by David Bayly
David with some of his vegetable pots
The Level 4 lockdown made most New Zealanders aware of how reliant we all are on supermarkets for our fresh fruit and vegetables. In a pandemic crisis our family did not want to be eating supermarket fruit and vegetables that other people had been breathing over and touching and the dozens of fruit trees and vegetable garden we have planted over many years have come into their own during the lockdown period, with our family managing to avoid the supermarket for the entire month of April.
Vegetable gardens don’t have to be an expensive undertaking. A couple of old plant pots filled with a 50/50 mix of soil and compost, with a bit of fertilizer added, is all you need. At this time of year, vegetables need a warm sunny site with good drainage, so don’t put them on the dark, damp side of the house. Broccoli, lettuce, spring onion, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, leeks and most herbs are all good options for this time of year, and with most of these you can pick leaves off without having to remove the entire plant.
