barnsleymat

I get the impression you probably think we eat pre made foods. You couldn't be anymore wrong, we are a couple of healthy eating vegetarians that never eat take aways or pre made meals. I've just recently joined a fresh food collective that once a week for $12 supply you with a bag of vegetables to try and cut down costs.

Having a healthy diet in NZ is expensive, that's why there's so many fatties and kids fed on crap. Crap food is cheap here, we could survive on takeaways and cake for a fraction of the cost. Come to Mosgiel, the takeaway and cake option is popular here, I love having a nosey in their shopping trolleys.

We both work 40 hours a week to pay the bills, we refuse to spend our spare time growing stuff to make ends meet just as we refuse to wipe our arses on driftwood to save on bog roll.

This is New Zealand, one of the worlds famous food producing nations, it should be cheap and plentiful.

Kotare

So it is a lifestyle choice by you, so why are you moaning :-). I note you like being nosey about other people and criticising their lifestyle/food choices - life is too short.

Why should food be cheap, after all you sell your labour I guess at the best price you can, why not hard working farmers? Perhaps you feel everything should be given free to those in need (do I detect a Corbynista).

Glad this is the Sheep Dip :-)

Pom_Chch

I like to think we do the best we can. My partner and I are a young (ish!) couple in early/mid thirties and have a pretty good sized veggie garden. It does take a bit of effort and time, but I always maintain that time spent on the veggie garden is time saved shopping for veggies in a supermarket. For us though it is a hobby and we genuinely enjoy it, but i can understand that others aren't so thrilled by the idea. Each to their own I guess. We both also enjoy cooking and making meals from scratch so the lure of fresh ingredients is high! In summer I love coming home after work, grab a cuppa (Dilmah extra strong , then get outside to tend to the veggies in the sunshine

Part of the problem is that society and the world are changing. Both parents tend to work, which cuts down a lot free time. By the time both parents have had long day at work, sorted the kids out, tidied/cleaned up there really isn't much time for a lot else. Whereas "back in the day" mum's mostly stayed at home so would have had more time to tend to the garden. Also, back in my grandparents day I get the impression they had little or no disposable income so they had no choice but to grow their own veggies. Either grow or go without. Nowadays that's not so much the case. Not saying that modern families today are flush with cash, but I think we still as a generation now have more disposable income that what our grandparents would have had in their day.

barnsleymat

Who's criticising who here? Life is too short like you say so stop worrying about what I think.

Shouldn't you be out collecting insects to eat or something?

I was over at Countdown earlier, cucumbers are still $5.99 and the aisles were blocked by some rather overweight people. These 2 things are sadly linked.

BTW. Even though I'm from a very Labour voting town, I'm in no way a leftie, how expecting basic foods not to be shockingly overpriced makes me a commie I'll never know. I'm just a working class bloke that struggles to make ends meet in NZ and therefore leads a quite boring thrill free existence.

Stormer999

We do not get your high summer temperatures more mid to high 20's C but we do suffer from very high UV readings on a daily basis. Good for outdoor tomatoes but here in Christchurch we suffer from very dry periods so constant irrigation and good positioning of delicate vegies just as important. Forget the cost just the pure taste of home grown makes the effort well worth while. One question, my citrus fruits particularly Oranges and Mandarins stay green all summer and wait until winter months to change colour, is that normal and how is the best way to test for ripeness ?

Pom_Chch

Have you tried using a mini greenhouse Stomer? We bought a couple from Warehouse on offer for about $35 last year and have worked a treat for our chilies (see pictures!) Most of them are green in the photos but they did turn red by the end of the season. All you do is put it together and rest it over your chilies, open it up every morning (we prop the lid open with a brick to let air in and to keep cats out!) and water every evening before closing again at night time.

Aluminium Double Greenhouse - Garden Sheds & Storage - Accessories & Consumables - Gardening - The Warehouse

Kotare

Oranges/mandarins (depending on variety) do ripen late eg Jun up north in Keri. Our grapefruit trees are just ready to eat now. I just wait til the fruit can easily be twisted off or the first windfall.

Stormer999

Right just going to have a little twist in a mo. We were up in Bay of Islands last year among grapefruit trees ladened with juicy fruit ....and me who takes Statins....

Stormer999

Yes we have one but the boss won't let me grow my Chilli's in it so I grow outdoors. We use the old trick of planting veggies and flowers in mixed beds and some of the red and yellow chilli,s look good for colour, and the purple cauliflower..

Stormer999

Nope oranges not ready yet Navelina variety, very big.

Kotare

You can make a cheap but shallow poly tunnel for chillis or other low plants (if you have the room) using no 8 wire and polythene.

jmh

Here is Auckland we have lemons, grapefruit etc falling off the trees. Seems to be peak ripening time.

Stormer999

We must be later down here, suppose our season has to be behind yours, just patience required..

Pulaski

We grow tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, and sometimes some other things, because they taste better than the same products bought in a shop. I suspect that we don't actually save any money growing our own, .... but we do eat more tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers that we would otherwise do.

Stormer999

I am afraid my wife trusts me not to interfere with the complicated side of food production. Her being a Microbiologist and Virologist she lets me dig and pick and weed and watch. I have to sneak my bits in between the flowers...I am allowed to carry the ferilizer and sieve the compost though....
oh nearly forgot...I am in charge of the watering systems.