Growing Your Own Linen
Linen has been used for thousands of years for clothes, beding and furnishings. It is loved for its soft and cool feel. It is a very strong and durable material which will last much longer than other alternatives, like cotton. Growing your own linen may see overwhelming, but it helps to break it down into manageable steps.
Plant 1 kg. fibre flax seed in a 6m x 6m plot
One plot will give you enough fibre to make a shirt from line (long linen fibres) and tow to weave a couple of towels. Your actual yield will depend on growing conditions, how well you weed the plot and how perfect your retting and hackling techniques are.
Broadcast the seed thickly, over well tilled ground and then walk on it to firm the seed in.
Weed it well about 4 weeks after planting.
Your flax will take about 2 weeks to germinate in a cool, wet spring. When it reaches just over 5cm in height you should walk into the plot and weed it well. You can step on the plants without damaging them when they are between 5cm and 30cm tall.
Admire the blue flax flowers as the linen grows
Once the bed has been weeded well, you can just admire it as it grows. About 60 days from planting the flowers start to open. It is very beautiful watching the blue flowers swaying in the breeze. Each flower is open for only one day. Each stock produces several flowers and each flower turns into a seed boll with 6 to 8 seeds.
100 days after planting, harvest the flax
The stocks of flax will be 2/3rds yellow and 1/3rd still green when it is ready to harvest. The flowering will be finished and each slender flax plant will have 4 to 6 seed bolls. You harvest the flax by hand, by pulling each plant out by the roots. Toss the weeds and place the stems of flax in order. Tie into bundles (shooks) about 30cm across, using strong twine.
See the whole method here: www.curtainclean.co.nz...
Poll: Have you seen vandalism around your area?
Vandals’ repeated attacks on Nawton’s destination playground could force the council to close some of the attractions.
Hamilton’s troubled destination playground is closed once again after more vandalism, with repairs expected to be completed sometime next month.
Have you seen vandalism around your area? Tell us about it in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).
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25% Yes
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75% No
This week's prize winners
Congratulations to the winners of the $100 grocery vouchers. The winners are:
Blair Roddick from Blenheim
Greer Bell from Snells Beach
Dorothy Burt from Levin
Hannah Rice from Aranui
Winners must get in touch with us here before Tuesday, 25th February to claim their prize.
Not a winner this time? Never fear, there's always next week.
The Online Garage Sale of the Summer
It's time to clean out the garage (or closet or cupboard!) and make some money back on your summer goods. Get involved with the Neighbourly online garage sale on Saturday, February 22nd.
Whether it's time to let go of your spare tent, your beach umbrella or maybe clear some clothes from your wardrobe, the Neighbourly garage sale is the place to do it - it's free and it's local!
If this is your first Neighbourly garage sale, the way it works is that you list your items individually ahead of the event and members perusing the garage sale items online will contact you to buy it.
Make sure you check out the treasure trove of bargains on Saturday, February 22nd - it's well worth a look!
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