Blog
Weekly tales from The Outpost.
January in the garden
In January, the biggest task is usually dealing with pests. Also, planting leeks.
5 tips for tidying up your bananas
Just a few things I’ve learned about maintaining a productive banana patch.
December in the garden
The most important tasks for December in your garden.
How my garden grows
A peek at how the garden is doing going into the main growing season.
The pros and cons of owning chickens
If you love eggs, you might be thinking about owning some chickens… but should you?
Six things I did this summer
I’ve had a wonderful summer break, though I’m not sure how relaxing it was. Here’s a catch-up of what I got up to.
2022 Garlic harvest (part 1)
Four of our six garlic varieties are out of the ground! See how it went!
On patience
Time marches on and if you’re patient enough, it delights you.
Oh, Christmas Tree
This year our pine nut tree is tall enough to be our outdoor Christmas tree!
Where are the avocados?
We have a lot of trees at The Outpost, but we don’t have any avocado. It’s not just because we’re saving to build a house.
Planting peanuts
I’m feeling more on top of things in the garden, so I’m growing something new.
My happy place
3 years ago I wrote about my frustration at my new garden. Today, it is my happy place.
Paying for my cow’s farts
How will the proposed agricultural emissions scheme affect my little farm and tiny cattle herd?
Vegetables that pay off
All things considered, what vegetables deliver the best returns on investment in the garden?
Five trees you’ll find at The Outpost
A tree that can grow 6 meters in a year; another that you can wash your clothes with. A guide to a few of our trees.
Tidying the berry house
The berries are flowering, so it’s time to secure the berry house against birds. If only it were that simple!
A mid-season update on the garlic
After last year’s disaster season, how is the garlic growing in 2022?
The shopping spree
I spent my 40th birthday buying and planting trees. 16 year old me would be horrified.
Why I don’t keep bees
You’d think with so much native bush (and with more trees planted each year), we might put in a few bee hives at The Outpost. But we won’t be. Here’s why.
Planning a miniature food forest
I’ve been thinking and scheming – and I think I’ve come up with a plan for our first area of ‘food forest’.
Project grow-a-mango
This week I spent $13 on a piece of fruit – and it was worth every cent. But can I grow good mangoes in New Zealand? Well, I’m going to give it a try!
Another month’s worth of rain
The rain fell quite spectacularly this week. We’re now in our fourth year of weather monitoring, so how wet has the last year been?