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A collection of 9 posts

A beautiful swathe of red clover, mustard, phacelia flowers in their reds, yellows, mauves and green

A new paradigm

Like all good gardens we're evolving over time and I'm in the process of moving from a WordPress website that I've had for the last 12 years to a new system. Things may be a little messy here while we get settled in, so

NZ Nurseries Fruit trees Favourites Sarah Frater of Edible Garden

My Three Fave Nurseries

Buy your fruit trees and companion plants from one of our small, owner operated, NZ nurseries. Tap into their experience, their range of unusual and heritage varieties, and score yourself tasty, trusty, reliable trees and plants. These passionate nursery women and men are doing important work keeping older varieties going

Step by Step to a Perfectly Fed Vegie Patch

Step by Step to a Perfectly Fed Vegie Patch

Overfeeding is easily done. Surrounded as we are, by seductive marketing and miracle soil food, home gardeners fertilise wildly. Less really is more. All you need provide is just enough. Today I hope to bring you clarity and ease, as I explain why you feed + what to use + how much

Garden Coach: How it Works + Why 20mins is Perfect!

Garden Coach: How it Works + Why 20mins is Perfect!

Garden Coaching is a 20minute chat with me, over zoom, to resolve your edible garden woes - fruit trees, vegies, chooks, compost - whatever has you confused or stuck. 20 mins may sound short, but in my many years of guiding gardeners, I've figured out that little bites

An Autumn Compost is a Strong Start to a Spring Bed

Autumn is heaven for compost makers, there's heaps of stuff begging to be composted. Make use of all of it - dont throw it away!, and prep for spring planting at the same time. My kind of compost piles are easily put together, followed by put your feet

tie down branches

Pump Up Your Fruit Production

Today I'm sharing a September task that'll really up your fruit production in your deciduous fruit trees - pears, apples, plums, apricots. An awesome party trick to slow growth down on over zealous plums and stubbornly upright pears. It's time to tie down young

The Ins and Outs of Choosing Bought Compost

Monthly gardening advice

The Ins and Outs of Choosing Bought Compost

Compost is the heart and soul of your garden. Does it matter which compost you buy? Damn straight it does! Well made compost is all our soil needs to grow abundant crops with minimal disease. But rubbish in, rubbish out - compost made with sub-standard ingredients will wreck your soil

Chillis going into the dehydrator

Homemade Chilli Flakes

These are one of the easiest, but most useful preserves ever. I mean how useful are chilli flakes! For simple electricity + appliance free dried chillis, simply string them up. Thread a needle and poke it through the meaty bit by the stalk. Hang them away from sunlight. For a jar

When Summer Doesn't Come, Make A Plan B

To cheer myself up last week, I lit the bonfire while I gardened. It was such a gloomy day. It was mid summer, and I was gardening in jeans. The fire lifted my spirits. For those of us out west and south, this is not a normal February in the