We weren’t entirely unscathed by Gabrielle, but we are left feeling very grateful.

We’ve been here a while, so how close are we to being self-sufficient?

Last Christmas I joined a long line of women who have made this cake. My great grandmother’s recipe, finally made.

If you love eggs, you might be thinking about owning some chickens… but should you?

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.

Four of our six garlic varieties are out of the ground! See how it went!

Time marches on and if you’re patient enough, it delights you.

This year our pine nut tree is tall enough to be our outdoor Christmas tree!

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.

I’m feeling more on top of things in the garden, so I’m growing something new.

3 years ago I wrote about my frustration at my new garden. Today, it is my happy place.

How will the proposed agricultural emissions scheme affect my little farm and tiny cattle herd?

All things considered, what vegetables deliver the best returns on investment in the garden?

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.

The berries are flowering, so it’s time to secure the berry house against birds. If only it were that simple!

After last year’s disaster season, how is the garlic growing in 2022?

I spent my 40th birthday buying and planting trees. 16 year old me would be horrified.

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.

I’ve been thinking and scheming – and I think I’ve come up with a plan for our first area of ‘food forest’.

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!

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?