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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.

Our 1965 classic kiwi caravan made by hurst brothers of Levin

Our classic kiwi caravan

I need a non-gardening hobby, so I’m looking to do some restoration work on our 1965 classic kiwi caravan. Come take a peek at her.

Square foot garden, December 2021

An update on the Square Foot Garden

A few months ago I revealed my plans for a square foot garden. So, how are those plans going?

The Outpost, November 2021

Five things I did this week

What on earth do I do all week? Well, here’s five things I did this week.

Baby chicks and their adoptive mum Silkie

Baby chickens!

There’s some new arrivals in our flock!

Garlic beds on 8 November 2021

Garlic development

The garlic should be ready for harvest… but is it?

Layout of the items in my gardening bucket

Inside the gardening bucket

A look at the most-useful gardening tools and equipment in my gardening bucket.

The garden as it looks today

The spring garden

A seasonal tour of the garden: bed-by-bed.

A wooden stile over an electric fence

Doin' it with stile

I built something on the farm and now I don’t have to roll in cow poop!

Broken shadehouse after a storm

What do we do with a broken shadehouse?

After a big storm recently, we’ve had to re-evaluate what we do with our shadehouse.

Trail cam set up on track

The bush cam

I got a new toy for my birthday and it’s absolutely revolutionised the pest and weed management of our native bush.

Garlic rust

The dreaded garlic rust

One of the worst things that could happen to a garlic grower has struck us this year: rust. So, what will I do?

Harvesting potatoes

Planting potatoes

Potatoes can be planted as soon as the last frosts pass. Find out what to do now to great crop next season!

Bush pond (September 2021)

Clearing the clearing

This week we cut down a bunch of gorse and cleared out a nice spot for a picnic in the bush.

A day of very heavy rainfall

Rainfall

We’ve got two full years of weather data now. What does it say?

New Zealand native bush - primarily nikaus

Manual of the New Zealand Flora

How do you learn to see the trees for the forest? You look closer. And then you look closer again. And again.

Redpath cloche hoops on my strawberries and square foot gardens

Cloche hoops

We use a few different cloche hoops are an invaluable tool in the garden. A look at what we use and how it holds up.

Mulched garlic on a frosty morning

Everything I know about looking after garlic

Setting the garlic up for good bulb growth.

Complete square foot garden bed ready for planting

Square foot gardening

Low rainfall in summer each year means my garden always suffers. This year, I’m planning to share our water with one bed that really pumps… and grows everything.

A chunk of freshly harvested ginger

How to grow ginger (Zingibar officiale)

A surprisingly simple and satisfying little crop to grow. Find out how to take a small piece from the supermarket and turn it into a year’s supply of ginger!

Garden paths

Down the garden path

Paths are a perhaps overlooked, at yet very important part of the garden. Here’s a look at my trials (and errors).

An empty, sad egg carton

The eggless chickens

If you usually just purchase them, you might not know that in the darkest days of winter, the chickens take a break.

Garden under Orotere rock, July 2021

Garden time

A bed-by-bed tour of the winter vege garden.