Pt Wells gardener shares advice

Pt Wells author Andrew Steens has combined a lifetime of practical experience with academic knowledge to produce a practical back-to-basics gardening book.

Grow It Yourself Vegetables was published last month and provides a step-by-step guide for newcomers keen to grow their own veges or develop flower gardens.

But Andrew says he hopes more experienced gardeners will also find the growing charts, and sowing and harvesting guides useful.

All the main gardening management issues such as where to position your garden, pest and disease management, soil and composting, raised beds, organic versus non-organic and the use of fertilisers are covered.

Andrew says he started digging in the dirt around four years old. He believes he inherited his love of gardening from his mother, who regularly sent her six children on forays to collect horse manure and seaweed for her veges and flowers.

“It certainly wasn’t from Dad who always wanted to concrete over the yard and paint it green,” Andrew says.

After completing a horticultural degree at Massey University, Andrew worked in consulting and orchard management, mainly in the Bay of Plenty. He then established and ran the bromeliad nursery on Matakana Road for 10 years before purchasing a property at Pt Wells, which has “some of the best soil in the district”.

“Root rot is a bit of a problem so avocado struggle and the soil is low in potassium, but otherwise, everything grows stunningly well.”

These days, Andrew sells real estate for Harveys and is involved in the Matakana Green Swap, an initiative that allows gardeners and home bakers to trade their surplus. Green Swap members have been meeting monthly at one another’s homes during winter, but Andrew says they will return to a weekly swap at the Matakana Wharf, on Fridays from 9am, from next month onwards.

He says his real estate work allows him to visit some of the district’s most stunning gardens. One that particularly caught his eye recently was Linda Columbus’ garden at Omaha, where she has been espaliering plum, apple and pear trees along an old passionfruit trellis.

“It’s rare to see it done so well and shows a degree of skill above the ordinary.

“I’m constantly inspired by what people do.”

Andrew is also involved in expert witnessing for horticulture when issues arise in matters such as insurance claims, and when there are disputes between growers and suppliers.

He says the trend in gardens at the moment is away from the low maintenance, sterile gardens of succulents and rocks.

“People are getting more interested in ‘blended gardens’ which reflect an individual taste and can incorporate natives, exotics, sub-tropicals and sometimes even veges amongst the decorative plants.

“It’s a softer approach and I personally find it more interesting.

“The other big trend is the interest young people are showing in growing their own vegetables. Young people, between say 25 and 45, who care about the environment and their family’s health, are turning to gardening in a big way. It’s fantastic.”

 

Books to win
Mahurangi Matters has two copies of Grow It Yourself Vegetables to giveaway to two lucky readers, thanks to publishers David Bateman Ltd. Just write your name and daytime phone number on the back of an envelope and post to Gardening Book Competition, Mahurangi Matters, PO 701 Warkworth 0984.