Author: Minette Tonoli

Planting Season is Upon Us! There’s a poem in Afrikaans (my home language) whose opening line proclaims (translated): “October! October!…

All systems: Go! Go! Go! Yay for springtime! The daffodils are flowering, the cherry trees are blossoming, there’s new growth…

Growing Salad Greens There was a lettuce shortage. Fast-food outlets in June and July issued statements about leaving out greens…

Water water everywhere!  I know it cannot be fully true, but it feels like the ground around me has not…

Sourdough is the oldest form of leavened bread, and was probably created by accident when dough was left out and…

Dig a hole at least twice the width of the root ball of the tree, and deep enough to cover…

Frosts Frosty mornings make for beautiful pictures, and lovely sunny days! Frosts are good too! A decent chill: disrupts pest…

When Minette Tonoli’s lifelong dream finally came true, moving into a beautiful homestead in May 2019, she was convinced it…

Weather outlook While NIWA’s seasonal outlook (for Coastal Canterbury) says that we can expect near normal or above normal temperature…

This article first appeared in Organic NZ Gardening magazine winter issue 2020  Cold winter weather makes us seek comfort in…