Berryhouse 2026
The annual update on the state of our Trade Tested tunnel house, and the struggles I’m facing heading into another summer.
Rating grow kits
Putting five commercial growing kits to the test. Does an actual gardener think grow kits are worth the money for learning about gardening?
Growing sweetcorn
Grow the fattest, juiciest, freshest sweetcorn in your home garden with my top sweetcorn growing tips.
Inga beans
We planted some trees years ago, and now we have some very strange fruit that tastes… like ice cream?
Your permission to kill plants
Every gardener at every skill level kills plants. It’s not because you suck at gardening, but how you respond when a plant dies, matters.
Planning Kat’s Garden with Kat’s Garden Guide
This year’s garden planning also involved writing a book to make it easier for all Kiwis to plan and maintain their vegetable gardens.
Transplanting seedlings
Set your seedlings up for success by applying some botanical fundamentals while planting out or moving them in your vegetable garden.
Does your vegetable garden feel overwhelming?
Mine too! Here’s how I’ve learned to feel the overwhelm and harvest food anyway. Get unstuck and make your vegetable garden grow again.
Choosing seed potatoes
Can you grow the potatoes sprouting in the pantry? How we choose our seed potatoes, buy the right amount, and prepare for planting season.
When to plant potatoes: a step-by-step guide
Potato planting begins for most of New Zealand in September. Learn when’s best for your garden, and tips to get the best out of your plants.
Caring for garlic
Avoiding rust, fertilising, mulching, and harvesting scapes. Everything you need to get your garlic through the season, to a good harvest.
Everything I know about planting garlic
When to plant garlic in New Zealand depends on your garden’s climate. Here’s what nearly a decade of growing in the Far North has taught me.
Pruning fruit trees
Everything you need to know about pruning stone and pip fruit trees: equipment, technique, tree shapes, and the golden rules.
Harvesting the kūmara
After ignoring our māra kūmara for several months, we dug it up!
Growing food from kitchen scraps
You don’t need to buy seeds to start growing food. Your weekly grocery shop is full of ways to get your garden pumping.
About Kat
Kat is a gardener and purrveyor of Kat's Nip. Most Sundays she writes about her life on her lifestyle block in Te Hiku (Far North), New Zealand.
