Blog feed

The simple chronological feed of all the blog posts published on this site.

From the most recent to the oldest post, follow the entire journey.

A kaka peers out of the foliage of a totara tree.

Pest management

The pest-control is getting an upgrade around here.

April 23 2024 - harvested 'seed' plant.

Growing peanuts in New Zealand

What I’ve learned about growing peanuts over the last three seasons.

A slice of wholegrain toast smothered in peanut butter.

Home-grown peanut butter

Three years of growing peanuts came down to this. Home-grown, home-made peanut butter. Was it worth it?

A pile of lemons in a red bucket.

Weekly diary

A look at a random winter’s week in my life.

Peas growing up a trellis with our maunga, Orotere, in the background.

The garden in winter 2025

A wander around the garden highlights in winter 2025.

Reinvigorated garden paths covered in bark mulch.

Upgrading the garden paths

There’s a secret under your feet when you walk through my garden, and it’s quietly improving our soils.

Catnip seedlings growing in a path.

Tidying up the catnip

A peek behind-the-scenes at how I grow wickedly-strong catnip.

A garden bed containing just-planted garlic, covered in green bird net over aluminium cloche hoops.

Going back to growing garlic

And so it begins again.

A path winds through a stand of Redwoods in Rotorua, NZ.

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.

Ripening mandarins with the text "May in the garden".

May in the garden

Winter planting begins, and it’s time to start tidying up your patch from the summer months.

Two short candles burning in a dish.

65 Hours Without Power

Cyclone Tam roared through the country last week, and the fallout took a while to settle.

Boiled peanuts in a bowl. One peanut sits open on top with three boiled peanuts inside.

Boiled peanuts

Hands-down the tastiest and easiest way to eat your home-grown peanut crop.

A hand holding a large paprika in front of a bowl of paprika with the text "April in the garden".

April in the garden

Establishing winter brassica, securing seed garlic, tiding up strawberries, and harvesting pip fruit.

A Vespula wasp collecting poisoned bait in a Vespex bait station.

The Vespex sting

Vespula wasp numbers have exploded at our place this year, so it was time to run a poison operation with Vespex.

Four red paprika fruit sitting on a wooden board.

Growing paprika

Paprika is made from specific varieties of capsicum, and this summer, I grew and processed my own.

Roxy the dog sniffs out a clutch of 24 eggs in long kikuyu grass.

Animal tales, part 4

Our lives are made richer by the creatures we share this place with. Sometimes I write short stories about them. This is the fourth post in that series.

A wheelbarrow of spaghetti squash with the text "March in the garden".

March in the garden

Planting begins for cooler months and harvest continues for summer crops. Time to prune the stone fruit too.

A bowl of cucumber and red onion quick pickle

Gran Shirley’s quick pickle

An easy-to-prepare vegetable accompaniment for summer meals from the summer garden.

A potted Meyer lemon tree with ripe lemons hanging from it.

Citrus care guide

Everything you need to know about caring for citrus in New Zealand. When and what to fertilise with, sprays, pruning, and common pests and disease.

A brown cow with a white heart on her head looks directly at the camera.

The hypothetical house cow

Dairy prices are rising again, so I’m beginning to wonder if I should bring production in-house…

Blue cornflowers with the text "February in the garden".

February in the garden

Summer crops come in thick and need storing. Seed saving for next year begins while your earlier plantings continue.

Looking out over The Outpost, January 2025

I just want to write

A rant on the Internet ecosystem and AI in writing.