If you’re feeling overwhelmed and bewildered about what constitutes planet-friendly fashion, you’re not alone. Claire Brunette unpicks the multilayered environmental and ethical issues within the fashion industry.
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Clothing is powerful and necessary, and a handwoven burlap sack just doesn’t do it for most people these days. The right clothes can help get you the job you want, keep you safe, change how you see yourself and how others see you; they can be a source of joy.
If clothing production ceased tomorrow, there would be enough clothing in the world to keep us going for a very long time, but we keep producing more than we can use. It’s getting harder and harder to process the wall of information about clothing that is out there. What is actively environmentally harmful? What is exploiting the people making the fabric? What seems sustainable, and says it is, but shimmering below the surface has the nasty tint of greenwashing?
An oft-repeated statement is that the most sustainable piece of clothing is the item you already own, but what if that item is releasing tiny microplastics into the ocean every time you wash it? Microplastics are now found in our kaimoana, our honey, our salt and our blood. A report published by Scion in 2019 showed that 87 per cent of microplastics found on Auckland beaches were likely to be from fabric fibres released during laundering.
So how do we get dressed in the morning in a world that’s tugging us in different directions? Information is empowering, so before you buy anything, especially anything new, let’s explore fabrics. It’s important to note that no fabric is perfect and all have their own unique impact. It is still an essential tenet of sustainability to use what you have and to seek items that are already circulating.
Synthetics
The big bads of fabric. Derived from fossil fuels and irresistibly cheap to make. Polyester, nylon, acrylic and their ilk are to be avoided whenever possible. They continue their dirty work post-production, shedding microplastic fibres into the marine environment every time they are washed. Many vegan alternatives are simply plastic. Companies are rushing to make garments out of recycled polyester, turning plastic bottles into tracksuits, but as these items are still capable of fibre shedding, it’s best to save your recycled polyester purchases for items that don’t need to be washed, such as shoes.
Semi-synthetics
Viscose, rayon and bamboo all come under the umbrella of semi-synthetic cellulose. The wood pulp, bamboo or other raw plant material is put through rigorous, chemical-intensive processes to break the fibres down into a product that can be spun and woven into fabric. The resulting fabric is biodegradable, breathable and silky on the skin, making it extremely popular with consumers.
Unfortunately, the environmental and human cost of producing cellulose is high. According to the non-profit environmental organisation Canopy, 3.2 billion trees are cut down every year for cellulose production, up to 30 per cent of which is from ancient and endangered forests. The Changing Markets Foundation released a report in 2017 revealing that viscose factories in Indonesia, China and India were dumping highly toxic wastewater into local waterways, destroying marine life and exposing workers and local populations to harmful chemicals. Awareness around these issues has increased, and manufacturers have been making changes, so when purchasing cellulosic fabrics, look for brand names, such as EcoVero, that encourage responsible, closed-loop production.
Flora Collingwood-Norris is an ethical, low-impact knitwear designer based in Scotland, and a champion of visible mending – a technique where repair work is deliberately made into a feature.
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Soft and smooth, cotton allows air to circulate, keeps you cool in summer and is an ideal inner layer in winter. We love cotton! It also is an incredibly thirsty crop using often inefficient irrigation systems that divert water from natural sources. According to WWF, cotton cultivation severely degrades soil quality, leading to expansion into new areas and the attendant destruction of habitat. Cotton production is heavy on pesticide use, threatening the surrounding ecology of cotton-growing areas and the people that live there. It is hard to forget the dark past of cotton production, and bonded and child slavery are still of concern today.
GMO cotton has long been touted as an alternative and now accounts for close to 100 per cent of cotton grown in Australia. It is designed to increase both insect resistance and herbicide tolerance (so products such as glyphosate can be applied for a longer period of time) while reducing the need for water. An obviously controversial choice.
If you want fresh cotton in your wardrobe, organic is the best choice. Check for labels with GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification. GOTS is a non-profit that prohibits the use of GMO cotton while maintaining high organic, labour and welfare standards.
Most recycled cotton comes from pre-consumer waste, scraps and excess from factories. These are shredded and woven into new fabrics, which often have a pleasing speckled appearance. There are innovations that are creating a pulp out of those scraps by dissolving them with a solvent, so it’s worth looking into how the garment you are buying is recycled, but luckily most producers have this information prominently displayed on their websites.
