refer to Jul/Aug 08 newsletter for more.
• Keep an eye out for flying killers – white butterfly might be flittering around already!
• Keep up the snail bait – especially when planting seedlings.
• Time to look after your lawn, as it’ll be springing into growth.
• It should be safe to plant spuds now.  Just remember to mound them up as they pop through.  This stops poisonous green spuds forming and increases production.  If using tyres, stop mounding after three high. If in the ground, stop mounding after the green tops get to about 15cm high.
• Get tomatoes in the ground.
• Frosts should be all gone, so plant, plant, plant!
• Plant passionfruit and rhubarb – yum rhubarb and custard!!

Did you know?

If you have bark or those fantastic cocoa husks as mulch and they keep getting flicked around all over the place – you’ve got some territorial birds.  Yep, no matter what mulch you use (except stones – or concrete!) you’ll find those pesky birds will dig and flick hunting in the premium environment you have created for them.  But, help is at hand!  I’ve found that Thiram fungicide can be used as a deterrent for animals on your garden – and it actually works!  Just tidy up where they have been at work, spray the fungicide and you’re set.  You may have to spray daily for a couple of days to break their habit, but that’s of little concern.  Call me if you need help.  Best thing is it doesn’t harm any animals or birds plus stops fungi etc growing on your plants!

Especially for you:

• Now the sun is finally out, don’t forget to slip, slop, slap and wrap.  Prevention is better than cure.
• Get out and get active.  30 minutes is all you need.
• Think ‘therapeutic’ as you’re pulling weeds out.  It’s great!
• Book yourself in for a massage and make it monthly.  I can recommend Wendy from The Gift of Touch (0800 186 824) for relaxation and Jodi from Twisted Gecko for deep tissue (021 077 4176).
• Massage not your thing?  Try a new ‘haircut and/or colour’ with Deanna from Salon Cheveux (528 6477).

Check out my new website www.thyme4jo.co.nz and let me know what you think.  Your feedback is appreciated.

Also, if you refer a friend/ relative/neighbour to me and they turn into a client, you’ll receive a $50 ThymeOut voucher to use with me as my thank you.

Remember, do nothing and you’ll keep receiving my newsletters.  However, if you do not wish to receive them, please by all means let me know.

Take care and take Thyme Out.

Regards,

Jo