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Features
Shai Magic
Raglan organic grower, compost maker, gardening educator and permaculture landscape designer Shai Brod shares his compost-making and spring gardening tips with Mynda Mansfield.
Sliding into Spring
What does a ‘sliding scale’ price mean? I have been aware of this concept for years and had wanted to implement it in our business for several years as well, but had lacked the tech knowhow to create multiple prices for the same product until this winter. By Setha Davenport.
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Gardening
Moon Calendar Nov-Dec 2024
Timeliness is always key. When we do the job that needs doing as soon as we see it, or have an internal prompt to check in on it, I find it is far more efficient.
Creating on-farm fertility
Chaos Springs at Waihi run regular workshops about soil health, composting, and on-farm fertility. Jenny Lux reports on a recent workshop.
Moon Calendar October 2024
Suggested seasonal tasks based on the cosmos, are a wonderful starting point for investigation, as each farm, property or garden is a unique organism.
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Health and Food
Steamed eggplant with spicy sauce drizzle
This is an extremely simple dish that’s packed full of flavour. It’s great to cook during peak eggplant (aubergine) season in the garden. There's a homemade chilli oil recipe here too!
When Micromanaging is Good
Microbes are a big name in organic agriculture – in fact, they are the reason for everything. I’m not exaggerating here: the first life forms thought to have existed were – you guessed it – of such tiny proportions that you and I would have thought nothing of them. Story and photos by Paige Murray.
Asparagus & Lemon Walnut Crumble
The asparagus season is short, so make use of the season with a nutrient-laden crumble you can whip up in 10 minutes.
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Farming and Horticulture
What is Syntropic Agroforestry?
Syntropic agroforestry speaks of biomimicry, creating a system that is like a natural forest. Ecological succession is a key pillar. All plant species have their life cycles; each finds its niche within a system and in turn flourishes then dies in its own time. Story and photos by Andy Jeffs.
Winter Jobs for Blueberries in the Home Garden
There are many blueberry varieties available to the home gardener. Large and small, sweet and sour and everything else in between. They can be notoriously difficult to grow. So if you have some blueberry plants, here are a few winter jobs to help your plants to thrive. By Andy Jeffs.
Life Underground – A Guide To Aotearoa’s Soil Food Web
Without the diverse organisms within our soil there would be no land- dwelling life on Earth. Duncan Smith describes the creatures and critters that underpin our plants, and ultimately, ourselves.
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Building and Technology
Shelf life – or human life?
There is a new system of industrial food manufacturing that produces edible substances that are not food, but rather food products containing novel, synthetic molecules never found in nature. These ever-increasing laboratory-engineered chemistry experiments are designed to simulate food.
Critical Thinking on Gene Technology Regulation
Layers of manipulation and obfuscation are being used to package deregulation of gene technologies as a net positive. Bonnie Flaws outlines how, and why one of New Zealand’s leading biological science professors considers regulation the best tool we have to prevent risk.
Tourism doesn’t have to cost the earth
The tourism dollar is coming back, but at what cost? Claire Brunette investigates how New Zealand can, and does, balance the effect on the environment while still reaping the rewards in our economy.