Linen
Breathable, moth-resistant and durable, linen is grown from flax (Linum usitatissimum – a different species from Phormium tenax, our native harakeke), a resilient, ancient plant that can thrive in poor soils and requires a fraction of the water that cotton does. Organic linen is even better, as nitrates and toxic dyes aren’t used in its production. GOTS certification is also available for linen. Overall, linen is an excellent choice. The con is that all this comes at a premium price.
Wool
Our beloved national fibre is natural, warm and biodegradable. But is it sustainable? There are currently over one billion sheep in the world. That’s far too many to be considered planet conscious, and sheep farming is resource-intensive. According to Circumfauna, who do research on the impact of animal-derived materials, more than 367 times the amount of land is required for wool than for cotton in Australia, and an Australian wool-knit sweater emits about 27 times more greenhouse gas emissions than a cotton-knit sweater. The wool industry comes with a host of issues relevant to those interested in animal welfare. If you are looking for wool, check for accredited or organic wool to mitigate concerns. It may be easier for hand knitters to trace their wool through small suppliers. Recycled wool is often blended with polyester for durability, so beware. There is nothing like the warmth of wool, so consider looking for second-hand items to keep the chill off.
Silk
The fanciest fabric of all, silk biodegrades and keeps rural artisans in business in an almost zero-waste industry. Unfortunately, it’s a fussy fabric to maintain, with the care instructions usually demanding dry cleaning. Its animal welfare credentials are nil, thanks to the traditional step of boiling the silkworms alive to separate the silk from the worm. Sericulture requires very little land use but unfortunately is water-intensive. The dyeing process is where toxic chemicals can shimmy their way into production, so look for naturally dyed items. New alternatives, such as peace silk (where the silkworms aren’t killed), spider silk and silk made from fruit fibre are being developed and offer exciting possibilities for the future.
Second time round
Cost can be a significant barrier to accessing responsibly produced clothes for many. Making beautiful clothes in a way that takes the planet and its people into account is unavoidably expensive. Natural, organic fibres cost more than synthetic, and fair labour costs more than exploitation.
Purchasing second-hand clothing is a lower cost option, but generally requires a larger investment in time. Op shops can sometimes be a challenging place to shop as the racks are becoming increasingly filled with the poorly constructed, synthetic-heavy clothes of recent years. There are a number of people selling second-hand clothing online, curated according to particular needs or aesthetics. However, for some people, the stigma of second-hand clothing is hard to shake. And if you are at either end of the size spectrum, finding quality second-hand clothing can be close to impossible. It’s easy to see the allure of shops that stock your size, in your style, at a price that won’t eat too far into the weekly shop.
Hamilton-based sustainable fashion label KoiNo’s garments are made to order and range from size 8 to size 28.
Slow wins the race
Where the sustainable industry fails, where fashion fails in general, is in providing for a plus-sized market. Amanda Matthews, owner of KoiNo, a Hamilton-based, size-inclusive, sustainable fashion label, agrees that many brands don’t see the value in extending their sizing. “Increasing a size range to include plus size is not always as simple as extending sizing by taking standard sizes and making them bigger. Often new patterns are needed, with adjustments made to make the style fit well on a bigger body.”
To avoid this problem, and its associated costs, Amanda bases her patterns on an XL, grading up or down from there, as she finds this creates a better fit on a wider range of sizes. This isn’t the only clever model that Amanda has adopted. Her garments are made to order, essentially eliminating unsold pieces. “I don’t need to invest in making every size in every style in every colour. I only make what is needed.”
In Aotearoa, we are lucky to have a raft of fashion designers who are eco-conscious and innovative, from I Used To Be, who make frankly adorable bags out of discarded pool toys, to the chic Kowtow, whose clothes read as a love letter to the rain-fed, fair-trade organic cotton they are made from.
Change is coming to fashion. Technology is firmly focused on future solutions. It won’t be long until we are wearing mushroom leather and lab-grown wool. Until then, choose your clothes wisely and love them well.
Claire Brunette is a writer, worrier and textile enthusiast who lives in Tāmaki Makaurau.
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As the air cools and the leaves begin to turn, a familiar scent signals the arrival of one of New Zealand’s most iconic seasonal fruits, the feijoa.
With its unmistakable perfume and tangy-sweet flavour, the feijoa is more than just a garden staple, writes Paula Sharp; it’s nutrition packed in a fibrous skin, and it has a firm place in childhood memories and Kiwi culture.
