In the lead up to an election there’s always plenty of talk about what hits the average Kiwi hardest in the pocket.

At the moment that seems to be the rising cost of staple foods, including fruit and veges.

I saw a journalist mention that what people really need to do is buy fruit and veges that are in season.

Well I’d like to go one step further and say – plant for the seasons.

Save money, get productive and feel good by growing your own veges.

Now that’s enough serious talk for one month.

Red onions might not save the world from famine, but in my humble opinion they’re a pretty good addition to summer salads!

So get down to your local supermarket, The Warehouse, or Bunnings today and grab a Traditional Value bundle of Awapuni Nurseries’ California Red Onions. Alternatively, jump online to www.awapuni.co.nz and get the seedlings delivered right to your door.

Planting red onions is a lot like planting your regular white onions. You can plant them wherever you like, as long as the soil is friable (goes crumbly when you touch it).

Just dig the soil over, and add a little fertliser.

Make rows 20cm apart from each other. Then plant the onions 10cm apart from each other within the rows.

I like to plant spinach in between my rows of onions. Spinach is ready to harvest a lot earlier so it’s a good use of the space before the onions start to mature in around 20 to 24 weeks.

It’s pretty easy to tell when they’re ready as they come right out of the ground. If they start to look a little bit horrible it means they're about to go to seed. Simply tie the top of the onion in a knot. This will stop them growing further and going to seed.

Then sit back and look forward to summer salads, Mediterranean style. And remember, not only are home grown veges easier on the wallet – they taste better too!

ENDS

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