Beekeeping is growing in popularity in Wellington. You might want bees to pollinate your plants. You might yearn to produce your own honey. Or you might just be curious to learn about this industrious insect. Whatever your reasons, you can keep bees successfully even in an urban area if you position your hives carefully. We’re […]
You love baby new potatoes with butter and mint, or hanker after some wedges with garlic mayonnaise, or yearn for a big pile of mash to serve with your bangers. Whatever your potato fantasy, they’ll taste even better and fresher if they’re the result of your own endeavours. If you thought you couldn’t grow your […]
Some of us are short of space for growing things to eat. We might just have a balcony or a small courtyard garden. Perhaps there’s only a small part of our garden that is sheltered from the wind or gets enough sun to allow crops to grow well. Even if we’ve got a large section, […]
Wherever I am in the world, I love visiting edible gardens. Gardeners are constantly doing inspiring, innovative and interesting things. If I discover only one method to adopt or a single variety to grow, then it’s worth the trip. There are also surprising similarities between many gardens. Techniques and traditions that work are shared and […]
Seaweed is the sea’s gift to our edible garden. After a big storm the beaches are laden with detritus — a wonderful mix of seaweed, sand, sticks and the odd sand hopper. A stroll by the sea on a blustery day collecting seaweed in a sack might be just the tonic you and your garden […]
I’ve only just come to appreciate why my school art teacher was often slicing cabbages open and encouraging us to reproduce the intricate doodles inside. On the outside they can be pointy or round, crinkly or smooth, red or green. I’d grow them for their architectural beauty alone, particularly in winter when there’s space in […]
Beetroot doesn’t have to come pickled from a can, and the beautiful roots need be neither red nor round. In Wellington we can grow them most of the year and harvest them for their leaves, mini ‘gourmet’ globes for roasting and pickling whole, or robust full-sized roots. They are packed with phytonutrients, are colourful on […]
What all Wellington gardeners want for Christmas is warm sunshine, overnight showers and gentle breezes. But if you can’t influence any of those for your beloved gardener, you might want to try some of these more practical gifts for size. Some will fit in a stocking, others under the tree. While you’re thinking about a […]
Like humans, plants wilt and eventually die without water. They’re amazingly adapted to a variety of moisture levels, but we demand so much of our edible garden that it’s not surprising we have to intervene and irrigate if we want a bumper crop. More isn’t always better, though, and enough is often less than we […]
Gourmet gardening Even the finest forests of the world start from only a few seeds. Your edible garden can be the same. October is the best time to sow seeds outdoors for summer vegetable crops. Almost anything sown at this time of year will be a success. It’s warm enough to give them a […]