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A brief history
Feijoas (Feijoasellowiana, formerly Accasellowiana) are native to the highlands of southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina.
They were introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand in the early twentieth century and quickly found a natural home in our temperate climate.
Over time, feijoas have become so embedded in New Zealand life that many people assume they are native. They are in the myrtle family – along with pōhutukawa and rata, whose flowers are similar.
From schoolyard swaps to overfilled buckets left at the gate, feijoa season is a community event.
Feijoas may be small, but they pack a big nutritional punch. They are particularly rich in vitamin C, supporting immune function as we head into the cooler months, exactly when many people begin to feel run down.
They are also high in dietary fibre, especially soluble fibre, which helps nourish beneficial gut bacteria and support digestion. For people navigating bloating, sluggish digestion, or changing hormones, this kind of gentle, food-first support can be incredibly powerful.
Feijoas contain antioxidants such as polyphenols, helping to reduce inflammation and protect cells from oxidative stress. They also provide potassium, supporting heart health and fluid balance
Interestingly, feijoas contain natural compounds that may support mood and calm the nervous system, perhaps part of the reason they feel so comforting to eat.
Autumn is a natural time to reset. If your energy feels low, digestion is off, or hormones are shifting, small changes using seasonal food, like feijoas can make a real difference. For personalised, practical support, visit www.paulasharpnutrition.com or email paulasharp31@icloud.com.
Growing feijoas at home
Feijoa trees are well suited to organic growing and are relatively low maintenance, making them ideal for home gardens. They thrive in full sun and well-drained soil and are hardy once established.
For the best fruit production, plant two varieties to encourage cross-pollination. Varieties such as Apollo, Unique, and Kaiteri perform well across many regions of New Zealand.
Feijoas benefit from regular watering during dry periods and a layer of organic mulch to retain moisture and support soil health. Feeding with compost or organic fertiliser in spring will encourage strong growth and fruiting.
One of the joys of feijoas is that the fruit drops when ripe, no picking required. Simply gather them from the ground each day during the season. Just be quick, as birds and insects love them too.
Feijoa season often brings abundance; healthy trees can be BIG and therefore the harvest is vast. Rather than letting the fruit go to waste, this is a perfect opportunity to preserve, share, and get creative in the kitchen. Feijoas freeze well (simply scoop out the flesh), making them an easy addition to smoothies, baking, or desserts through the winter.
Simple feijoa recipes
Feijoa & ginger compote
.Fabulous for breakfast, dessert or a snack. Serves 2.
Ingredients
10–12 ripe feijoas
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
juice of ½ lemon
splash of water
Method
Scoop out the feijoa and place in a saucepan with the honey, ginger, lemon juice, and water.
Gently simmer for 10–15 minutes until soft and fragrant.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Serve with: Greek yoghurt, porridge, or over pancakes. Stores well in the fridge.
Feijoa crumble
Filling
12–15 feijoas, scooped
1 apple, grated
1 tbsp honey or a handful of raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
Topping
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup almond meal
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
2 tbsp maple syrup
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Combine filling ingredients and place in a baking dish.
Mix topping ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle over the fruit.
Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden.
Serve with yoghurt or cream.
Want more seasonal nutrition inspiration?
I’m Paula Sharp, nutritional therapist and founder of Paula Sharp Nutrition, supporting women to nourish their health with sustainable food and mindset habits.
If you’d like seasonal recipes, practical nutrition tips and evidence-based wellness insights delivered straight to your inbox, I’d love you to join my newsletter. Sign up at: www.paulasharpnutrition.com
After years in Aotearoa New Zealand’s wilderness, Miriam Lancewood sets off to Bulgaria, the Himalayas, India, Turkey, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
In Alone in the World, her third book, she describes how she hitchhikes to remote locations, camps in the wild, fights off bears and unwanted men, climbs mountains and survives by eating from the land and living by her wits.
This inspiring story also includes practical advice for preparing for the unexpected, living without modern conveniences, and lists of expedition gear and food.
ABOVE: Cover image of Alone in the World, and on top of the 4000-metre pass in Kyrgyzstan
TOP PHOTO: Miriam Lancewood with sticks – photo: Lottie Hedley
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I walked into virgin forest – it had never been logged. The difference to regenerating forest was striking – these trees were tall and ancient, and the atmosphere felt calm, almost serene. The air was filled with the chirping of bellbirds, and the beech trees stood proudly, their ancient trunks exuding a sense of dignity and timelessness.
