Be kind to bees

Our vitally important honeybees have taken a lot of knocks in recent years, so it pays to be kind to bees. This poor little worker was suffering from cold and exhaustion this morning (not an uncommon sight early in spring) but was soon up and buzzing again once she'd had her fill of a drop of honey.

One of the easiest (and very pleasant) ways to be kind to bees is to plant lots of flowers. A nice mix of just about anything flowering will do - just try to get a succession of things flowering throughout the year to keep them around. Some flowers make better meals than others though, so if you're keen to host more honeybees try planting borage, phacelia, calendulas, hollyhocks, foxgloves, lavender, poppies, alyssum, buckwheat, rosemary... to name just a few.

They'll also have the added benefit of feeding beneficial insects like parasitic wasps, which sound rather scary but are actually the gardener's best friend. These tiny insects, harmless to humans (and bunnies!), will help control aphid infestations, using methods rather remeniscent of Alien and best not thought about too carefully, really...

So plant a platter of goodies for our friends the bees - and all the other beneficial insects - and they'll reward you with better and healthier harvests. Who could ask for better friends than that?

Tom time!

Well the weather forecast was suggesting a burrow-bound day for me today, but instead it's gloriously sunny. I've been taking advantage of this meteorological good fortune by repotting my tomato seedlings, which were getting rather crowded in their seed trays.

They're now stretching their roots in a variety of recycled plant pots, and enjoying their first day outside (though for now they'll be brought back inside overnight and in inclement weather - the hardening-off of seedlings like tomatoes is a careful business).

You can see they're going flop a bit in this picture, having only just gone through the trauma of pricking out and potting up, but with a good watering-in they'll perk up again on no time.

I planted these in August, but it's not too late to still grow your toms from seed indoors. Check out my seed shop on Felt for seeds of my favourite tomato varieties!

Peas please!

It would be fair to say that this bunny loves peas. Raw, cooked, crisp in their pods or even, dare I say it, mushy.

Whatever sort of peas you like, the good news is they're one of the things you can get into the garden nice and early. They don't mind the odd late frost (you can actually plant them in late autumn and winter and they'll just sit and grow slowly until spring) and they do best in cooler conditions. They're what's sometimes referred to as a shoulder season crop - they prefer spring and autumn to the harsh heat of summer.

So now's the time to plant your peas! My favourite sort of pea is a mange-tout which, as the name suggests, is the sort you can eat pod and all. They're great for stir-fries but I love to graze on them as I'm gardening, so they almost never make it into the house. My favourite variety is Goliath, a snow pea that grows tall and strong, crops prolifically and actually has a fairly good resistance to powdery mildew, the bane of all peas.

I've got these available for you in my Bigbunny shop on Felt, along with a couple of varieties of podding peas - the sturdy old Victorian Alderman Tall, a bumper cropper, and Dutch Blue, which has the most gorgeous mauve flowers and zany purple pods.

And if you prefer your peas flowering rather than edible, I've even got sweet peas - a lovely mix of heritage varieties that just keep self-seeding in my garden each year with almost no input from me. You can't beat them for stunning colour and glorious scent.

So whatever sort of peas please you, get planting - seize the day! It only takes a few minutes and you'll be glad you did when you're harvesting those gorgeous pods for tea, nibbling on them as you garden or enjoying the sweet scent of gorgeous heirloom flowers.

Hmmm, maybe I'll just plant some more - you can never have too many!

Why, hello there!

Well, I've been a bit absent online... y'know, burrows to dig, carrots to eat. (Oh, so many carrots... mmmm....)

Anyway, I'm back - bigger and better than ever and fresh and raring to go like the new pea shoots I spotted just this morning. I've been saving seeds like mad over the last year and I have a whole new range to show you. Hop on over to my BigBunny shop on Felt and take a look!

Ooops, where does the time go?

I am a very bad bunny. Summer was busy busy busy and full of garden goodness, and now it's wintertime again, and I've neglected this blog terribly!

This bunny and his Felt shop are going to take a break over the winter months and will be back in spring with a whole new range of lovely seeds I can't wait to share with you. Toodles, and stay cosy!

Big Bunny would like to announce...

Drumroll please! I'm skipping with excitement about the launch of my brand new shop on Felt. Big Bunny's seed range has hit the market! Pop over to my shop and have a look.

bigbunny.felt.co.nz

It's been a hard day's work filling seed packets (go on, you try filling envelopes with furry paws!) so I'm off for a nap in the burrow...

Tomatoes!

I had a lovely time at a local market last night, hopping to it and selling my super range of spring tomato plants. I had so much fun I'm going to do it all again next week - you'll find me and my plants at Anissa Victoria's Vintage Market in that temporary architectural wonder, the Pallet Pavilion (corner of Durham and Kilmore Streets, central Christchurch). See you there on Friday 1 November, 4-8pm!

I have a super range of heritage varieties (all grown by my fair paws) in organic potting mix and raised from untreated or home-saved seed.

So, what have I got?

Beefsteak types

The heavyweights of the tomato world. Fry 'em up, sauce 'em up or enjoy a slab on toast.

Black Krim - Deep purple, man. Huge and known for doing rather well in pots.
Black from Tula - similar looking to Black Krim but with a smokier flavour.
Brandywine - available in a range of colours.
Greek beefsteak - the classic red, round, big tomato.

Mid-size all-rounders

Use 'em in salads, sandwiches or lightly cooked - however you like really!

Campari - golfball sized red tomatoes which grow on pretty trusses. Excellent in salads.
Orange Roma - low acid and a gorgeous deep orange colour. My favourite!
Purple calabash - the baby sister of the Black Krim. Mid-sized fruit with deep flavour

Sauce tomatoes

Want to make and preserve sauces? These are your go-to toms.

San Marzano - the classic Italian sauce tomato. relatively dry flesh makes for thick and flavoursome sauce with little boiling-down to do.
(Any of the beefsteaks and Orange Roma also make great sauce.)

Cherry tomatoes

Sungold - voted River Cottage's tastiest cherry tomato. A sunny orange colour and a sweet, intense flavour.
Broad Ripple Yellow Currant Cherry - small yellow fruits in prolific abundance.

Dwarf cherry tomatoes

Grow 'em in pots or hanging baskets! There plants stay compact and need no staking.

Minibelle - cute bright red, slightly teardrop-shaped fruits. Early to fruit and stays the distance over summer.
Henry Harrington's dwarf bush cherry - classic round red cherry tomatoes on a compact and sturdy plant.

Whatever you grow, enjoy it and experiment with it! Find out what you like best. The great thing about all these heritage varieties is that, being non-hybridised, you can save the seed of your favourites for next year!