# In March we are busy harvesting, preserving and planting for the winter....

# Sow seeds of parsnips , carrots, swedes, turnips and broad beans . Plant seedlings of spinach, kale, silver beet, bok choy and pak choi. And also cabbage, cauli., and broccoli. Remember to plant a few different vegetables each fortnight, rather than having everything ready to eat at the same time.

#  Sow sweet pea seed for spring flowering. Soak seed overnight in water before sowing.Add sheep pellets, lime and compost to soil before sowing and then watch slugs and snails don't eat them as they germinate.

# Spring flowering bulbs are beginning to appear in garden centres. Be in early for those popular or rare varieties. Read more about Gardening Jobs for March by Judith Halford

# What a great summer....bit harsh for plants and animals though. Remember when watering to give a good soak, rather than a quick shower of water. Mulch with pea hay or compost if you can. Trees and shrubs planted, last winter or spring, need special attention, regular soaks if you can. Avery small hole in the bottom of a plastic container, beside them, can help.

# Carrot and parsnip need to be sown now for the winter. Keep picking beans so they continue to produce flowers . You could get another crop if you sow the seed now.

# Plant leek and brussel sprouts plants, adding lots of compost and sheep pellets and don't allow them to dry out.

# Lift garlic and shallots now. Allow to dry well in a sunny dry place before storing or plaiting. Read more about Gardening Jobs for February 2015 by Judith Halford

#  Protect newly planted seedlings from the wind and the hot sun, using windbreak cloth or shade cloth. Only water in the evening, then the plants has all night to absorb the moisture. Never water during the heat of the day, as you can burn the leaves and give garden a good soaking regularly, rather than a light sprinkle.

#  Keep garden free of weeds and give plants a light dressing of general fertilizer.

# Tie up tomatoes, and remember to take out the laterals if you want nice tidy plants.

# Look at zucchinis daily, so you don’t end up with marrows.

# Potatoes planted in September, or earlier, can be dug and I bet they will be delicious with a little butter and mint sauce {bring to the boil, then turn element down very low] Read more about Gardening Jobs to do in December 2014 By Judith Halford

# Spring has been kind to gardeners so far, long may it last. Continue to plant tomatoes, peppers, kumara, cucumbers and all those vegetables that like it warm.

# Mound up your potatoes. Any potato tubers on the surface will go green and then not edible.

# Sow sweet corn and bean seeds directly into the ground. Watch for slugs and snails on your beans, they love them. Sweet corn produce better if planted in a block.

# Feed tomato plants with a specific fertiliser, high in potash. Also take out laterals and tie plants up a stake, carefully.

# Cover berry fruit with bird netting, as the birds will find them, as they colour up. Keep plants watered and well fed.

# Tie or support new growth on climbing roses, dahlias and delphiniums. Read more about Gardening Jobs for November 2014 by Judith Halford

# Plant summer flowering bulbs and tubers. e.g gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias

#  Prune hydrangeas and fuchsia. Continue to apply aluminium sulphate (Blue Hydrangea Enhancer) to base of blue hydrangea to keep them blue and lime if you want pink ones.

# Plant up hanging baskets and pots with petunia and lobelia for quick summer colour.

# Continue to plant early varieties of seed potatoes and mound up as foliage appears. .Pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini seeds can be sown directly into the garden later in the month. Cover with a plastic milk bottle that has had its bottom cut off, protecting it from the elements. Read more about Gardening jobs for October by Judith Halford

The Central Rural area is once again becomming the target for thieves and burglars. Over the past 2 weeks three farms have been "hit" by burglars. A farmer in Linsay Rd lost 2 late model Honda ATV's along with three smaller 2 wheel motor cycles, a chain saw  , leaf blower and an edge trimmer. These were taken from a shed situated right beside the main house. The burglars took advantage of a stormy windy night which would have masked any noise they made. Read more about Rural Burglary

The Waipawa & District Lions Club has made huge progress in its dream to revive the hanging flower basket display that used to brighten up the Waipawa High Street retail area. Following a successful appeal through CHB Mail a few weeks ago, all of the previously used flower baskets have been located and have now been planted up in readiness for hanging in time for next month’s Waipawa Spring Festival (Duck Day). The High Street retailers and the Lions Club have come up with the necessary financial contributions to cover the cost of basket liners, compost and flowers for this community project. The Lions Club wishes to acknowledge the extremely generous support given by Bruce Nelson of Mitre 10 of Waipukurau who has supplied basket liners, compost and flower seedlings at very favourable prices. Read more about REVIVAL OF HANGING FLOWER BASKET DISPLAY IN WAIPAWA HIGH STREET

Does your business need a spring clean?  Spring cleaning a business can cover many aspects.  If you have been in business for a long time (or not) it can be useful to look at your business from the clients perspective.

