Racheal Clark's Page

hi Racheal,

I read a question about mustard in my email inbox but can't find it on this site, so I hope it exists.

The pods of any mustard are edible, none of them are poisonous unless they are so acrid that you wouldn't want to eat them anyway. So short answer, if you like the taste, don't worry about eating them! I have never heard of that variety I'm afraid.

Sure, will do. Thanks for lending it to me!

Hi Racheal
I would dig the garden first I think, then you can see what the soil structure looks like.. Clay etc. I add a few different things to my soil ( I garden in a shared garden with a friend who has sun) I found a person who has untreated wood shavings, so I have added that, some lawn clipping that have been sitting in a black plastic bag for some time.. Seems to kill off weed seeds. I added river sand. This mixture of things has helped really well. I tend to drop the leaves etc from plants as I pick them onto the garden and this helps to give back to the soil. I do not know about permaculture etc so cannot give any advice on that. ANyway, good luck, you may well have started with your garden.

Hi Racheal, I know it is a long way to come but TransitionTownWaihi are having a beginners gardening workshop over one and a half days. If you are interested and don't mind giveing me your email, I will send you the application form. Course costs $10 for both days. Regards Katherine

Yes you can compost around existing plants - compost works as a good mulch as well as nutrient source and soil conditioner. I make my own and throw all spent plants in it so that I get random self-sown stuff too, which is always nice and cottagy-looking as I'm not into straight rows.

Hi Racheal,

It really depends on the state of the soil in the existing vege garden. Is it crumbly and does it have plenty of worms or is it full of lumps of clay and pretty lifeless? If it was me I would buy some compost and add it to it (and start your own heap!) before planting unless it looks pretty good already. Can you tell what was planted where before or is it empty? It's a good idea to rotate your crops and grow things no more than once in three years in the same spot. I'd sow some crops indoors now and plant them out around labour weekend. Seeds are the cheapest option and you might like to check out www.kingsseeds.co.nz - I'm a huge fan. Seedlings will be vulnerable to slugs and snails once planted out, and I've discovered that if you go out at night with a torch and kill them you can make a serious dent in their population in about a week. (I throw mine on the carport roof for the birds to eat for breakfast) That's all you need to get started and when it's time to plant out your seedlings you might want to check out the companion planting group on here...good luck :)

so have you thought further on whether or not you want chickens? I'm wanting to find a new home for 3 of mine fairly soon, so if you're still not sure, I'll put the word out on here. However, iIf you definitely want them and its going to take you a few weeks to get set up, then I'm quite happy to hold onto them for a bit longer.