Above the evergreen canopy was a bright blue sky, and the sun lit up cheerful patches on the ground. Fantails fluttered behind me wherever I went. Every now and then a curious robin dropped out of the sky to see what I was up to. Then I arrived in an open clearing and saw the Dragons Teeth. The sight both scared me and fired me up.
“Hello, Dragon, I’m coming!” I said out loud.
I laughed, hearing my own voice.
After some hours walking up the river I began to look for suitable goat country. I know these creatures well. In my bow-hunting years I became very familiar with goats by observing them almost every day. I had studied their routines, habits and patterns. I know they prefer dry, sunny places. The old male loves to sit on a lookout point to guard his harem. They like to sleep under an overhang. Goats have their own trails, which are well trodden, but sometimes they will cross near-vertical rock faces, making it hard for us two-footers to follow.
In the afternoon I found a peaceful clearing with lush grass on the banks of a stream. I was delighted to hear the ‘whio’ whistling sound of the rarely encountered blue duck. I heard the male’s warning call before I saw the dark blue waterfowls. The pair glided swiftly and elegantly over the water, diving here and there, before eventually disappearing down the fast-flowing river.
I ate some dandelion and chickweed leaves and waited for the goats with the sun on my back and the wind in my face. I knew I was in goat country because I saw their recent poo. I could almost smell their presence – yet I saw nothing.
On my third day without food I gradually became more hungry. The hunger pangs came in two-hourly intervals.
My solution was to put in more effort. I scouted the whole valley, roamed the side creeks, combed through every bit of bush. No goats.
But I burnt a lot of calories looking for them. I was so hungry I began breathing exercises, which made my tummy feel full – albeit for short moments. Drinking lots of water and clover tea filled the stomach but didn’t give me more energy.
Munching on edible plants, like sorrel and the tips of supplejack, seemed only to remind my stomach that more should be coming, which made me even more hungry.
That afternoon I heard a rustling through the leaf litter. It sounded exactly like a small goat that was obviously not trying to be quiet. Surprisingly, the noise seemed to come my way. I stopped in my tracks, placed the magazine in its chamber, and silently loaded a bullet. Ever so carefully I turned around, scanning the forest for the creature that approached so boldly. It sounded really close now.
There it was! Alas, a weka!
Above: Miriam’s last summer in the wilderness in New Zealand – skinning a hare at our camp in Rainbow Valley, Marlborough. Photo: John Bozinov
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Wrinkled on the outside, vibrant and jewel-like inside, passionfruit is one of New Zealand’s most distinctive summer fruits.
Beyond its distinctive aroma and tangy sweetness, passionfruit offers impressive nutritional benefits, supporting digestion, immunity, heart health and even mood. Small but mighty, this fruit earns its place as more than just a decorative topping, as Paula Sharp elaborates.
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Growing passionfruit
Grown widely across warmer regions, particularly in home gardens and organic orchards, passionfruit thrives with minimal intervention when conditions are right, making it a natural fit for organic growing systems. You can grow it from seed, generally from October to May.
Passionfruit (Passiflora edulis) likes moist, fertile soil and a warm, sunny and sheltered spot.
A framework, such as wires or trellis, is essential for the vine to to climb up. It can be grown alongside a fence, with wires, or even in a tub, with bamboo stakes or tub trellis.
Photo: Eka P. Amdela / Unsplash
A nutrient-dense favourite
Passionfruit is rich in vitamins, minerals and plant compounds that support whole-body health. Just one fruit contains a meaningful amount of vitamin C, essential for immune function, skin health and collagen production. Vitamin A and carotenoids contribute to eye health and cellular repair, while potassium supports healthy blood pressure and heart rhythm.
Focus on fibre
What truly sets passionfruit apart is its fibre content. The edible seeds and pulp provide both soluble and insoluble fibre, supporting digestive health, bowel regularity and beneficial gut bacteria. For those focusing on blood sugar balance, fibre helps slow the absorption of natural sugars, making passionfruit a smart addition to meals rather than a spike-and-crash snack.
Gut health and digestion
Traditionally passionfruit is used in herbal medicine systems for its calming properties, but modern nutrition also highlights its role in digestive wellbeing. The fibre feeds beneficial gut microbes and supports healthy gut motility, the coordinated muscular contractions that move food efficiently through the digestive tract.
