What to plant in your Garden this August

Wondering what to plant in your Garden this August?

Spring is coming knocking and what better time to get your garden tools out of the garden shed and get a head start on planning & creating your perfect spring garden.

August is the perfect time to start sprouting seed potatoes, most potato crops take around 3 months to mature so will need to be in the ground for the month of September if you want those yummy homegrown Christmas potatoes! Leading up to spring there’s more to do in the vege garden than you think – from planning what you can and will grow to prepping the area for when the time is ready.

Spring is all about the power of the flower, Magnolias, blossom trees, daffodils. tulips and a whole range more are beginning to put on a floral bloom to say goodbye to the winter season.

The buds on fruit trees may be starting to plump getting ready to evolve into blossom as the days get longer and the temperatures slowly get warmer.

*Continue planting strawberries too for a summer harvest.

To the Northland Gardener:

Here’s a little guide which is specially for our local gardeners in the Northland:

PLAN TO PLANT NOW:

  • Asparagus
  • Beetroot
  • Bok choi
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Carrot
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Coriander
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Mesclun
  • Onion
  • Parsley
  • Parsnip
  • Peas
  • Potatoes
  • Pumpkin and squash
  • Radish
  • Rhubarb
  • Rocket
  • Silverbeet
  • Spinach
  • Spring onions
  • Sweetcorn
  • Tomatoes

HARVEST NOW:

  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Carrot
  • Cauliflower
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Mesclun
  • Onions
  • Parsley
  • Parsnip
  • Peas
  • Radish
  • Rhubarb
  • Rocket
  • Silverbeet
  • Spinach

TO START THINKING ABOUT:

Dig in your compost and sheep pellets before planting to replenish nutrients used by previous crops.

Prepare potato beds ready for planting by digging over the soil to a depth of 30cm. Next, add plenty of compost or sheep pellets. Blend Potato Food into the soil prior to planting.

Once tomatoes are available in store you can start planting in Tomato Mix, specially blended with extra potassium to encourage big juicy crops.

Feed vegetables already planted with premium fertiliser to give them the nutrients they need to grow.

Keep an eye out for weeds. As soon as the soil warms up, everything – including those ghastly weeds – will start to grow. Apply layers of pea straw mulch on areas that are going to lie bare for another month or two, as this will help prevent weeds from becoming established.

Here’s a few more which are recommended to look at planting in August:

Choosing a tap for your design

Whether you’re building your first home, renovating your current house, the pressure of choosing the right tap can be rather daunting. The kitchen tap will be one of the most frequently used items in your kitchen, with quite a large amount of choice on the market today there are three considerations we encourage you to think about when it comes to choosing your tap.

Positioning – Where exactly in the kitchen is your tap going to be located? On a kitchen island? Directly under a window? To the left or right of your sink? The position you are wanting your tap to be plays a mega important roll in making a decision, for example, if you wanted your tap place in your kitchen island – did you want it to be an eyesore or blend in as much as possible? If it is going under your window – would you want it sitting nicely under the windowsill line or wanting it sitting over? The positioning of your tap will have a huge impact of the final decision of which tap you can put in the space you want it.

Your type of sink – now this also plays a great role in choosing the tap – there are many questions that come with this like, do you want them the same color or different? Will your sink be a double bowl or a single? The type of sink you choose generally makes it easier to eliminate certain colours or functions. All in all – with the final say of the range you are now can work with given the position and sink type, it comes down to personal preference. There are plenty more components to a tap nowadays. For example, do you want a pull-out spray, or a tap that changes water pressure? A pull-down spray is a great option for double bowl sinks or laundry sinks whereas single bowl sinks smaller than 500mm (width) are best suited for normal taps.

Color Palette – The color palette of your kitchen is important to consider when choosing a tap finish. Matching in conjunction with your benchtop, cabinetry, and all other aspects in your kitchen. Brass finishes are becoming increasingly more preferred, but there are a few things you should learn before purchasing. With a vast number of brass taps available, choosing the right one for your space can be a bit nerve wracking, but don’t worry – consider the look of your kitchen long term. Black & White colored tapware has also spiked in popularity. Black & White are two very powerful colors and can add a degree of sophistication to a space.

