Kings Plant Barn Involving Kids In Gardening With Their Little Growers' School Holiday Activity

Kings Plant Barn last month held their Little Growers’ school holiday activity, including creating and growing ‘grass head monsters’ and a school holiday colouring competition. Kids were invited to go into their local Kings store for the two weeks of the school holidays, between the hours of 10 and 12, to create and grow their very own grass head monster. Everything was supplied by Kings Plant Barn and all they asked was that children would make a gold coin donation to support their local SPCA.

Last month Kings recommended which trees and shrubs to plant at this time of the year, and this month they talk about seed sowing  and planting of vegetables, fruit and perennial flowers. As the Kings team advise, it will soon be time to plant summer veggies and to get in early we need to start them from seed on a warm window sill indoors. Veggies to include are beans, tomatoes, lettuce and spring onions ready for those summer salads. Carrots and parsnip seeds can be sown directly into the soil, and beetroot, silverbeet, lettuce, kale, peas and parsley can be planted out. Rhubarb should be divided and planted with a generous dose of Kings Sheep Pellets.

Strawberry beds should be prepared by mixing in compost and sheep pellets, mulching with peastraw and lucerne, and deciduous fruit trees such as plums, peaches, apples and pears should be settled in now before the spring.

At this time of the year we can brighten up our gardens instantly with pansies, violas, primulas, polyanthus and snap dragons, and new season gladioli, dahlia and begonia bulbs should be planted now for an abundance of spring and summer colour. Pots should be filled with Bulb Mix or it can be mixed into the existing garden soil to improve drainage, and sprinkled with a handful of Kings Bulb Fertiliser to encourage longer flowering.

The plant of the month is the magnolia, bursting into flower right now, and are available from Kings in vivid purples and pinks as well as dainty whites.

For further information on Kings’ plants plant related products, and their garden services, please visit the website at http://www.kings.co.nz .