The polyphenols in passionfruit act as antioxidants, helping to reduce inflammation in the digestive tract. In organic systems, where soil health is prioritised, fruits like passionfruit often show higher polyphenol content. Healthy soils produce resilient plants, and that resilience is reflected in their nutritional profile.
Photo: Bluesnap / Pixabay
Heart and metabolic support
Passionfruit contains potassium, magnesium and plant sterols that collectively support cardiovascular health. Fibre plays a role in lowering LDL cholesterol, while antioxidants help protect blood vessels from oxidative stress.
For those managing insulin resistance or aiming for metabolic balance, passionfruit works best paired with protein or healthy fats, for example alongside yoghurt, nuts or seeds to further stabilise blood sugar levels.
A gentle mood booster
Interestingly, compounds found in the passionflower family have been studied for their calming effects on the nervous system. While the fruit itself is milder than medicinal extracts, its magnesium content and antioxidant profile can support stress resilience as part of a balanced diet. The sensory experience alone, that tropical aroma and burst of flavour, often brings a moment of joy, which is no small thing in today’s busy world.
Choosing and using passionfruit
Ripe passionfruit should feel heavy for their size with wrinkled skin – smooth skins usually indicate under ripeness. Organically grown fruit may show more surface imperfections, but inside, the pulp remains vibrant and nutrient-rich.
Passionfruit requires little preparation: simply halve, scoop and eat. The seeds are entirely edible and contribute much of the fibre and beneficial fats.
Photo: Bluesnap / Pixabay
Simple Passionfruit Recipes
Passionfruit Coconut Chia Pudding
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup organic coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
pulp of 2 ripe passionfruit
½ tsp vanilla extract
optional: drizzle of raw honey or maple syrup
Method
Mix all ingredients in a bowl or jar.
Stir well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Serve topped with fresh berries or toasted coconut.
Photo: Monika Borys, Unsplash
Passionfruit Yoghurt Dressing
Perfect for both fruit salads or leafy greens
Ingredients
pulp of 1–2 passionfruit
½ cup unsweetened Greek or coconut yoghurt
1 tsp olive oil
pinch of sea salt
Method
Whisk all ingredients until smooth.
Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to two days.
Passionflower Tea
The fruit offers vibrant nutrition, but also the leaves and flowers of the passion vine, particularly species such as Passiflora incarnata. This is traditionally drunk as a herbal tea (or herbal tincture) because of its renowned calming properties.
Passionflower tea is useful when you are feeling: mild anxiety and nervous tension, restless sleep, and/or stress-related digestive discomfort.
The plant contains flavonoids and alkaloids thought to gently influence GABA receptors in the brain. These promote relaxation without heavy sedation. It’s often used as part of a bedtime routine or during heightened stress.
NB. While considered safe, it’s not recommended during pregnancy, and anyone on sedative medication should seek professional guidance before use.
How to make passionflower tea
Place 1 teaspoon dried organic passionflower (leaf and flower) in a teapot or infuser. Pour over a cup of ‘near to’ boiling water.
Cover and steep for 5–10 minutes. (The longer it’s left, the stronger the flavour and herbal properties. As a sleep aid, steep for 10 minutes or more).
Strain and enjoy warm.
Ideally, for sleep support, drink 30–60 minutes before bed. For daytime calm, enjoy mid-afternoon.
Photo: CollectingPixels / Pixabay
Want more seasonal nutrition inspiration?
I’m Paula Sharp, nutritional therapist and founder of Paula Sharp Nutrition, supporting women to nourish their health with sustainable food and mindset habits.
If you’d like seasonal recipes, practical nutrition tips and evidence-based wellness insights delivered straight to your inbox, I’d love you to join my newsletter. Sign up at: www.paulasharpnutrition.com
Photo at top of article: Michael Kucharski / Unsplash
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Successful food and flower growing starts well before seedlings or seeds are planted in the ground. Planning, preparation, soil care, and nutrition are all endeavours undertaken in the seasons before.
As we pass through the most abundant time of year, as the fruiting crops hang from their vines and branches, as we preserve the bounty for the cooler times, it can be a time where we have given and taken so much from our gardens… but this is a very important time for preparation too.
The harvested stonefruit trees are setting up now for next year’s fruit; this is a crucial time to feed, replenish and take care. If you are struggling in high humidity, warm areas with fungal dis-eases, try pruning in late summer rather than winter, as often the trees do not go dormant. Spraying equisetum monthly at moon opposition Saturn suppresses the fungal bloom back down into the soil. If you are wanting to support overall tree health and nutrition, for all types of trees, biodynamic tree paste is a fantastic option.
