What I did in the garden this week. On Monday It was howling a hoolie with gusting winds recorded in the garden of 27.7km per hour. Thanks to my garden wind breaks I’ve learnt that beyond the garden this is almost double. It is still a lot for the poor plants in the garden, but they seem ok. The wind wasn’t alone and was joined …...
All the signs have changed. Well not all of them, but most of the garden markers in the edible garden have been forced to change. If you remember back to this blog post > Change is afoot < where I discussed necessary changes to the layout of the garden in an attempt to defeat the dreaded Tomato Potato Psyllid. The format I chose was a …...
Nearly ready. I have been throwing myself into the garden to get it spring ready. In normal circumstances, for most gardeners here, the start of spring begins with the calendar and the first day of spring is the first day of September. Some, but not many go with the equinox three weeks later. I think most are just champing at the bit to get started …...
I HAVE A NEW BOOK – GROWING VEGETABLES I’ve been keeping a secret for the quite some time, that I’ve been dying to tell you all about but couldn’t – until now. I have been working hard behind the scenes on my latest book Growing Vegetables, which is set to be released in all good bookstores across New Zealand on the 13th August 2026. I …...
DIY Peanut Butter – is it worth it? It’s raining. There are no surprises there – we’re deep into winter. So far today we’ve had 36.1mm of liquid sunshine. Obviously, there hasn’t been any gardening, which would be silly – I’m not a duck. So, to keep the gardening spirit alive, I need to look for garden related things to do indoors, and this is …...
Change is afoot. Finally, after months of thinking about it, I have finally implemented change. I’ve spent long enough second-guessing my logic, but there comes a time when you just have to take the plunge. And sometimes you’re pushed. This time it was my garlic that pushed me. I normally start it in April, so it has an opportunity to get big enough to beat …...
Finally, some plants. We have been blessed with some incredible late autumnal weather. The sun has done nothing but continue to shine and the wind has been little more than a puff. Although it has been a little chilly, which is only to be expected as we make our descent into the cool of winter, but I’m not complaining because it doesn’t get cold enough …...
Getting my hands dirty After an extended absence from the garden, it is very easy to procrastinate. The biggest obstacle is the sheer enormity of what needs to be done. Weeds don’t just pop up in isolated places. Wherever there is bare earth there is an opportunity for something undesirable to make itself at home. Standing at the garden gate, observing a garden with a …...
Where have I been? I’ve been all over the place and barely in my own garden, although I have spent a lot of time in pretty amazing gardens in some incredible journeys. I’ve travelled across New Zealand a few times, and internationally I spent some time in Australia, Norfolk Island and Tahiti but now I’m pleased to be home with an empty calendar for the …...
Something has to change. If you always do what you’ve always doneYou’ll always get what you’ve always got. I’ve been drawn away from the garden again, although this time, not to some exotic location, but tied to the computer, typing up a storm for days and weeks on end for a range of exciting time based projects that are a combination of routine and short …...
Where was I? As much as I’d love to be a full-time gardener, spending every moment toiling in the soil, life has a habit of drawing your attention away from what you love. Sometimes it is to do things you would rather not, and other times life hands you opportunities too good to refuse! Last week was one of the good ‘not to be missed’ …...
Where have I been and what have I done? Aside from my monthly ‘what I’m doing in the garden’ posts, which have proved to be an invaluable resource for future me as I stand in a large chaotic garden wondering what to do next, I seem to have left off in the middle of the winter moaning about how hard it is to garden here. …...
Me Again Last year I took a bit of a break from the blog. It wasn’t intentional, it just happened. Sometimes life gives you what you need. It didn’t stop doing what I’ve always done in the garden, I just never seemed to find the time to write about it. This year I intend to make time. It was my New Year’s resolution; however, those …...
What I did in the garden this week. On Monday It was howling a hoolie with gusting winds recorded in the garden of 27.7km per hour. Thanks to my garden wind breaks I’ve learnt that beyond the garden this is almost double. It is still a lot for the poor plants in the garden, but they seem ok. The wind wasn’t alone and was joined …...
All the signs have changed. Well not all of them, but most of the garden markers in the edible garden have been forced to change. If you remember back to this blog post > Change is afoot < where I discussed necessary changes to the layout of the garden in an attempt to defeat the dreaded Tomato Potato Psyllid. The format I chose was a …...
Nearly ready. I have been throwing myself into the garden to get it spring ready. In normal circumstances, for most gardeners here, the start of spring begins with the calendar and the first day of spring is the first day of September. Some, but not many go with the equinox three weeks later. I think most are just champing at the bit to get started …...
I HAVE A NEW BOOK – GROWING VEGETABLES I’ve been keeping a secret for the quite some time, that I’ve been dying to tell you all about but couldn’t – until now. I have been working hard behind the scenes on my latest book Growing Vegetables, which is set to be released in all good bookstores across New Zealand on the 13th August 2026. I …...
DIY Peanut Butter – is it worth it? It’s raining. There are no surprises there – we’re deep into winter. So far today we’ve had 36.1mm of liquid sunshine. Obviously, there hasn’t been any gardening, which would be silly – I’m not a duck. So, to keep the gardening spirit alive, I need to look for garden related things to do indoors, and this is …...
Change is afoot. Finally, after months of thinking about it, I have finally implemented change. I’ve spent long enough second-guessing my logic, but there comes a time when you just have to take the plunge. And sometimes you’re pushed. This time it was my garlic that pushed me. I normally start it in April, so it has an opportunity to get big enough to beat …...
Finally, some plants. We have been blessed with some incredible late autumnal weather. The sun has done nothing but continue to shine and the wind has been little more than a puff. Although it has been a little chilly, which is only to be expected as we make our descent into the cool of winter, but I’m not complaining because it doesn’t get cold enough …...
Getting my hands dirty After an extended absence from the garden, it is very easy to procrastinate. The biggest obstacle is the sheer enormity of what needs to be done. Weeds don’t just pop up in isolated places. Wherever there is bare earth there is an opportunity for something undesirable to make itself at home. Standing at the garden gate, observing a garden with a …...
Where have I been? I’ve been all over the place and barely in my own garden, although I have spent a lot of time in pretty amazing gardens in some incredible journeys. I’ve travelled across New Zealand a few times, and internationally I spent some time in Australia, Norfolk Island and Tahiti but now I’m pleased to be home with an empty calendar for the …...
Something has to change. If you always do what you’ve always doneYou’ll always get what you’ve always got. I’ve been drawn away from the garden again, although this time, not to some exotic location, but tied to the computer, typing up a storm for days and weeks on end for a range of exciting time based projects that are a combination of routine and short …...
Where was I? As much as I’d love to be a full-time gardener, spending every moment toiling in the soil, life has a habit of drawing your attention away from what you love. Sometimes it is to do things you would rather not, and other times life hands you opportunities too good to refuse! Last week was one of the good ‘not to be missed’ …...
Where have I been and what have I done? Aside from my monthly ‘what I’m doing in the garden’ posts, which have proved to be an invaluable resource for future me as I stand in a large chaotic garden wondering what to do next, I seem to have left off in the middle of the winter moaning about how hard it is to garden here. …...