Events to get you on your bike

So there are a few events happening this week in the Hawke’s Bay as part of Bike Wise. They are a great way to get a reward for jumping on your bike for ride. I must admit that the weather so far hasn’t been favourable for cycling. I was aiming to ride 20 kms per week, but due to family commitments and weather I have only managed 21kms for the whole month. On the other hand our team here at work has four cyclists participating and we have cycled 870 between us. Hastings District Council as an organisation has racked up a massive 7250 kms over 463 rides with 20% of staff participating.

The first event is on Thursday (23 Feb) and is to entice ladies to get on their bikes. It is a “Frocks on Bikes” fashion show at the HB Opera House starting at 1pm. Art Deco fashion is the focus which will be a nice way to end the Art Deco celebrations held over the past couple of weeks.

On Friday (24 Feb) at the Opera House will be the annual “Bike to Work” breakfast will be provided from 7am to 8.30am. Make sure you call by to say hi and grab a bacon buttie or some fruit for breakfast.

And finally on Saturday is the Regional Council’s Trail Blazer ride along the stock bank pathway from Pettigrew Green Arena to Puketapu Domain. It is the official opening event of the Hawke’s Bay Trails. The ride starts at 9.45am. For more information on the above events visit bikewise.co.nz

Have fun cycling!

Pedal Power

Getting out on your bike is the smart choice. Whether it’s a ride to school, to work or along one of the many pathways, riding is a great way to explore your own back yard.

A good incentive to get on your bike is here with the national BikeWise programme which starts on Wednesday. Sign up at http://www.bikewise.co.nz/

It is a great way to create a bit of competition in your workplace, especially seeing who can cycle the most kms. I am challenging myself to do 50kms a week, an increase of 30kms from last year. I will keep you posted on my progress. The bikewise website will also have the details of the local events being held here in Hastings over the month.

A FREE Big Bike Fix-Up is to be held at the Clock Tower in Hastings CBD on Sunday February 5th, from 10am to 11:30am. Mechanics from local bike shops will be on hand to give bikes the once-over and make sure they are road worthy.

For more information on off road cycle routes, visit iway.org.nz

Best of all it’s good for our environment, good for you and good for your pocket.
Happy Cycling

Fruits of my Labour

I spent a few weeks away over the holiday period and when I returned my garden looked like a jungle. This was partly due to a friend diligently watering while I was away and the absence of our cat. He was on holiday with us and therefore wasn’t able to disturb the plants.

I spent several hours pruning and tying up my tomatoes and here is a pic of the first ones to be picked, Heirloom Black Cherry Tomato.



The silverbeet had bolted away so strongly that it had gone to seed (the cows over the fence really enjoyed it) and the courgettes had become marrows but that’s what happens in summer; things change quickly in the garden.I’ve put in more mini Brassica’s because I still haven’t seen any white butterflies and I will keep adding lettuces, radishes and beetroot every couple of weeks.

And finally, this is what the garden looked like before I tackled it in the weekend.



Happy gardening.

Tune into Radio Kidnappers

Once a month (every 3rd Tuesday to be precise) at 4.30pm, my colleague Dominic and I present the Sus’d radio show on Radio Kidnappers.

We have already pre-recorded our show which is full of advice on reducing your environmental impact over Christmas. We also have a discussion about our new waste plan.

We are always open to suggestions about what you like to hear on our show. Post a comment on the Sus’d Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Susd-Hastings-District-Council/176633995742114

Tune into 1431 AM or 104.7 FM to hear us on Tuesday 20th Dec at 4.30pm.

Free Christmas Present Wrapping!

Sus’d has teamed up with the Hastings City Business Association to offer a free wrapping service each Saturday leading up to Christmas.

We have enlisted the service of some wonderful students to help wrap the gifts in recycled brown paper and finish the service with a natural raffia tie.

You may have seen them in town this weekend just been, but don’t worry they will be back.
Come and find one of the three wrapping stations in the CBD on Heretaunga Street between 11.30 and 1.30 this Saturday and on Christmas Eve.

Do your bit on Christmas day - please remember to recycle your wrapping paper and packaging.

The Planting Plan

Before I started planting my new garden, I wanted to be organised and make sure I could fit all of the necessities in, while also being mindful of companion planting. Some plants don’t like to be neighbours with others, so I referred to my companion planting book to ensure I didn’t cause to much upset.

So here is my planting plan

On the first day I planted Borlotti Beans, dwarf peas, Honey and Pearl Corn, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and spinach. Over the past couple of weeks I have also planted thyme, spring onions and zucchini.

I have covered the garden with straw to help keep the moisture in over summer and the weeds at bay. It also makes in look nice and tidy.

Here is what the garden looks like now.

Building a vegetable garden, where do I start?

Over the weekend I put the hard yards in and built myself a garden. This should reduce the amount of summer vegetables we need to purchase.

So I started with this...



Clearing the area of the weed suppressant, in this case it was shredded pine.

I then created the raised beds. The soil at my place is a very heavy clay that is difficult to dig, so instead of trying to turn this soil over and add nutrients to it, I decided to make it easy for myself.

I had a mix delivered that I could plant straight into; sometimes planting into 100% compost can be too rich for plants and burn their roots. I had a small truck load of compost and recycled potting mix (mix that has already been used by the nursery to grow plants, it is cheaper than new potting mix) delivered. This mix should be available from most large nurseries.

Now it is ready for planting out...



I have planted; tomatoes, corn, zucchini’s, lettuce, beans and peas, along with the few existing plants I already had (lettuce, broccoli and leeks).
Next week I will share my planting plan with you.