Now is also a great time to get green crops sown to rest parts of your established garden through the autumn and winter months. Try a mix of mustard, lupins, oats, barley, phacelia, buckwheat and marigold. If you want to bring in new areas, or create multiple spaces for resilience, sow green crops in these spaces now, to free up later for spring and summer. It’s also an opportunity for making compost to be ready for the spring, or for setting up a worm farm, but also taking the time to plant beneficial plants for tonics such as comfrey, nettle, dandelion, chickweed.
If you are looking to strengthen the resilience of your garden and nutrient density, autumn is also the perfect time to do a biodynamic preparation 500 stir and spread. This incredible method has a wealth of microbial activity, fungi, bacteria, and starts to bring the cosmos and mineral kingdom into balance, as well as being a foundational building block for a flourishing garden.
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Monique Macfarlane is a holistic food systems facilitator, teaching biodynamics, planting by the moon, no-dig food growing and self-sufficiency. See www.natural-wisdom.net
Monique co-creates with organic, biodynamic, regenerative, no-till, and natural principles on eight hectares in Waihi that includes a small market garden, orchard, pastoral grazing, chickens and agroforestry.
Soil & Health Auckland has the pleasure of hearing from Savannah Carter-Green, who runs the Kai Rākau Project at Auckland Council’s Sanders Reserve on the North Shore.
All welcome.
The Kai Rākau (Food Tree) Project is a community collection of heritage fruit, nut and subtropical trees, plus native medicinal trees and plants for the purposes of education, protection and heritage.
Savannah will tell us:
About how and why the project began
Where it is now
and its future goals and aspirations
Thursday 12 February 2026
7pm start time – sign-in, koha, and time to browse the sales tables.
7: 30pm – general business and announcements followed by our guest speaker, and question time.
9 pm Supper time – plate for our shared supper is always welcome
VENUE: Western Springs Gardens Community Halls, 956 Great North Road, Western Springs, Auckland
Offers of help with setting up from 6:40pm or tidying up afterward are gratefully accepted!
If you wish to download the ‘flyer’ above, you can do so here.
Few foods say ‘New Zealand summer’ quite like watermelon. Crisp, refreshing and naturally sweet, the watermelon is more than a picnic staple: it’s a nutritional ally for hydration, heart health and skin vitality.
With its high water content and vibrant pink-red flesh, watermelon earns its place as one of summer’s most supportive seasonal foods, as Paula Sharp writes.
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The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is believed to have originated in Africa over 5000 years ago, where it was valued not only for its sweetness but its ability to store water in hot, dry climates. Archaeological evidence shows watermelon seeds placed in Egyptian tombs, highlighting its role as a life-sustaining food. From Africa, watermelons spread through the Mediterranean and Asia, eventually becoming a summer fruit worldwide.
Growing watermelons
Today, watermelons are grown seasonally in New Zealand, particularly in warmer regions with long sunny days and free-draining soils. They thrive in warm, sunny conditions and need room to sprawl. They prefer fertile, compost-rich soil with good drainage and consistent watering, particularly while fruit is forming.
Seeds are best planted after the last frost, once soil temperatures are reliably warm. Organic growers often use mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds. It usually takes 70-100 days from planting to harvesting, although some varieties take up to 120 days. A ripe watermelon sounds hollow when tapped and has a creamy yellow patch where it rested on the ground.
Seeds are best planted after the last frost, once soil temperatures are reliably warm. Organic growers often use mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
It usually takes 70-100 days from planting to harvesting, although some varieties take up to 120 days. A ripe watermelon sounds hollow when tapped and has a creamy yellow patch where it rested on the ground.
Photo: Lorenzo Andreotti, Pixabay
Super hydration
Watermelons are made up of around 90% water; they are among the most hydrating foods available. This is especially valuable during summer when dehydration can creep in unnoticed, particularly for children and older adults.
As well as water, watermelons provide electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium, which support fluid balance, muscle function and nerve signalling. For those who struggle to drink enough water, watermelons offer a refreshing and nourishing alternative.
Photo: Matheus Bertelli, Pexels
Nutrition
Despite its sweetness, the watermelon is relatively low in calories and delivers meaningful nutritional value. It provides vitamin C to support immune health and collagen formation, and vitamin A (as beta-carotene) to support skin, eye and cellular health.
