Blog
Weekly tales from The Outpost.
The lost fence post
The post was abandoned, but the fencing project was not.
Pruning fruit trees
Everything you need to know about pruning stone and pip fruit trees: equipment, technique, tree shapes, and the golden rules.
Green banana flour
An experiment in making a prodigious banana harvest last longer. More useful than expected, with some caveats
Surprise cows
We weren’t expecting them, but surprise! We have a new herd of cows.
Māra kūmara
This year I’ve re-introduced kūmara into my garden.
Coconut lemon slice (new and improved)
One of my Gran’s best recipes. Now tastier, lower in sugar, and higher in protein.
Outpost Buildings chicken coop review
We’ve had our Outpost Buildings chicken coop for 8 years. How has it held up?
Companion planting
Does companion planting actually work? Why don’t the lists agree? The science behind which plants help each other, and which ones don’t.
Ponga paths
The next stage in the evolution of my wee garden.
Summer garden plans
The plans I’ve got for my garden over the summer of 2025-26.
Gnome makeover
Time to give my gnomes a glow-up!
Pest management
The pest-control is getting an upgrade around here.
Growing peanuts in New Zealand
What I’ve learned about growing peanuts over the last three seasons.
Home-grown peanut butter
Three years of growing peanuts came down to this. Home-grown, home-made peanut butter. Was it worth it?
Weekly diary
A look at a random winter’s week in my life.
The garden in winter 2025
A wander around the garden highlights in winter 2025.
Upgrading the garden paths
There’s a secret under your feet when you walk through my garden, and it’s quietly improving our soils.
Tidying up the catnip
A peek behind-the-scenes at how I grow wickedly-strong catnip.
Going back to growing garlic
And so it begins again.
Things I’ve been liking
As the world gets a bit dark and awful, here are some of the things that have brought me joy.
May in the garden
Winter planting begins, and it’s time to start tidying up your patch from the summer months.
65 Hours Without Power
Cyclone Tam roared through the country last week, and the fallout took a while to settle.