 

 

Delicious, Tummy-warming Apple Crumble

Delicious, Tummy-warming Apple Crumble

After a quick, cheap evening treat for after dinner? i bet you probably have all the ingredients in your household as the recipe is SO SIMPLE and just absolutely a family favorite to warm your bellies in this cold winter chill.

  • ½ cup plain flour
  • ¼ cup rolled oats
  • ¼ cup desiccated coconut
  • ¼ cup Soft Brown Sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 75g butter
  • 5-6 Apples
  • 2 Tbsp Golden Syrup
  • 2 Tbsp Raw Sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C on fan-bake.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, oats, coconut, brown sugar & cinnamon all together and the rub the butter into the mixture with your hands until it becomes crumbly.

Peel and cut the apples into thin slices (not too thin!) and place them in the oven proof dish – drizzle some golden syrup over the apples.

Spread the crumble mix evenly on top of the apples to completely cover the oven dish and sprinkle your raw sugar over the top to give it the caramelised taste.

Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the apples are cooked. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream, freshly whipped cream or warm custard for a delicious winters desert!

TIP* Add in some additional fruit with the apple, plums, peaches, pears or mixed berries would complement this just superbly!  

Kitchens 101: 5 Quick Questions

 

 

The kitchen can be one of the most daunting rooms in the house when it comes to renovating, especially as it can also be one of the most expensive rooms to renovate!

We want to ensure you get it absolutely right for you & your family, so have put together these easy to answer questions to help you figure out what you need + what you want in a kitchen.

  1. Who spends time in your kitchen and doing what?
  2. Do you intend to entertain in your kitchen? What do you envision that to look like? Do you want friends sitting at the island whilst you face them cooking? Or do you not want anyone watching you cook and clean?
  3. What do you want to see from your kitchen? Ie the backyard, the television, the view, the pool.
  4. When you bring home the groceries, how easy is it to carry them in from the car to the kitchen?
  5. What annoys you the most about your current kitchen?

Whether you love to cook or you’d rather not, the kitchen is the heart of the home & it is vital that it captures the overall look and feel of the rest of your home.

 

Wood Grain Cabinetry

Wood grain cabinetry can be inviting yet quite quizzing to incorporate in a design, luckily, our Designers have the knowledge and confidence on how to easily present a great contrast using even the most difficult, seeming colours.

Wood grains are the common culprit for a desired look in the kitchen due to the aesthetic look they give and the feel of a natural, relaxing yet modern environment.

There are many different tones of wood grains out there to choose from to suit your colour theme.

The obvious question on your mind is probably “Why is wood gains sifted to the back of the design process for clients?” well, the truth is, is that the key to an exquisite design and completed outcome is having an experienced and passionate Designer by your side each step of the way who can and will consider every and any colour you have in mind instead of putting it in the “too hard” basket – Our designer LOVES working with wood grains and would recommend pairing a wood grain with a not-too-busy benchtop, using a wood grain becomes your main statement piece because of the grains running through the sheet being very eye catching so pairing with a highly patterned benchtop may cause too much attention in too many areas of your kitchen.

Ideally, we would pair a softly patterned (light marbled effect, for example) with your wood grained cabinetry.

The beauty with wood grains is you can still go lighter or darker with your theme, a lot of popular pictures on Pinterest and Magazines are only really showcasing the lighter colours as it is the default “go to” but as said above, there are so many different tones of wood grains and benchtops to tie in with the contrast and all it takes is a wonderful, knowledgeable Designer to help you explore your options.

Get in touch with us today on (09)430 3074 to discuss your options today!

The Modern Classic Kitchen

 

 

 

When renovating, it is so important to stay true to the heritage of your home, which can often feel restricting. Today we show you the perfect mix of classic + modern/happy +sophisticated/contemporary + timeless which takes this kitchen from being ordinary to truly special.

 

 

This stunning kitchen not only boasts beautiful Smeg appliances, but features a unique grey blue finish which is nothing short of striking. The colour is Clouded Blue by Resene, offset by the gorgeous Caesarstone benchtop in White Attica. A large ceramic butlers sink and traditionally styled pulldown sink mixer, are the key finishers of this whole look. We also can’t not mention those  large windows which offer plentiful sunlight- the perfect spot to have your morning coffee.

