NZ Lifestyle Block

Kelli Walker felt a business was brewing inside her, and found one that can’t stop bubbling, burbling and babbling about itself.

Watercress can be grown in pots, is surprisingly hardy and tolerates being frozen.

These birds look crazy, sound crazy and can act crazy too, but no person, insect pest or predator can get past them.

Sometimes the nest box holds a little egg of horrors.

The gooseberry is one of those plants which only gets better and better with age.

A dish isn’t complete without a little petal power.

The nursery supporting its local habitat, local gardeners and its owners.

A Wairarapa couple have transformed a derelict wee barn and rundown lifestyle block into a successful fruit and berry business.

Peony-growing basics, what you need to know about commercial production, and tips for aspiring planters.

Traditional domestic duck breeds are rare in New Zealand so you will have to hunt around to find breeders in your area, or a supplier of fertile eggs.

Jared Gulian had always lived in the city, but these days there’s nowhere else in the world he’d rather be than on a small block in Martinborough in the dappled shade of his olive grove.

Follow these five tips to avoid a bad fencing job and learn how to spot a good fencer from the pack.

Artist John McLean was driven by need to become self-sufficient 30 years ago, but today he and wife Chris couldn't live any other way.

There are four golden rules to building a fence - and this one breaks them all.

The description of a hen being ‘egg bound’ is often mentioned but is it really egg bound? Here’s how to find out, and how you can get hands-on and help out.

Soil and herbage testing is a great way to improve the productivity of your land.

A Southland couple have turned their block into an internationally-recognised wetland of importance, and a safe haven for one of NZ's rare birds.

The secret ingredient of an award-winning skincare range has turned out to be the holy grail of lifestyle block business.

Spring can be a confusing season for the flock owner who wants eggs, and equally confusing for hens who want to be mothers.

Planting out alongside waterways has important long-term benefits, but scientists would love your help to find out more.

This October plant potatoes, peas and carrots and there's time for one last sowing of broccoli before the onslaught of white butterfly.

Your garden is full of opportunities for you to make and use natural dyes.

Ten years ago, a project began to improve the water quality of the Sherry River near Nelson, and there are a lot of practical lessons to learn from their hard work

If you want your hens to lay eggs in the right place, the most basic requirement is a nest they'll like over all others. But hens have some odd views on what they prefer.

Alpine strawberries are quite easy to grow, and very hardy in marginal lands, like shady forests and snowy alpine hillsides.

If you love to grow flowers and foliage, there may be some profit waiting for you.

When the owner-builders of one of New Zealand’s first hemp homes decided they also wanted to their toilet to have green credentials, they had to battle to get the loo of their dreams.

Kristina is trying to break her addiction to sugar and she's found there's a veggie on her side.

8 facts you need to know about soil

We summarise the results of 200 studies about soil so you can improve your soil biology.

Jenny Somervell selects the best lettuces to grow this summer (and the rest of the year).

If there’s no good spring flush, then find out why - there are always plenty of reasons.

It’s estimated that more than 40,000 of the 270,000 or so on-site domestic wastewater systems in NZ are at risk of failing.

12 tips for sheep in spring

Getting ready for lambing is the main priority, and this means being prepared for surprises like early lambs which weren’t planned and which often die.