Jo McCarroll shares her summer reading list, top February crops and a go-to tomato salsa recipe

Non-FictionGarden

27 Jan

Summer is a busy time in the garden for NZ Gardener editor and author Vege Patch from Scratch author Jo McCarroll. But when she’s not picking tomatoes from her vines and leaves of lettuce from her raised beds, the avid reader is often leafing through a stack of books. McCarroll shares her summer reading list, top crops and a tomato salsa recipe to make use of a summer glut

“There are heaps of crops you can plant this time of year but be guided by your region. Everywhere in Aotearoa, you can plant or sow lots of lettuces, rocket and salad greens and sow carrots, beetroot, radishes and coriander… You also want to start thinking about your autumn and winter crops over January and February, too; for instance, start silverbeet, kale, perpetual spinach and brassica crops from seed in trays over
the summer.” — Jo McCarroll, author of *Vege Patch from Scratch*

What did you get up to this summer?

I spent Christmas in Tamaki with my fam, then my partner Conrad and I headed up to Russell Kororāreka for ten days of swimming in the sea, reading and relaxing.

Which New Zealand books are on your reading list?

I have Catherine Chidgey’s The Axeman’s Carnival, Josie Shapiro’s Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, and Sue McCauley’s Landed put aside, all of which come highly recommended by friends. I also have Yotam and Niva Kay’s The Abundant Kitchen book of pickling, preserving and fermenting, and I will try heaps of their recipes once everything starts producing in the garden this summer.

Which NZ authors and writers do you admire?

Recently, I have been reading a lot of Hera Lindsay Bird’s poetry and journalism, which I really enjoy, and I loved Rebecca K Riley’s novel Greta & Valdin and Meg Manson’s Sorrow and Bliss, both of which I only read recently. But many New Zealand authors have written something (or several things!) that have made a huge impression on me at certain times of my life. Janet Frame, Sue McAuley, Tessa Duder, Joy Cowley, Margaret Mahy, Witi Ihimaera, Patrice Grace, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Renee, Kate de Goldi … and many more, too many to list.

*Jo McCarroll’s raised beds and potted crops.*

***What was the experience like writing your own book, Vege Patch from Scratch?***
Look, it was hard! I have been a journalist for a long time, so I thought writing a book would be like writing a series of magazine articles… it proved to be considerably more difficult! I wanted to give people lots of info that would help them succeed at growing food themselves, but also not to make it sound overwhelming or complicated. I have looked at heaps of gardening books over the years, and I think they fall into two camps: either they suggest that you just need to throw a few seeds around and you’ll be self-sufficient (you won’t), or they contain an overwhelming amount of info and make it sound massively complicated and time-consuming (it’s doesn’t have to be either). I hope I have got that balance right.
***What is the nicest piece of feedback you’ve received on the book you’ve received so far?***
Someone at my gym told me she had to stop reading, put the book down and go straight out to buy tomato seedlings as she felt so inspired. I was thrilled.
***How do you look after your garden over the summer break?***
A lot of mulch! I also have an in-ground irrigation system, which helps a lot, and I use olla pots, which are permeable terracotta that you bury in the ground and deliver water slowly and in the plants’ root zone (recommend). But it’s frankly a terrible time to leave the garden! I have suggested to Conrad that we defer our beach holidays until the weather cools down, but he seems reluctant. Weird, I know.

*Photo: Jo McCarroll, author of Vege Patch from Scratch.*

Which veges would you suggest people plant January and February?

There are heaps of crops you can plant in January but be guided by your region. If you only have six or eight weeks of reliably warm weather ahead, you might be unable to squeeze in another round of summer crops. Still, in much of the motu, you can plant more seedlings of zucchini, cucumber, basil, cherry or grafted tomatoes, dwarf or climbing beans, and a fast-maturing corn, and plant more potatoes, but protect them from psyllid. Everywhere in Aotearoa, you can plant or sow lots of lettuces, rocket and salad greens and sow carrots, beetroot, radishes and coriander (although with coriander, I would go for a spot with afternoon shade or wait to sow until it starts to cool down). You want to start thinking about your autumn and winter crops over January and February, too; for instance, start silverbeet, kale, perpetual spinach and brassica crops from seed in trays over the summer. Hence, they benefit from the warm weather to get established and are a good size when you plant them out. You’ll need to protect any brassicas from cabbage white butterflies, though, but that’s quite easy when they are growing in trays.

Got a bumper crop of tomatoes? McCarroll shares her favourite tomato salsa recipe to make use of the summer glut.