Our Land

It’s not luck, it is hard work and the right skill set that makes holistic living on the land the ultimate lifestyle.

If you love a beautiful vase of fresh flowers, here are 10 great options for a cutting garden.

Many of us have grass for cattle and sheep, but there are a lot of benefits to making room for the wild things.

When you start reading about what goes into making the daily loaf, you realise what a luxury item bread is.

In October the garden is starting to take shape for summer. Here's a list of everything you'll need to sow and plant to make fresh, full and colourful salads.

You support local business when you buy plants and seeds in NZ, but what happens when something you want to grow isn’t here?

Turn your kitchen garden into a feast of colour with these tips for growing silverbeet, violas, mesclun, beetroot and more.

If you want to emulate the soft, frothy hues of a cottage garden, these six flowers are a good start.

Spring is a great time for sowing new pasture, but what do you choose if your stock are a bit out of the ordinary?

A laissez-faire approach and Monet-inspired palette flow into a magnificent Marlborough garden surrounding a sparkling creek.

This tropical plant is a great survivor in more places than you’d think.

The plants really want to hurt you, the harvest is carried out by digger, then chainsaw, you cook the heart out of it for three days, but the end result is worth toasting.

Riparian design is an investment in something beautiful and it works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, forever.

Spring brings all kinds of new projects. Here are some tips on how to win the pest war against possums.

September means warming soil temperatures, and for most lifestyle blocks that means pasture will be growing markedly faster than it has in the last few months. If it’s not, it’s telling you one of three things.

Reuse, reclaim and recycle is the motto of a zero-waste Auckland gardener inspired by Michelle Obama.

Freshly spuds are glorious but can take up coveted growing space in the veggie patch. This Spud Stacker encourages vertical plant growth and tidily contains backfilled soil, with shiplap frames stacked on top of a base frame and pegged corners for stability.

Entries are now open for the Yates Budding Young Gardener competition.

September is time to plant early potatoes, sow parsnips and peas and your last chance to plant strawberries in time for Christmas.

Coriander can be a little bit fussy to grow, but with the right care you can prolong leaf growth.

Reader story: There’s nowhere else in the world Michelle Holmes would rather be than on her slice of paradise.

A researcher at Christchurch’s Biological Husbandry Unit found mesh covers led to a 40,250% reduction in the levels of tomato potato psyllid on potato crops - and a huge increase in yield.

Five generations of a Central Otago family have tilled soil, trained trees, and fought the forces of nature and political upheaval to sustain a lifestyle they love.

Behind the scenes at the September/ October issue of NZ Life & Leisure cover shoot at Hortensia House.

Studies have shown that high lycopene intake is associated with decreased risk of heart disease and cancer, especially prostate cancer. But it’s not the red tomatoes that score the highest for tetra-cis-lycopene.

Strong winds bring down trees in forests, on farms, in parks and gardens every year and leave a big mess behind them, but there are tricks to minimise damage and save you money.

Ice cream and photography were the unlikely stepping stones that led a couple to a house among the trees and into the exotic-flower business.

If your budget doesn’t stretch to a new machine, a second-hand tractor can be a great option, if you know the tricks to spotting a good one.

Beneficial insects are essential for any garden and bugs will naturally find a home under leaves, bark, stacked wood or within your garden beds. A ‘bug hotel’ is an enjoyable way to celebrate your garden helpers, a fun family project and instant garden art.

Mustards are an easy-to-grow, cool season crop — follow these quick tips to grow them in your garden.

It's and ugly veggie with a fruit flavour and perfect for winter. Here's how to grow yacons in your backyard.

Pick your beekeeper carefully, and you will be totally in the clover.

Ex All Black and landscape designer Andy Ellis shares tips on growing native plants from his new book Kiwi Backyard.

You can go for a rainbow of different coloured carrot varieties if orange isn’t your thing, but the trick to making any of them sweet and succulent is optimal growing conditions.