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.

Stem of bananas growing on our property.

Banana farmin

We are officially eating our own home-grown bananas!!

A large pile of bark mulch with two dogs for scale

The mulch pile

A giant pile of mulch stands between us and our dream home.

My grandfather and my father (as a child) playing in the sand in New South Wales, Australia, 1965

Three things my Dad taught me

This Father’s Day, I’m looking at the values I gained as my father’s daughter.

The area I planted trees in this year, after I planted the trees.

Planting trees

Any day you get to plant a tree is a good day. And I’ve planted 96 trees so far this month.

Pieces of coconut slice.

Gran Shirley’s Coconut Slice

A classic slice from Gran Shirley’s recipe book. Simple, reliable, and always popular.

A complete collection of The New Zealand Whole Earth Catalogues

The New Zealand Whole Earth Catalogue

Why and how I collected the complete set of The New Zealand Whole Earth Catalogues.

Monthly shot of the property taken July 2023.

Befores and afters

A look at how far we’ve come since we purchased The Outpost.

Kat and Pam the chicken

An update post

A collection of updates about eggs, chickens, worms, weather, and garlic.

Comfrey growing under fruit trees in the orchard - still very small, but starting to produce.

Planting comfrey under fruit trees

Organic farmers know comfrey as a ‘dynamic accumulator’ – bringing deeply buried nutrients to the surface to feed my fruit trees.

A collection of pruning tools that need cleaning.

Cleaning up my rusty tools

It’s pruning season but my tools are rusty and I can’t afford new ones. So I tried cleaning them up with vinegar.

A jar of pruning paste and a pair of secateurs.

Make your own pruning sealer

Seal and protect fresh wounds on trees with this no-fuss pruning paste made from common household ingredients.

Gardening equipment in the garden

Gardening equipment you won’t regret

Some of my favourite pieces of equipment for taking your garden to the next level.

A piece of peach sponge-top pudding.

Sponge-top pudding

A comforting baked pudding that uses whatever fruit is in season. Simple enough for a weeknight.

One of the only cauliflowers still standing.

Winter gardening in the Far North

It’s time to tidy the strawberries, plant garlic, and prepare for potatoes.

Two jars of water glassed eggs

Eating water-glassed eggs

Preserving eggs in lime water when the flock slows down. A traditional method that actually works.

A tidy and organised garden shed.

Tidying my garden shed

My garden shed is (once again) a mess! Time to tidy it up.

In-ground worm farms installed in a garden bed.

In-ground worm farming

Installing some new worm farms directly in the garden to continuously improve a poorly-performing garden bed.

Apples growing on a tree

4 things to consider before buying fruit trees

You’ve finally got a place to plant fruit trees—but there’s dozens at the garden centre! Which one do you buy?

A spray of 'Prosso' millet

The International Year of Millets

The UN has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets, so I tried growing some millet.

The garden in April 2023

Autumn garden update

As we hurtle towards winter, I’m working away in my garden to get it ready for next summer.

Harvesting peanuts from the soil.

My first peanut harvest

My first peanut harvest is in!

Two six week old chickens - a light yellow one (Pam) and a deeper brown one (Tommy)

Pam and Tommy

Six weeks ago we welcomed two new occupants in our zoo – Pam and Tommy.