Lets start November with a competition. The best suggestion for a topic for Decembers email newsletter will get a $50 Oderings Credit Voucher. I get inspiration from magazines and what questions customers are asking me about when they shop with us; I then try to figure out what is most topical for that month. What do you think I should write about for December? Email me with your suggestions to pamela@oderings.co.nz before the 16th of November to be in to win. To make it fair there is a one suggestion limit per person.

This month I am going to write about growing your own mushrooms. At Oderings we sell the Gourmet Oyster Mushroom Kits (normal field mushroom kits will be available in March 2010). These mushroom kits make growing tasty mushrooms clean, easy and quick; all you need to do is soak, drain, shake, cover and then in 2-4 weeks pick. Oyster mushrooms grow best at a temperature of 12-24 degrees in an area with a little light but not total darkness (garage, bathrooms and cupboards are ideal). Quite a few Oderings staff have grown these DIY mushroom kits and although there was a bit of fiddling to start with they all thought the effort paid off. The main thing you need to do is keep up the humidity level with a daily spraying of water. From each kit you will get 5-6 crops of mushrooms. Remember that like us mushrooms breath oxygen, so if you have them in a cupboard wave in a little air from time to time. Inside the box is a free voucher for spawn (spawn is what the mushrooms grow from). The spawn is not already in the box because it has a limited shelf life. Send away the voucher and you will receive the spawn within 7-10 days (so keep this in mind if ordering as a Xmas present). You can purchase your mushroom kits in any of our 10 Oderings stores or online at www.oderings.co.nz

Jobs this month...

• By sowing vegetables seeds at two weekly intervals you will get continuous supply of your favourite summer crops. This should include beans, tomatoes, corn, basil, coriander, parsley, courgette, gherkins, cucumber, eggplant, pumpkin, squash, peppers and the old favourites of broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, beets, spinach, and the list goes on. Buy Oderings quality seeds online at www.oderings.co.nz or in store.
• If you think you haven't got room for the big growing vegetables like pumpkins and cucumber think again; there are some nifty bush varieties available that will take up little space, but still have decent sized crops.
• Beans won't grow well until it's warm, hopefully it will heat up this month.
• Watch out for white butterflies on your brassicas (broccoli, cabbage etc) and treat with Derris Dust.
• Plant parsnips now for big juicy white roots come winter. Most people have poor germination with parsnip seed but the trick to planting parsnip is to make your trench, place the seed and then pour boiling water over the seed. This will crack the tough skin that surrounds the seed. Then cover the seed with soil (as normal) and you are away.
• Its now the time to trap the pesky codling moth with pheromone traps. However if your traps are getting too full you may need to spray your tree with Carbaryl to ensure your apples end up worm free.
• Feed flowering citrus this month. Plants in the ground should be feed with Oderings Citrus & Fruit Tree Fertiliser or for plants in pots with Total Replenish; these will give them the boost they need. If your citrus normally lacks flavour it's normally from a lack of water; another trick is to add Sulphate of Potash as it makes the fruit sweeter.
• I can't reinforce enough that Neem Granules are essential to add to your veggie garden (especially tomatoes). On my tomatoes I use a product called Wally's Secret Tomato Food with Neem; it keeps all aphids away from my crops and gives them a growing boost. Neem deters insects and is in my opinion one of the best natural products you will find. Sprinkle onto your veggie patch at 3-6 weekly intervals for a pest free crop. Yes you can also buy Neem or the Secret Tomato Food in store or online at www.oderings.co.nz
• If you love baked beans then we have just the bean for you. Oderings new release Bean Barlotti Red Rooster is a unique coloured bean which is a must have for making your own baked beans or in gourmet cooking. You grow this distinctive flavoured bean as you would a French Bean.

I understand that a few people are having issues viewing our emails, if you are one of these people please let me know by emailing me at pamela@oderings.co.nz (and don't delete the email) so I can hopefully sort out the problem once and for all.