 

 

From the clients- ‘We wanted our new kitchen to reflect the age of our 1880’s villa, but also wanted industrial elements to update the kitchen to modern day form and function. The colour palette connects with other paint choices throughout the house. We love our new kitchen and instantly felt at home using it.’

 

 

We will be back next week to share another recently completed masterpiece by Next Edition Kitchens!

Children cooking in the kitchen

Keep the Kitchen child safe

When it comes to getting a new kitchen, we often forget about the wider aspects to the design process.

Children can play a major part in the design process – particularly the younger ones. They are very compelled by the kitchen and are heavily enticed from all the colourful things you put in and take out of cupboards, drawers & the fridge.

Kids love to be wherever you are – INSTANTLY if they see you’re about to do something they want to help with and we all know they love baking/cooking (i’m pretty convinced it’s because they get to have multiple taste tests and get the rights to licking the bowl!) this is why it becomes important as they are spending a chunk of time in the kitchen also and it can be a jungle for them in there with so many things to grab and play with.

While you spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen, there’s no way of having it child-free, but the bonus here is that we can make it as safe as possible so they minimize any head bumps on sharp corners, jammed fingers in the cabinetry – YOU NAME IT! they will find a way to do it if they can.

Talking to your designer and making sure this is an important design aspect to incorporate is very much achievable while still having the kitchens of your dreams, it may mean having the rounded edges on the bench tops opposed to the square edge or a rounded handle instead of a sharper edged one would be the way to go but the options are super flexible when going through a skilled designer (like our lovely designers here at Next Edition Kitchens!) you often won’t pick up on what else needs to be discussed but the knowledge the designers have is incredible and will have you walking away feeling like you’re in great hands as are your children.

Keep in mind, there are many little gadgets you can purchase to assist the safety in the kitchen if you aren’t designing or renovating. Click here for ideas.

Composting

How-to: Maintain a compost bin

Do you have a garden and have been thinking of incorporating a good ole’ compost to the mix? this is such a great idea if you are after a little project to keep you busy and an added bonus is that your garden will thank you with delicious fruit, vegetables and flowers that have been absolutely soaking in all the nutrients from the emptied compost.

 

What exactly is compost?

Compost is simply decomposed organic waste from mainly food scraps. It is nature’s way of creating an added boost to crops and general gardens. All you need to keep feeding your compost is your kitchen food scraps and even garden waste – how easy? in just 2 – 3 months your supply will be at the stages of an ongoing steady fertilizer that’s packed with nutrients for your garden.

 

What type of compost bin is best?

A plastic bin in which you can purchase from your local hardware shop is perfect for your smaller compost to scale but if you are wanting a larger to scale bin, go for the wooden ones. You can build a bin yourself from googling a DIY step-by-step guide. You can also just start a heap on the ground but the choice is totally up to you!

 

Where do i place my bin?

It is a good idea to place the bin in place away from the house. it will need to be sheltered by intense heat and wind.

 

Making the compost:

