Last week SPRING Specials see bottom of article

If you follow the many articles from various news sources on the Internet you will realise that there are some massive problems facing our food chain. The problems with Iran and America, the weather events including the current severe El Nino event is going to be causing much more problems than previous. A perfect storm.

Wheat of which a good portion of it comes from Ukraine and Russia is not happening.

Neither is fertilisers that are used by commercial growers and what is available is much more expensive.

The fuel problem and especially diesel, the facilities outside of the Gulf States are having problems of their low capacity to convert crude to diesel and in particular in America

where many refineries were closed down over the past few years. Currently in America diesel is two to three dollars dearer than petrol?

Commercial growers of food crops have a major problem because they are in the treadmill of having to use lots of man made fertilisers to grow anything.

Their soils have been depleted of all soil life, microbes and worms and it is only by using more and more man made NPK fertilisers that anything will grow.

Its like hydroponics where chemical nutrients are added to water flowing past the roots of plants to feed the plants.

In barren soil we apply more and more fertilisers to ensure the plants grow as the soil is only somewhere for the roots to be.

As we now see at the supermarket the price of food is increasing noticeable every time we shop.

As it is now spring and when the weather settles a bit more (allowing that the El Nino factor may cause fluctuations) So temperatures are rising which warms the soil and aids the expansion of the soil life

(if you have not killed it with chemicals and chlorinated water)

Also the sunlight hours are extending giving plants longer periods to convert sunlight to carbohydrates.

So this is the best time of the year to plant food crops.

Not only something to eat but there is the advantages of cost savings and better health which are incalculable!

Lets think back to times past when our parents and grandparents lived through very hard times of depressions and wars.

They were fortunate to have good size sections of quarter an acre or so and thus plenty of room to grow crops and potatoes.

A chicken run area supplied both eggs and manure for the vegetable gardens as well as an occasional meal.

City dwellers have been put at a definite disadvantage these days with much smaller sections with less areas to grow plants and town houses, retirement villages

or apartments afford little of no areas to grow and only minimal areas for growing in containers.

Where there is a will there is a way and as I have seen in the past, balcony’s growing a nice range of small eatable plants, or in front of windows facing north

in containers which are turned around 180 degrees every day or two to ensure even growth.

The least one can do is to have one or more Mr Fothergills seed sprouters…..at only $20.00 each

From Egmont seeds you have…Grow your own, fresh, nutritious, tasty sprouts. Mr Fothergills Kitchen Seed Sprouter makes it simple and affordable.

Simply sprinkle the seeds into the trays, then water as per the instructions included. We offer a Mixed Microgreen Pack 58620 however, you can sprout any seeds you like individually.

Sprouts are often referred to as Natures Super Foods, and rightly so, they are packed with powerful vitamins and minerals.

A study that involved scientific analysis of the vitamin and phytochemical content of 25 types of micro-greens, found that there were higher concentrations of vitamins and carotenoids

(precursors to vitamin A) than the full-grown versions of the plants!

Instructions included. Ensure any seeds that you sprout have not been chemically treated.

When you add Wallys Magic Botanic Liquid (MBL) to the non chlorinated water you use in the sprouter and you have significantly increased the mineral and nutritional value of the sprouts.

Place on a window sill above the kitchen sink so you don’t forget to recycle the water a couple of times a day and in a few days you have delicious sprouts for sandwiches, salads or side dishes.

You could live very healthy on them with some pasta or rice in your diet, affordable, healthy and if nothing else sustainable is available if the Proverbial hits the fan.

Purchase bulk seeds for sprouting and store in sealed glass jars in fridge for long term keeping.

The next step up is a Mr Fothergills Micro Greens Growing Tray. Only $10.00 each you can in a good light situation germinate and grow micro greens for salads and side dishes.

Once again increasing their health value by adding 10 mils of MBL to the non chlorinated water you water them with.

All you need is a table at window height in right front of a north facing window and turn the tray 180 degrees every day or so for even growth.

As with the garden you can spray the foliage with Liquid Sunshine (Tablespoon of molasses in a litre of hot water with 10mils of MBL added)

Molasses in bulk is very well priced as I found a 25kg bucket at PGG Wrightsons for only $75.00 or apparently $84.00 delivered.

Some will recall their mums giving them a teaspoon of molasses when young as a energy food.

A excellent long term storage food for your well being and that of the garden plants you want to grow better and quicker.

If you dont have a suitable place in good natural light indoors then for a small outlay through the likes of Temu you can buy cheap to run LED grow lighting

which you place above what you are growing and raise it as they grow.

Our forefathers learnt from the squirrels that storing food when food is scarce is better than going hungry.

Hence they dehydrated, preserved and pickled and kept well in stock basics such as flour, sugar (molasses) rice and pasta.

The Philippine grocery shop we have in Marton stocks very small cans of things like tuna, sardines, chicken meats and it took me a time to realise these small cans

of morsels are to add to a pile of cooked rice to add to the flavour of the rice.

Remember the scouts motto, ‘Be Prepared’ and at this time it could be a very wise thing to do and besides prepping, grow some healthy food with what ever resources or ways you can do so.

If you have lawns that you mow then turn some lawn area into a vegetable garden.

If you dont have any ground to grow on then raised gardens or containers on concrete areas.

If you are keen and diligent call into a Age Care office (Grey Power) in your area and ask them if there are any elderly members that would like to let you use their vegetable growing

areas to grow crops on and share the harvest with them in return for your use of the land.

I am sure there are likely be elderly people not too far away that would be happy to see their land put to productive use when they are no longer able to use it and benefit from the health and savings they gain.

Where there is a will there is a way.

LAST WEEK of SPRING Specials..

Finishes Midnight on 14th September the following discounts will apply to all products we have on www.0800466464.co.nz

Thats all the bulk goods and all items.

Discounts will increase on more you buy the higher the overall discount will be.

Purchases up to including $50 less 5% Saving up to $2.50 Plus shipping

Purchases up to including $100 less 10% Saving up to $10.00 Plus shipping

Purchases up to including $150 less 12.5% Saving up to $18.75 Plus shipping

Purchases up to including $200 less 15% Saving up to $30.00 Plus shipping

Purchases up to including $250 less 17.5% Saving up to $43.75 Plus shipping

Purchases up to including $400 less 20% Saving up to $80.00 Plus shipping

Purchases up to including $500 less 25% Saving up to $125.00 Plus shipping

Place your order on www.0800466464.co.nz and in the NOTES at check out put ..SPRING

So I know it is a discounted purchase then I will phone you to do either card over phone or arrange a bank transfer.

Enjoy the Spring Savings ends 14^th September.

Phone 0800 466464
Garden Pages and News at www.gardenews.co.nz
Shar Pei pages at  www.sharpei.co.nz
Mail Order products at www.0800466464.co.nz

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