Motueka Community Garden

01/05/2026

Harvest kumara, warm-up worm farms, prep asparagus for winter, plan new plantings, and lets not forget the heart of the operation – tis the perfect season for compost making.

01/05/2026

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For the longest time slugs and snails perplexed me. For every other pest I had a solution that got to the heart of the matter – it was the way I was feeding soil and plants that caused the pest, or there weren't enough predators, but for snails I relied on

14/03/2026

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01/03/2026

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As the mornings and nights start to cool off, the soil temperature soon follows. As soil cools, microbes, worms and plant growth slows. Grab the planting window! Focus on planting autumn and winter crops while a little warmth lingers to keep the flow of good food coming into your kitchen.

15/02/2026

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Make the most of the warm nights and fast growth (aside from this crazy cold snap!) to get slow growing winter crops underway to ensure there’s plenty of awesome food for your family through till spring. Here’s a few of my favs to get going now 🌱

𝘿𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙬:
- Greencrops to revive tired soil in preparation for heavy feeders such as brassicas to come in next
- Kohlrabi, parsnip, daikon, radish and carrots
- Coriander, salad greens and rocket beneath taller crops or flowers to keep them cooler and shaded so as to slow down bolting

𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙬:
- Start autumn brassicas off in successions - cauli, cabbage and broccoli
- Tray sow silverbeet, perpetual beet, chard, parsley, spring onion, red onion or celery

Don’t forget your companion flowers and herbs aswell!! Check out my latest article https://ediblebackyard.co.nz/february-in-the-vegie-patch-and-greenhouse/ for some garden guidance this month 👩🏼‍🌾

01/02/2026

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Heavy feeders are called heavy feeders because they are hungrier than light feeders. It's not that they need piles of fertiliser, what they need, is just enough... steady, not boom and bust. Overfeeding is, long term, perhaps worse than under feeding. Today is all about how much, is enough. Check

02/10/2025

Your fruit trees need you this month! All of Septembers jobs still apply - rinse and repeat - especially your regular walks in the orchard to keep abreast of flowering, bee activity and pollination. Check the to do list here for a refresh + reminder. Prune passionfruit, tamarillo and stonefruit Now'...

02/10/2025

The October vegie patch is pretty dam exciting with seedling raising in full swing and crops boosting away in the warming soil and air. Do your best to keep your head and don't rush into planting summer loving crops on the first fine day! Its hard, I know, but wait

02/10/2025

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Heat loving crops like pumpkin, zuchinni or tomato need warmth, its the trick to strong steady growth, and strong steady growth from the outset, makes for awesome crops later on down the track. In an ideal world, we plant our crops out when soil temperatures align with their happy place,

28/09/2025

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Spuds are so easy that you can accidently leave a tuber in ground and grow a whole new crop. Rogue potato seedlings turn up all over the place - I leave these