Our Land
We test it: No-dig vs double-digging
Bob has good news if you have sweated your way through double digging your garden for the first time.
Creating the hawthorn walk at Barewood Garden
The gardeners of Barewood tell their secrets to recreating a beautiful feature of their landscape.
Tending to your fruit trees in March
Apple picking, branch cutting and the secret to sweet peaches. Add Ben Gaia's seven tips to March your to-do list.
Secrets to growing olives in cold weather
There’s a great way to grow olive trees even when your place gets really cold.
25 tips to protect your block from fire
When you live on a lifestyle block you face a higher risk from fire than people who live in a town or city.
Quick tips: Veggies to plant in March
It’s the start of autumn and time to get ready for winter, but still room for a touch of summer.
Plant turnips now for a bumper crop
The range of turnips available today, especially the mini ones, are a very quick and easy plant to grow and sweet-tasting
How to create a food forest garden
Food forests can seem like the most complicated of garden designs, but here's how to do it yourself, step-by-step.
8 lessons to learn from a herb garden gone wild
Five years after planting her herb garden, Jenny Somervell’s plants have forgotten who is boss.
What clover reveals about your block’s pasture health
Dr Doug Edmeades' key tips on using fertiliser and assessing the health of your pasture.
Don't make these design errors on your lifestyle block
When a block has a design fault it can seriously affect the practical aspects of growing plants and livestock.
Top 17 trees you can plant to feed bees
How you can help hungry bees and add value to your property at the same time.
A guide to find the perfect crop for your block
Moving to a new block is an exciting time, but it’s easy to get carried away. Before you get started, take a little time to think strategy.
Summer gardening hacks
Keep an eye on soil moisture and keep picking and pruning cherry tomatoes for a continuous crop.
How to grow fat leeks for winter feasts
As summer stumbles along we’re heading into winter crop planting time and leeks are one crop that are best planted sooner rather than later.
Gourd-geous craft projects
If you’ve ever grown gourds you’ll know just how prolific these cucurbits can be, but do you know how to turn them into an art form?
The cave at the bottom of a Mt Eden garden
Some people have fairies at the bottom of their garden; the Jacob family of Mt Eden have a cave.
Truffle growing experiments
It’s an underground treasure whose production is unpredictable, but a delight chefs will pay $3500 per kilogram to shave over a dish.
3 inspiring New Zealand food forests
We take a guided tour through three very different food forests at different stages in their lifecycle.
Tips for a breezy summer with your livestock
How to protect your livestock from facial eczema and why it pays to have good shade.
Why scientists are researching health benefits of Moonglow tomatoes
There are tomatoes, and then there is this great-tasting heritage variety with a very special secret.
Flaxmere Garden through the seasons
Drought, ferocious winds and extreme temperatures aren’t ideal conditions to create a garden, but Penny Zino has done it.
Water Cooler: Learning te reo and the NZ Flower and Garden Show
This week in the water cooler, Nadene brushes up on her te reo, and Emma visits the NZ Flower and Garden Show.
How to grow great gooseberries
The gooseberry is one of those plants which only gets better and better with age.
Motueka nursery growing rare native seedlings
The nursery supporting its local habitat, local gardeners and its owners.
From derelict barn to award-winning berry business
A Wairarapa couple have transformed a derelict wee barn and rundown lifestyle block into a successful fruit and berry business.
Behind the scenes on the peony harvest
Peony-growing basics, what you need to know about commercial production, and tips for aspiring planters.
7 tips to growing Japanese wineberries
Don’t be afraid of trying new fruits, especially ones as delicious as this.
From city slicker to olive oil
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.
5 ways to avoid a bad fencing job
Follow these five tips to avoid a bad fencing job and learn how to spot a good fencer from the pack.
Artist John McLean's coastal orchard in Taranaki
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.
Is this the worst fence ever?
There are four golden rules to building a fence - and this one breaks them all.