Digging In with friends

We caught up with some gardening friends from our online community to find out how they will be ‘Digging In’ over the warmer months!

Jim @jimnzgarden Auckland
Our new season resolution is 'Digging In' the perennial mindset of a gardener. Growing plants that comes back year after year to give us food with less effort overall. Working full-time and growing a productive garden means we have to be extra efficient with our time. While nothing beats homegrown annuals like carrots, we will be growing more fruit trees and berries alongside the vegetable patch! We grow everything in raised beds because the ground is filled with rocks. We also have a lot of shade in the garden, my tip is to grow deciduous plants like apples and raspberries in a spot that gets less sun in the winter but more in the summer as they don't need sun while dormant. Reserve the sunnier spots for evergreens like citrus and feijoa. There are many challenges to gardening, but it would be hard to find a more rewarding hobby!

Ellen @chronicallyellen_eats South Auckland
Last Spring/Summer I did a lot of trials with new varieties and differing methods of growing potatoes, tomatoes and root vegetables with varying levels of success. With a variety of locations utilised, from in the greenhouse, to containers, to just stuffed in the vegetable garden instinctively. I'll be hand-picking my favourites from last year to ensure a repeated bountiful harvest and trying the tastier ones that didn't do as well in new areas. My main vegetable patch had a break over winter, and I can't wait to cover it in home-grown compost, then top it up with a few of my favourite Tui products such as Performance Organics Tomato & Vegetable Fertiliser, Organic Mini Sheep Pellets, and Vegetable Mix for a lush planting layer.

Jessie @lemonbalm_and_lavender Taumarunui
After some time living away, the winter months have brought a slow paced revitalisation of my Taumarunui maara kai. I’ve been busy refreshing my garden spaces and pathways for a few spring projects and plantings when the weather begins to warm. The project I am looking forward to most is digging into the soil along the new picket fence in front of my little railway cottage. I plan to plant along it in colourful layers of dahlias, stock, lavender, and herbs like English mint and lemonbalm. Other projects over the warmer growing months will be nurturing an expansive patch of heritage kūmara varieties, and transforming a messy compost corner into a wildflower haven for pollinators!

Annabel @thegardeningmumma Christchurch
This year is particularly special for us as we are renovating and extending our house, which means our garden will be completely redesigned. We are taking this opportunity to create a fresh, vibrant outdoor space that will complement the new extension with great indoor-outdoor flow based completely around the garden. The redesign will include dedicated areas for new crops, relocation of the greenhouse, experimenting with more vertical gardening, and incorporating sustainable gardening techniques to make the most of our smaller space. I look forward to sharing the progress and our journey as we 'Dig In' to create a garden that will be a source of joy and inspiration for seasons to come.