Once you’ve decided where you’re going to place your compost bin, it’s time to get started with the fun stuff.
Add your organic material in layers to create a balance of carbon and nitrogen.
Start by doing a layer of carbon – your brown material: dried leaves, twigs, newspaper etc. Next add a nitrogen layer – your green material: plant trimmings,
grass clippings, anything green and leafy.
Adding a product like lime to each layer as you prepare your heap will accelerate the composting and help neutralize acidity, plus it has the added bonus of helping to keep flies away. Keep adding alternate layers, then add water and cover the heap to enable it to decompose quickly. Compost needs to be turned regularly to aerate and help the decomposition process.
What NOT to put in your compost:
-Tea and Coffee Bags: If you are wanting to place Tea and coffee grounds into your compost, that is absolutely fine but please make sure you do not put the bags in aswell – these bags generally contain synthetic fibers that do not break down in a compost pile and can contain some iffy chemicals you do not want in your soil.
Citrus Peels & Onions: While fruit and vegetable scraps are the main ingredient to making some fantastic fertilizer there are some food scraps you should steer clear from your compost, these include Orange peels & Onions the reason i place these in bold is because it is such an easy food scrap to slip past you and weasel their way into the compost bin, perhaps placing a sign on the compost bin to remind you not to put them in would be beneficial?
Unfortunately, the natural chemicals and acidity in orange peels and onions can kill worms which of course slows the process down as the little worms and other microorganisms actually really con tribute to the outcome of your compost. Plus, unless you take time to cut everything down into smaller pieces – they take longer to decompose which results in a longer wait until you can use your fertilizer.
Meat & Fish: These will of course, decompose fine and have nutrients that would be a good addition to your soil, it will unfortunately attract rodents like Mice, Rats, Cats, Dogs etc who would carelessly ransack your bin to eat them.
The smell of decaying meat may annoy you and possibly your neighbors as well!
Coal ash: The ash left from the fireplace should most certainly not be added to your compost pile, it contains quite a significant amount of sulfur as to make the soil excessively acidic, which we can confirm will harm your plants. Wood ash can be added in small amounts but do not add coal ash!
Sawdust from TREATED wood: While untreated, natural wood sawdust can be a great addition to your compost pile. The reason that treated, polished and vanished wood is not a great addition is because the toxic compounds wont be able to break down in the compost process and can negatively affect the microorganism activity and plant health.
-Large branches: Large branches and twigs will take forever to decompose which in conclusion will slow down the process, it may be a bit of a pain to lengthen the process by cutting them down to be smaller but it will allow you to use the compost for your garden a lot quicker. The smaller the branches, the quicker the breakdown cycle is.

 

Alternatively,  you can start a branch pile at the back of your house where its purely dedicated to branches, twigs etc which will decompose over the course of a couple of years. A branch pile is however, a great habitat for smaller rodents.

 

Added on tips:

  • Always keep your pile damp but not saturated.
  • If you are adding food scraps bury deep in the pile.
  • Do mix your lawn clippings with your food scraps, grass tends to compact which may prevent the air flow through the pile.
  • Ensure you compost gets some sunshine but not too much.

 

Trends 2019

2019 Trends to lookout for

As we all know, the kitchen truly is the heart of the home, the place where you make memories and learn skills daily, there is never one whole day you don’t use the kitchen. Fortunately, a kitchen isn’t such a hard room to style with all the lovely options and ideas out there – the options truly are endless!

When it comes to the kitchen, you want practicality but also a great look that pulls everyone’s attention as soon as they walk in the room. With styles continuously coming and going with the years, we decided it would be a great opportunity to write a guide of trends to look out for in 2019!

Whether you are building a brand-new house, renovating your current or just sprucing up the area a pop of colour is what everyone is leaning towards for 2019 – this is the year to be bright, bold and adventurous! Although having white in your kitchen is still very popular to be creating an open and clean feeling kitchen. But 2019 is going to see bits of colour popping up in white kitchens whether you incorporate this through a beautifully colour splashback or even get creative and buy some coloured cooking utensils/appliances! Paint an island or accent wall – the options go on and on.

Let’s talk about Quartz – we all dream on having a stunning Quartz piece in our homes, but this is the year to take the plunge and go for it, 2019 is all about statements and this just ticks every box. Not only is it easy on the eye but the durability is phenomenal, easy to maintain and a more affordable option opposed to granite.

Ceaserstone Quartz Benchtop

Ceaserstone Quartz Benchtop in White Quartz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being 2019 and all, we want to go the extra, modern mile and this may mean no handles is the way to go! No, seriously – say goodbye to handles because push-touch is your new best friend, if you prefer to have cut-outs, they are still very stylish and all in for this year’s trend. Or opt for indents along the base of the cabinet door to keep the indents tucked away and out of sight.

Push touch - No handles

Push touch – No handles – Next Edition Kitchens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Open shelving has been around for a few years as a way to showcase your attractive dishes. We all love open shelving because of the modern, classic look it gives the room – this is among many different Kitchen designers lists for trends in 2019 and to be fair – we can’t argue otherwise, it’s a great idea to make your kitchen space to appear bigger than it is.

Cupboards

Open shelving

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye Gloss and hello Matte! Matte is such a great aspect to include in the kitchen it just blends ever so smoothly and looks exquisite. There is a bonus here which is that matte is more forgiving with showing fingerprint markings as easily as gloss can. We also predict these will be around in the trends for many more years to come.

