Our Land

September gardening: it's time to sow

It's time to sow peas and carrots, plant tomato seeds, dig out weeds, avoid codling moths

Sally Brown's must-dos for a year-round cutting garden

A vase of fresh flowers is a simple way to bring joy into your home. Expert gardener Sally Brown shares her tips on how to grow cutting blooms all year-round.

3 reasons why there’s no spring flush

Look for these signs if your pasture isn't plentiful this spring.

Guest Blog: 'How my veggie patch has helped me grow'

Our guest blogger Poppy Vink shares what she’s learned starting a veggie patch from scratch and how her budding garden has helped with her mental health.

The Kiwi connection at Wardington Manor

Designing duo Bridget Elworthy and Henrietta Courtauld are the pick of the bunch with their design and cut-flower company the Land Gardeners.

The 1 big thing you need to get right to grow nutritious, delicious food

Shannon Wright shares her secrets to creating fertile soil filled with biological life, and how to create a nutrient-dense salad.

8 tricks to successful pear growing

The pear season is over and there are always lessons to come out of it.

6 trends to consider when planning a specialty timber crop

When planting a crop that’s ready to harvest in 30 years, it’s smart to look at long term trends.

How Dr Compost makes biochar in a bathtub (and how he uses biochar in the garden)

Ben Elms is an expert compost-maker. But his latest way to create better soil is by adding biochar, made in his new bespoke kiln.

2 nutritious, delicious greens that love winter

Late winter and early spring are difficult times for vegetable growing, but these two nutrient-filled greens love it.

A beginner's guide to strawberry growing

The earlier you plant strawberries, the more fruit you’ll get.

How to use thyme to combat winter ills

Kristina finds her garden has the cure for what ails her.

How to profit from specialty timber (with tips from the experts)

Specialty timber trees or natives can be a profitable option if you're planning to plant out more than a hectare.

'Garden angels' transform cemetery into a blooming garden

An old cemetery — the final resting place of many notable Taranakians — is fully appreciated by the still (thankfully) alive and kicking due to the efforts of a bunch of hardworking volunteer gardeners.

If you haven't planted strawberries yet, now is the time

It's officially time to start prepping for spring.

David Walshaw traded city life to grow olives

A financier leaves a 25-year city career to pursue an ancient rural trade.

The secret to growing fruit and nut trees for free

Trees add immense value to a block of land, but they don’t have to cost a fortune.

Is this New Zealand's prettiest mushroom?

You may recognize this cute-as-a-button fungi from the NZ$50 bill.

DIY: Build an underground worm farm

Keep worms happy year-round with this easy-to-build underground worm farm.

How Kurow locals transformed a wasteland into a clean, green wonderland

North Otago locals transform a polluted river island into a community paradise.

This chrysanthemum is pretty and tasty

Chrysanthemums are a florist favourite, but one type makes a great dish too.

Kurow lavender farm’s sweet smell of success

A picture-perfect lavender farm, is just one of a bunch of businesses nourished by a Kurow dairy farm.

How to get the garden ready for warm weather (hint: get sowing)

Planning and prepping for spring is well underway.

5 easy things to do to ensure a fruitful orchard

Your fruit trees will thank you (with fruit, of course).

A step-by-step guide to grafting fruit trees

Master the art of grafting for unlimited new fruit trees.

Why you need to grow this ancient herb

It’s always exciting to find a new herb, even if it’s one that has been around for thousands of years.

10 natives that like wet feet

If you have a wet or swampy area, fence it off, plant something that thrives on wet soils, and turn it into a thing of beauty.

Hard work, scenic views: The farmers of Glenmore Station are earning the good life

Will and Ems Murray are the fifth generation of the family to farm Glenmore, a high-country station bordering Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. They aim to not be the last.

A former movie exec creates a whimsical garden

Making movies in London one minute; growing grapes and welcoming guests to a rural garden the next. Life is full of surprises.

6 great companions for fruit trees

Give fruit trees a friend for better pollination, beneficial insects, and more surface minerals.

4 easy fixes for phosphorus loss (and a sweet benefit to clean waterways)

When you fix the conditions that cause phosphorus loss, you get some tasty benefits.

200 meals per day for kids in need

A community that not only grows its food — but also shares it around — is incredibly powerful, says this Wellington altruist.

3 essential types of shelter every block needs

We can put on a jacket or a sunhat, turn on the air-con or add another log on the fire. But all your stock can do is move in or out of shelter.

Inside a colour-blind gardener's 800-sqm wonderland in Taupo

Renowned gardener Gordon Collier is red/green colour blind — but it isn’t the reason he refuses to plant by painted numbers in his small suburban garden; he prefers to mix it up a little.

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