Blog
Weekly tales from The Outpost.
September in the garden
Heading into spring the garden jobs begin to build up. Find out what needs doing in September.
White Cabbage Butterfly
A deep dive into white butterfly – one of the most common and destructive pests in Kiwi gardens.
The second peanut harvest
Results from my second season growing peanuts.
Another year in the berry house
The annual task of tidying up the berry house is upon me!
Sourcing native trees
In order to plant native trees, we need to source native trees. I went tree-hunting this week.
The zoo grows again
One person’s problem became our new friends with the arrival of 7 new chooks.
Everything I know about planting garlic
Everything I’ve learned about getting a successful garlic harvest in the ground.
The visitor
We’ve a new friend at The Outpost. An Airedale Terrier named Hine Toa.
The beauty of weeds
Looking at the beauty provided by some of the weeds on the property, and getting a bit philosophical about it.
The composting toilet
Pooping is such a basic part of every life. We’ve got a little closer to our poop since we moved to The Outpost by composting it through our composting toilet.
Some of the succulents
A short tour of some of my succulents and cacti.
Cooking in compost
In my garden, there is a big compost pile generating a whole lot of heat. So I tried cooking in compost – and it worked!
A selection of limes
I’m up to 5 lime trees. Am I obsessed? How did I get here?
Fungi friends
Following a huge rain, a bunch of mushrooms and fungi have begun to bloom.
Planting leeks
It’s time to plant leeks! There’s a bit of a trick to harvesting a good leek, so I thought I’d take a moment to show you how.
Digger dog
It turns out our dog, Roxy, just looooves to dig!
The giant compost pile
When life gives you organic matter, make compost.
Xeronema callistemon (Poor Knight’s Lily)
How I fell in love with and acquired a new native plant for my collection.
Garlic harvest 2020
Now the garlic is out of the ground, I take a look at how I did this year.
The shed
Probably the most-procrastinated and disliked tasks since we moved here is now done!
The egg thief
It turns out our dog, Roxy, and our free-range chickens are… not a good fit.
Fixing the orchard
How our neglected and overgrown orchard gained redemption.