Soft Matte Finish on Kitchen

Soft Matte Finish on Kitchen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait, what? Stoves and rangehoods in….colour?? Yes, that’s right – this goes back to reason #1 as to why we are adding colourful options to the list of trends for 2019 – it is such a fun way to brighten up your style whilst adding a wonderful statement piece.

Pink Oven

Pink Oven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gold or copper are dashing their way into 2019 with a great deal of attention, these colours work well in most kitchens whether you have dark or light benchtops, do use these in small doses – we recommend handles or sinks/tapware!

Aurora Copper Sink and tap angled - Mercer sinks

Aurora Copper Sink and tap angled – Mercer sinks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funky coloured/texured Splashbacks are all in for 2019, the wonderful patterns these have to choose from is absolutely tempting and would compliment a wonderful kitchen, could this be your statement piece?

Next Edition Kitchens - Splashback

Next Edition Kitchens – Splashback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading, let us know what you’d like to see in the next blogs!

Appliances Blast Back To The Past

As you may know, I am a sucker for a good history throwback and seeing how much we have changed and evolved from back then.
Come the holidays, we always start to spend as much quality time as possible with loved ones, especially in the kitchen preparing the mouth-watering lunch and dinner for all. This year round made me really think about what it was like when my mother was me helping her mother prepare the delicious feast and what sort of appliances and cooking utensils they used.

Upon my conversation while cooking with my mother about what it was like back in the day really got me interested in doing some research and WOW, did the results just become the most interesting find yet?!

While the traditional pavlova recipe or nana’s special fruit cake recipe remains, the appliances they used to use to whip these up have majorly shown such a difference when comparing what we use today VS. what our loved ones used when they were little.
Let’s dive in and explore some exquisite finds that really WOW’d me:

1. The Naxon Beanery – This was every households necessity (no, seriously – this appliance was the bee’s knees, so versatile and easy!) We know this to be the “Crock-Pot” this was developed by Irving Naxon as a means of recreating his Grandmothers bean soup, the Beanery was transformed into a more versatile status appliance which was then seen overall as a slow cooker. In 1971, the Chicago-based manufacturer was bought out Rival, who renamed the plug-in pot the Crock-Pot.

Naxon Beanery

Naxon Beanery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Salad Spinner – As you may have already noticed that you still have one of these in your cupboard and it isn’t quite an out-dated utensil – this one is still such a great invention, my mother advised that this would come in pastel/fanta colours and pastel greens and it would be her or her siblings job to sit on the floor and spin the handle like mad until the lettuce was dry. Not only were the colours fun but also it did resemble a toy as such which made it easier to convince the kids to help out!

Salad Spinner

Salad Spinner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The Ice Crusher – It’s no secret that cocktails where all the rave and at its peak in the 1950s. Here, we have the handiest device that would crush your ice cubes to make a lovely, cool & refreshing slushy-like beverage.

Ice Crusher

Ice Crusher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. 2-in-1 Electric Can Opener and Knife Sharpener – First of all, how did these ever go out of fashion? Seriously, how great is this invention. It is super practical and easy to store for when you don’t need it. It did used to have a horrid grinding noise when you would sharpen knives but for the design of this beauty, chuck in a couple of ear plugs and get sharpening your knives and opening your cans with ease & style! (It was even electric!)

Electric Can Opener & Knife Sharpener

Electric Can Opener & Knife Sharpener

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Elevated Cabinet Fridge – Wait, did you say HANGING FRIDGE? Another design I’m totally in love with for what it used to be, I think this design was a very practical idea to have all food being incorporated into the layout of cabinets opposed to free-standing, you’d have to have some strong screws in there to hold it up!

Elevated Fridge

Elevated Fridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Fridge Wraps – Ever looked at a white fridge and thought “You look a wee bit plain, lets spruce you up!) well, our family living in the older generation hit the nail on the head with a range of patterned designs to stick on the doors of your fridge, retro right?!

Fridge Wrap

Fridge Wrap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The list goes on & on & on for so many cool, older style appliances and even cooking utensils. It really does amaze me of how much we have evolved into what we use today and the style of things, hearing about my mothers childhood cooking stories and all the different things you don’t see so much anymore is truly eye opening so i hope you enjoy this post and it takes you or your elders back in time to reminisce.

 

*All photos are NOT owned by Next Edition Kitchens.