Our Land

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.

Planning and prepping for spring is well underway.

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

Master the art of grafting for unlimited new fruit trees.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Soil needs an open structure. Pugging destroys it.

The garden will be quieter but there’s still plenty to do.

A soil scientist is maximizing her growing capacity by planting well above ground without soil.

These native plants will reward you with health-giving properties (if you know where to look for them).

Even the smallest urban backyard can make room for the humble citrus tree.

If you love summer fruit, or fruit all year round, now is the time to go wild and plant your dream orchard.

Cathy Bouma never planned to have a herb business. Or a block.

The softer and squishier persimmons get, the better they are.

It’s technically not a nut, but Kristina is nuts for this nut.

Winter is coming. Prepare to fill the fireplace with wood from the best-suited firewood trees in your neck of woods.

Buying good quality hay can be a fraught business.

A serious pest of avocado trees has been found in NZ for the first time.

A good shelterbelt will filter the wind, provide food for birds and bugs and above all, keep stock happy.

On any given day you'll find Jane outdoors mixing up a comfrey fertiliser or brewing a chamomile tea.

Looking ahead to winter and summer is a smart move for the mid-autumn checklist.

You may think you know what goes on when you’re asleep, but a night vision camera can be illuminating.

Mustards are the most feared of leafy greens, but they’re now essential in Jenny Somervell's kitchen.

The garden will be cooler but you can still be productive this month.

A Taranaki family with an eye on the future have sown their faith in an ancient grain.

Kath demystifies the art of pruning  in this special extract from her book Pruning Fruit Trees: A Beginner’s Guide.