Category Archives: Reader tips

18
May

Native spinach

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Jules suggests growing NZ native spinach vine plants. “They are a little-known vegetable that is really fast growing, provides huge volumes, keeps weeds down, and is incredibly delicious. Simply pluck the leaves from the vine and it continues to sprout. Three to four plants will easily keep a family fed for the winter. It grows […]

18
May

Save seeds

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Jules of Napier writes: “Save seeds from supermarket or market purchased vegetables. If the seeds are moist such as tomato, pumpkin etc, space them out onto paper towels or toilet roll sheets. Write the date and variety on the paper. I love checking out farmers markets for unusual varieties of vegetables that contain seeds to […]

18
May

Slugs & snails

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Trish from Tauranga says, “To keep slugs and snails away from newly planted seedlings, just make a small flat container out of tin foil and put 3 or 4 slices of cucumber on it. The cucumber and tin foil together seem to give off an unnoticed smell which slugs and snails don’t like. I put […]

04
May

Business travel

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TS from Whangarei has a tip for business travellers  “I read your article in the Northern Advocate and wanted to add a tip for business travellers – to utilise Airbnb and even Bookabach for more affordable accommodation than motels. We provide a self-contained flat in Whangarei on these platforms that is available for 1 or […]

04
May

Pet odour

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Karen from Dunedin writes, “Puppy toilet training, and accidents. Enzymes are needed. The odour remover for pet urine is very expensive. It’s important to remove the odour from the floor, you may not smell it even though you think you have cleaned it well, but they can. Use washing powder with enzymes, it works really […]

28
Apr

Mortgage sense

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Lyn from Hamilton has this tip. Re money sense – making mortgage repayments 4 weekly rather than be a calendar month, cuts both the term of the mortgage and the cost of it dramatically.