NZ Lifestyle Block

If you’ve got a big, messy pile of tangled pigtails, here’s a simple solution you can build to keep them neat and tidy.

It can be expensive to plant manuka as a crop, up over $1000 per hectare so it’s not for everyone.

Sometimes a chicken bites off more than it can chew. Well, technically, more than it can grind.Sometimes a chicken bites off more than it can chew. Well, technically, more than it can grind.

Lemon balm is easy to grow and requires little maintenance, apart from keeping it constrained.  Its relaxing properties make the tea useful as an evening drink to promote sleep, and it can also be used to treat colic, nausea, poor digestion, nervous headaches and to help prevent colds and flu.

Some animals in an orchard are your friends and some are a definite no-no

Climate change research predicts that Canterbury and other rural areas in NZ will be hotter, drier places in the next few decades. Vegetation to prevent the spread of fire will become an important factor for many country properties.

It is a matter of the tragedy of the commons that we as small land-holders are individually powerless to make any difference in the declining state of the water quality of our local streams, rivers and lakes.

A fruity breakfast treat for when you want to impress.

The roadside stalls that dot the rural landscape, suddenly appearing on a windy road when you least expect it, so I was trying not to let on just how desperate I was for one of my own.

There are regular sandpits, and then there are the best kind: epic.

Take your cheese board to the next level with this onion marmalade recipe.

A leading Japanese businessman who has chosen New Zealand as his home, wields art to encourage society to reuse what exists rather than waste resources. he shares his vision for bringing contemporary art into the natural landscape.

Just the mention of Marek’s disease arouses dread in many poultry keepers, but there is a lot of misinformation around which only serves to enhance those fears.

Our native trees are some of the most unique in the world, and so is the man who has dedicated his life to studying them and telling their stories, including his latest on the king of them all.

Buying a bush block, building a cob house, and starting a natural soap business takes huge amounts of energy, enthusiasm and commitment, but this family are thriving on the challenge of being as clean and green as possible in everything they do.

A little detective work reveals a common issue for anyone with bore-supplied drinking water.

One simple injection can be a life-saver for cold or weak lambs.

Whether home-made or custom-designed, having a large covered area in our climate enables us to extend our range of growing times and species.

Composting toilets are a sustainable waste disposal for the 21st century. Home owners share their experiences with the next generation of fuss-free, low-odour, environmentally-friendly waste systems.

Garry Wycherley and Robyn Ansell are putting tiny Awakino on the map, one building at a time

Californian thistle is one of the most common weeds on NZ farms, and one of the hardest to kill off, but it is possible to do it without the use of chemicals.

A food forest can take up half a lifestyle block or be as small as an urban backyard and can create a resilient, self-sufficient garden that will feed you and your family all year-round.

This is one of the most under-rated greens and a great staple vege to get you through winter.

Things may go a little dull in winter, but there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy leafy greens.

The health and performance of your adult cattle throughout their lives all comes down to the very first feed they receive in the hours after their birth.

A little experiment with a superfood has turned into a win-win business for a young farming couple.

This Korean fermented cabbage dish has many health benefits.

Try fermenting beetroot to add to your next burger or salad rather than opening a can of the sliced stuff.

From kombucha to kimchi, sauerkraut to sourdough, kefir to kashk, the fermentation bug is catching because it’s tasty, easy and good for you.

One of the enduring myths about commercial poultry is that poultry producers worldwide use growth hormones to make broilers grow faster and produce more meat.

The last thing Cathy Dickison thought she would be doing is turning her gardening skills into a dried herb business.

Red hot pokers (Kniphofia) are a welcome sight on a dull day in winter, or on any day at any time really.

Baerbel and Thomas Hack were so determined to set up a dream seaside location for horse lovers, they built a road.

Winter may appear as the dull period at the end of the farming year, but there’s much to do and learn about management for spring.