Your Garden Coach

A gorgeous little wax-eye feasting on what’s left of the crab apples in my early-spring garden.

This morning I spent 20 minutes standing beside Lindy as she documented the phenology here at Crosshill - noticing what was flowering, what was emerging, which birds were visiting, and all those small signs that show us the season is changing.

It was early, a little chilly, but incredibly peaceful. We stood quietly watching 20-30 tiny birds flitting through the crab apple tree and became completely absorbed in the moment.

We commented - neither of us would have imagined our younger selves finding such wonder in simply standing still and observing.

The wax-eye is also known as the silvereye, and in Māori as tauhou - meaning ‘new arrival’, which feels very fitting as the garden emerges into early spring.

Twenty quiet minutes of simply 'noticing' was a rather wonderful way to start the day. Try it with a cup of homegrown herbal tea to keep your hands warm, unless you are the photographer - isn't she amazing by the way!

Heading into year 4 of our Garden Podcast - Season 4 Episode 1 is now live. You can find the episode here: www.yourgardencoach.nz/podcast

A little peek into Del’s garden…

You’ll know Del from Dishes with Del on the podcast.
Del has some lovely new raised beds, and Your Garden Coach NZ is helping with the technical side - what to grow, where to grow it, soil preparation, planting plans, timing, and all those little decisions that help a new productive garden get off to a good start.

Del will be doing the growing - and, knowing Del, turning plenty of the harvest into something delicious.
The Spinach is already loving its home and will be on the dinner plate really soon.

We’ll share the progress as the beds develop, including what works, what we change along the way, and eventually what comes out of the kitchen.
From raised bed to dinner plate — with Del.

This week’s Subscriber Email – The Wardian Case

Because I was pondering the origins of glasshouses and I went down a rabbit hole - (not literally, of course, - though that could happen in our rabbit-infested Central Otago region)

Have you ever wondered how plants travelled halfway around the world long before plastic pots, air freight, and modern glasshouses?

This week’s bonus subscriber email takes a little detour into gardening history with the fascinating story of the Wardian Case – a simple glass box that completely changed the way plants were transported around the world.

This one is just for interest – because sometimes it’s lovely to know a little more about the history behind the plants we grow.

Have you subscribed to our newsletters yet?

Usually they’re packed with practical, seasonal gardening information – what to sow, plant and do in the garden right now, along with ideas to help you garden with the seasons.

And every now and then, I’ll send you something simply because I think you’ll enjoy it.

Join us via the website – yourgardencoach.nz

What exactly is a herb?

Most of us have a pretty good idea of what we mean when we say herb - but strangely, it’s quite difficult to define precisely.

We tend to think of herbs as the familiar culinary plants: parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage and basil. But the herb family is much broader than that.

A herb can be a plant we grow for flavour, fragrance, medicine, flowers, pollinators, or simply because it helps other plants in the garden.

Herbs become particularly valuable in the vegetable garden.

Rather than keeping them tucked away in a separate herb bed, I like to weave them through the vegetables.
Borage - because it's beautiful and useful
Basil amongst the tomatoes
Dill and coriander allowed to flower for beneficial insects
Thyme creeping along the edge of a bed
Chives amongst carrots and leafy greens (but not near the beans)
Calendula bringing in pollinators
Nasturtiums scrambling around the edges
Sage and rosemary near plants that enjoy similar dry conditions

This is companion planting at its simplest - creating a diverse garden where plants, insects and soil life all have a part to play. Some are happy companions - others require a little research for best results.

So, as you plan your vegetable garden for the coming growing season, let me know in the comments.

Which herbs will you be incorporating amongst your vegetables this year - and what are you hoping they will do?

Flavour? Pollinators? Pest confusion? Beneficial insects? Or simply because you love having them there?

It’s never too early to learn about water in the garden.

Where it comes from, where it goes, how we can catch it - and why we need to look after it.

For gardeners, understanding water is one of the most important lessons we can learn. How it moves through our soil, where it collects, where the garden dries out first, and how we can make better use of every drop.

And perhaps learning about all of that can start very simply...

Sitting in a puddle with the freedom to splash.

Do you have a 'Water Plan'?

Preparing the tunnel/greenhouse for tomatoes and heat lovers. New blog post up on our website: www.yourgardencoach.nz/blog

Wondering where to start in Late Winter?

Sow Indoors - Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chillis, eggplant, lettuce, onions, shallots, peas (try the seed snail method), silver beet, spinach

Sow Outdoors (depending on your Zone) - broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic (yes it's late, but give it a go), lettuce, onions, peas, radish, silver beet.

Seedlings (depending on your Zone - Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, peas, silver beet.

Lift and divide - Chives, Garlic chives, Globe artichoke, Horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, Lemon balm, Lovage, Mint (best on large pots), Oregano/marjoram
Perennial/Welsh onions, Rhubarb, Skirret, Sorrel, Tarragon – French, Thyme
Walking/Egyptian onions

Tasks - Make a plan! Know which plants companion well together, and which should stay well apart.
Chit potatoes
Add compost