Monthly gardening advice

A collection of 62 posts

Monthly gardening advice

September In The Vegie Patch + Greenhouse

Septembers plate is refreshingly green: saladings, celery, parsley, leeks, cress, silverbeet, kale, nettle, broccoli shoots for Africa, the last of the cabbage and - joy oh joy the first of the peas and asparagus. There's so much cool stuff to do in the garden right now, so much

Monthly gardening advice

September Fruit Tree To-do List

The story of your fruit harvest starts now - in the rising of the sap and the swelling of the buds. It's a tale told by the bees, as they go blossom to blossom; then taken up by a fruit that evades rats, possums, wind and rain. It&

Monthly gardening advice

Spring Seed Raising with Setha

NZ heritage, open pollinated, organically raised seed is the best of the best! We’re so lucky in New Zealand, to have Setha and Roddy at Setha’s Seeds, doing the hard yards to provide us with high quality veggie, herb and companion flower seed for our gardens. Growing from

Monthly gardening advice

August in the Vegie Patch + Greenhouse

The trick to a healthy, productive vegie patch is to keep momentum up - little and often is the way, even when its cold out! Get out there at least once a week to * remove spent crops. Chop them off at ground level then crunch or chop them up for

Monthly gardening advice

August Fruit Tree to-do List

August is your last chance to check in on tree vigour! How well did each of you fruit trees grow last season? Read all about it here, and use the info to decide whether or not you need to apply compost and mulch. If there is one job you sort

Harvest

July In The Vegie Patch + Chooks In The Greenhouse

Even when its cold and frosty there's plenty of food to be had from the garden. Here's a quick round up of what we're harvesting to inspire you to a four seasons vegie patch. Leafy greens abound - chard, spinach, parsley, kale, chickweed, cress,

Berries

July's Fruit Tree To-Do List

July is busy old month in the orchard calendar – we’re planting, pruning and most important of all, assessing new growth to decide whether or not to add compost. Plant Winter is your once-a-year opportunity - seize the day to plant deciduous trees in their preferred moment, to plant shelter,

Monthly gardening advice

June's Fruit Tree To-Do List

Planting, mulching and pruning - that's the order of events this month. Planting is by far the most important! Plant fruit trees Yippee do - deciduous fruit tree/ berry and vine planting time is upon us. I hope in all the excitement of new trees, you have the

Monthly gardening advice

June In The Vegie Patch + Greenhouse

I'm not the only one who loves winter. Garlic, onions, all the brassica's, chard, endive, parsley and all manner of leafy greens love winter too. Salads and beetroot survive it, but very slowly, so if you live in cooler places best grow them under cover from

Monthly gardening advice

May In The Vegie Patch + Greenhouse

As the vegie garden missions slow down, get stuck in and make compost. There's heaps of finished crops/ flowers/ perennials/ homemade hay about, providing a bounty of ingredient - right there in your garden! If you want to make and use your own compost this is the way,

Monthly gardening advice

May Fruit Tree To Do List

May is the month to get prep'd for new fruit trees + shelter trees . A little bit of tree research goes such a long way! As does my favourite stake + marinate, an easy, hands on way of working out what fruit tree goes where before ordering your trees in.

Monthly gardening advice

April In The Vegie Patch

Out with the old and in with the new – now! Today! Or you’ll run out of grow time. Make space Whip around and chop down finished crops (hello compost or mulch!) to make space for the new. * Chop finished corn and sunflowers off at the roots. Those generous biology

Monthly gardening advice

April Fruit Tree To Do List

This month is all about caring for citrus, preparing deciduous fruit trees for winter, planning for new fruit/nut or shelter trees, and harvesting nuts. Citrus Care Young developing fruits alert you to pay attention. The adult crop relies on actions taken now: good moisture, thinning, mulching and at this

Featured

Revitalise The Greenhouse!

The greenhouse soil has worked hard all summer - revitalise it before planting the next round of crops to keep health steady. That's our goal - no dips and dives, just brilliant steady health. Seize the day, my friends!, and get it done before soil cools off. These

Monthly gardening advice

March In The Vegie Patch + Greenhouse

Clear starry nights, cool, dewy mornings and that special golden hue in the evening sky are all signs that Autumn is moving in. The cooler mornings and nights slowly begin to cool the soil, which in turn slows soil life and eventually plant life. Make the most of the warmer

Monthly gardening advice

March Fruit Tree To Do List

Young trees need to be at the fore front throughout summer. This month, take stock of yours. If the soil beneath is dry, water them back to barely moist, then scatter some nicely pre decomposed woody mulch about them. * Long grass surrounding them is awesome protection from wind and sun

Monthly gardening advice

February in the Vegie Patch + Greenhouse

The thing is to match what you plant and sow in your vegie patch this month, to the season that you are having. If its roasting hot and dry you'd be smart to delay the planting of your carrots and winter brassicas for instance.

Harvest

February Fruit Tree To Do List

Fruit trees are peaking! I hope the grass and herbal ley are thigh high and you're revelling in surround sound fruit - late plums, pears, apples and oh so peachy. A sight for sore eyes! As stone fruit are harvested, summer prune them. They're best pruned

Monthly gardening advice

December In The Vegie Patch

A December planted zucchini, cucumber + a few tomatoes are awesome when late summer rolls around. Keep the harvests flowing in, in a regular way with regular, little plantings and sowings this month. If it's hot at yours, shade comes to the rescue. I plant all my summer seedlings

Berries

December Fruit Tree To Do List

Fruit trees look kinda static, but they're super dynamic! Hormones, enzymes, sugars - much goes on as they constantly adapt to the wet, dry, windy, hot, cold, pest, pathogens - add to that their innate push to grow you some delicious fruits and there's a lot

Greenhouse

November In The Vegie Patch + Greenhouse

The most important mission this month is planting out long term crops like kumara, yams, pumpkins and peppers - drop everything else and get them in the ground! Yams need about 6 months to fatten up, kumara and sweet peppers need 4 - 5 warm months and pumpkins 4 -

Monthly gardening advice

November Fruit Tree To Do List

November is when the summer fruits really get a roll on - grapes, currants, early plums and berries are forming revealing the harvest to come. Keep an eye on these new fruits because birds + pests will be just as aware! Your daily walk is essential if you want to keep

Harvest

October Fruit Tree To Do List

Loads to do in your food garden - both the vegie garden and fruit trees need you this month! Plan the weekends at home and get the family on board to work up a storm. It'll set you up for a productive, healthy season ahead. All of Septembers

Monthly gardening advice

October In The Vegie Patch + Greenhouse

The October vegie patch is pretty dam exciting with seedling raising in full swing and crops boosting away in the warming soil and air. Do your best to keep your head and don't rush into planting summer loving crops on the first fine day! Its hard, I know,

Animals

August Chook Care

Calling all chook mums and dads! During this wet, low light, cold time of year - are you managing to provide your chooks with sunlight, dry outside space and fresh, healthy? Here are some missions to ensure your girls are getting the best of care. Top up the sawdust in