First Contact/phone contact
First point of contact how does your business greet clients?  On the phone do your clients feel valued? is there a web presence? (CHB.NET.NZ can assist with this) is your business easily found? Do clients know your business hours? Do they know what you do? What you specialise in?

Entrance/reception
When your client comes in is it welcoming? Tidy? Clean? Look like a business? Friendly greeting? Read more about Your business – spring cleaning.

# Early spring can be frustrating for us gardeners. We are keen to get planting but we have to remember how changeable the temperatures can be. Later in the month you can begin to sow seeds of tender plants such as cucumbers, pumpkins, cucumbers and tomato seeds in containers in a greenhouse or somewhere warm and protected from frosts. These can then be planted out mid October, depending on the weather. But don't forget  to harden them off before planting out into the elements. Be weary of frosts to avoid disappointment!!!!

# Top up veggie bins with compost and sheep pellets. Dig in cover crops that have been cut down and also add sheep pellets and compost. It will then be ready for planting into in October. Read more about Gardening jobs for September by Judith Halford

LEMON DELICIOUS

BASE:                                                                     TOPPING:

2 Cups Plain Flour                                                     3 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Icing Sugar                                                      Thinly Peeled Rind of 1/2 Lemon

250g Cold Butter                                                        6 Large Eggs

125ml Lemon Juice

4 Tablespoons Self Raising Flour

Heat oven to 180° C  fanbake. Line with baking paper a baking tin 24cm x 32cm.

Earlier in July 2014 new officers were inducted by Waipawa & District Lions Club for the Lions Year 2014/15. Lion Elsa Ironside has been elected as President for the second time (previously President in 2008/8). Elsa has a background in teaching but since 1997 Elsa and her husband Tony have farmed a smallholding on the outskirts of Waipawa. Elsa has been a member of Waipawa Lions since 2004 and has also held other positions in Lions as well as being actively involved in numerous other local community organisations in Central Hawkes Bay. Read more about NEW PRESIDENT FOR WAIPAWA LIONS CLUB

# Dahlia tubers, Gladioli corms and Tuberous Begonia tubers are all available from garden centres during the month of August, so keep an eye out for these.

# Purchase a few early seed potatoes e.g Rocket or Jersey Benne. Allow them to sprout [lie out in well light place, but not direct sun], then plant in a warm spot where you can cover when foliage appears.

# Continue to prune roses. Spray with spraying oil if you have noticed “scale” on the stems. This is often very white and rubs off. The oil will smother the scale insects and may have to be applied several times.

# Green tip on stone fruit is approaching and you will need to spray with Liquid Copper, often to prevent leaf curl, brown rot and bladder plum. Read more about Gardening jobs for August by Judith Halford

One of the exciting aspects of being a police officer is the fact that we never know what we are going to be faced with before we start work each day.

We may arrive at work for the start of the shift having made plans to deal with some mundane enquiry which has been  sitting in your in-tray for some time only find that we have been roped in to an investigation into a serious incident which may have occurred over night. That mundane enquiry goes back to the bottom of the list. Read more about A Day in the Life of a Copper

Introducing the Rural Community Constable Glynn Sharp.

Glynn will post information of relevance to CHB in this area along with useful information as attachments.
(If you cannot open these pdf files click here for a free download of adobe reader. )

SNAP to reduce burglary
Starting a neighbourhood support group
Signs of teen drug abuse
Read more about Community Constable

#  July could be considered the beginning of the gardening year as we begin to plan what we are going to grow, creating new beds and enriching the soil in existing ones.

# Purchase new roses now. Dig a good size hole, make a mound in bottom, spreading roots over it[ cut back any damaged roots]. Add good compost too hole and firm down. Water well. Make sure the budded union is at ground level and not buried. Stake standards at planting and tie well.

# Rose pruning can be started now, maybe start with climbers, standards and those in sheltered positions. Remove dead and spindly growth, opening centre of plant, leaving any that look new, usually green and maybe burgundy-like, cut back by a third. These are very basic rules so look at each bush as an individual before you start cutting[ you can't put it back on!!!] Any problems e-mail me on [email protected]

# If you need new strawberry plants they are available in garden centres now. Plants generally need replacing after 3 years or you can use the runners. Read more about Gardening jobs for July by Judith Halford