Grower eyes bumper crops
In a property down a quiet Te Puna road there are rows of carrots, beetroot and onions, a block of moonlight potatoes and assorted, healthy looking melons and courgettes growing steadily towards an important February harvest.
There are also blueberries. raspberries, blackberries and other fruits growing in controlled abundance under the hand of former Katikati kiwifruit grower Stewart Couper.
Stewart enters his vegetables and fruits in the KatikatiA&P Home Industries competitions every year and each year he brings home a swag of prizes.
Last year in the fruit and vegetable section he brought home 11 awards and the Cole Challenge Cup. Oh, and then there was the 12th award— first prize in the baking section for his fresh fruit pie, his second year of winning in the baking section.
Stewart’s prolific output of fruit and vegetables draws on a long history of gardening, both home and commercial.
His substantial potato plot planted on bare land with this year’s Christmas crop of Arran Banner and amain crop of Moonlight benefits from long-ago commercial potato growing in Opiki, south of Palmerston North. There he grew Suttons Supreme and Rua— 20 tons to the acre.
“One potato would be too big to fit on a dinner plate,” he says.
Alongside his potato crop he grew half an acre of Pukekohe Long Keeper onions, all hand weeded.
“I would give anything a go,” he said crediting his attitude to a thorough farming curriculum at Feilding Agriculture High School.
This year’s potato crop is almost ready for ‘tickling’. That is the method of harvesting a meal at a time by a little judicious digging around the potato plant.
His main crop stays stored in the ground, a little harvested at a time, until April when what is left comes out into storage.
To protect against potato disease, Stewart sprayed copper every 14 days until Christmas. He is committed to growing as organically as is practicable.
Leeks went in at the end of November. His method is to dig a trench incorporating sheep pellets (or cow manure if available). Into the approximately 150ml deep trench he sows the fine seed. As the plants grow hemounds up the soil to ensure long, pale, tender vegetables.
The cucumbers, courgettes, butternuts, watermelon, rock melon and honeydew melons are planted into the ground throughweedmat to protect the fruit. Before laying the weedmat, Stewart rotary hoes and fertilises the ground. Once the fruit sets he cuts back on thewater. He uses a small paintbrush to help pollinate the courgettes.
“It said to expect six butternuts to a plant,” he said, “but we got 45 off two plants last year.”
The courgettes, melons and cucumbers fruit steadily through to the A&P Show’s early February deadline. The tomatoes may also be fruiting for February if the psylid holds off.
“You can use neem oil for psylids. The secret is tomix it with warm water to emulsify it,” he said.
The tomatoes, a selection which includes large Russian Red tomatoes, grow in a netted area along with blueberries, blackberries (the cultivated strain) and raspberries; the latter ready for eating in November. This year the raspberries are ripening some 10 days later than last year.
Although Stewart grows most of his vegetables from seed, the tomatoes are seedlings from Grower Direct in Te Puna, a sponsor of the A&P Home Industries.
Just outside of the netted area is a long line of beans growing up strings, a tender variety of runner beans to supply summermeals.
There is no glasshouse here, just daily attention from the gardener.
Fertilisers are general alongside plentiful and regular doses of Agrisea, a seaweed based foliar fertiliser.
Although he said his first challenge was to see what vegetables he could have ready for Christmas, he also has the A&P Home Industries competitions firmly in his gardener’s sights.
■ The Katikati A&P Show is on Sunday, February 3, with entries due in on February 2. Entry forms and schedules are available at the Information
Centre, Main Rd, Katikati, the Katikati Community Centre, Beach Rd and online at www.katikati.org.nz.