The red flesh of the watermelon is rich in lycopene: a powerful antioxidant linked to reduced oxidative stress and improved heart health. Notably, watermelons contain highly bioavailable lycopene, making them a valuable addition to a cardioprotective diet.
Watermelons also contain the amino acid citrulline, which is found in the flesh and pale rind. Citrulline supports nitric oxide production in the body, helping to improve blood flow and support circulation and exercise recovery.
Cautions
Watermelons suit most, but not all people.
Diabetes or insulin resistance: natural sugars in watermelon can raise blood glucose more quickly when eaten on its own. Pairing it with protein or healthy fats and keeping portions moderate can improve tolerance.
Post bariatric surgery: Larger amounts of watermelon may trigger blood sugar swings or symptoms of dumping syndrome due to the high water and sugar content. Smaller portions, eaten slowly and alongside protein, are usually better tolerated.
Digestive sensitivities (including irritable bowel syndrome – IBS): Watermelon’s fructose content can cause bloating. Individual tolerance varies, so listening to your body is key.
Nature’s timing
For me, eating watermelon is a reminder of nature’s timing: a cooling, hydrating food arriving exactly when we need it most. Simple, joyful and deeply nourishing, watermelons show that good nutrition can be practical and pleasurable.
Watermelon, mint & feta salad
Ingredients
4 cups watermelon, cubed
½ cup organic feta, crumbled
handful fresh mint leaves, torn
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
optional: squeeze of lime juice
Method
Serve chilled.
Gently toss watermelon, feta and mint in a bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil, season with pepper and add lime juice if using.
Photo: Monika Borys, Unsplash
Watermelon hydration slushie
A great electrolyte. Serves 2.
Ingredients
3 cups watermelon, deseeded
juice of ½ lemon
pinch of sea salt
a few ice cubes
optional: fresh mint or basil
Method
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately.
Photo: Marcelo Verfe, Pexels
AUTHOR BIO
PaulaSharp is a nutritional therapist based in Whakatāne, New Zealand, supporting people, especially women to improve digestion, hormones, energy and overall wellbeing through practical, holistic nutrition.
Join the Sharp Bite Newsletter: for seasonal nutrition tips, recipes and simple wellbeing insights, subscribe to Paula’s Sharp Bite newsletter at www.paulasharpnutrition.com.
This article was first published by Earthworkers and is republished here with their kind permission.
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I have always been a details-oriented sort of person. As a child I remember planting flowers with my Mum, learning all of their names and pressing them in a flower press. I later I revelled in learning how to identify and use the three names of all our native vascular flora (Māori, English and scientific). My first career was in plant ecology, after I did a Masters in that area looking at the relationships between soil and the regeneration of kauri forest after fire.
Moving between the details and the big picture, I became seriously concerned about climate change around the time of my late twenties. Not just mildly concerned as I had been in my youth, but in-your-face, losing-sleep, suffering-existential-fear-and-anxiety level of concern.
Of course, this had coincided with finding a husband who was a big-picture thinker and having two wonderful baby boys. I did not end up giving up at that point, but I decided that when I got back to paid work, I would be dedicating my time to a career in climate action.
Above: Richard scything grass
Growing vegetables
I moved from field-based plant ecology work to growing and selling organic vegetables, as a home-based profession that could keep me close to our kids and our food. Richard helped me establish Lux Organics, a small-scale organic market garden on the outskirts of Rotorua. He initially kept his day job as an ecologist, but then joined me full-time in the business for three years. My parents got involved, providing a generational backbone to the business.
We grew beautiful vegetables for our community, and by the time the Covid crisis and lockdowns occurred, we were able to pivot to vege boxes, bringing them to peoples’ doors with our electric van. We started hiring seasonal staff in 2020, which meant a succession of people learning the organic growing methods with us. By 2023 we had added solar panels to our shed, powering our household, vegetable chiller and van with the sun.
This has been a journey of creating a business that minimises carbon emissions while growing food. Hand tools, electric tools and hands in the soil have been our main inputs. The productivity of our soil has been the foundation of our business (as it is for all farming) and we have strived to care for it, taking soil tests each year, and learning about every aspect of soil health along the way.
When you grow a crop for market, and especially when you grow over 40 of them (!), there are a lot of questions and uncertainties about how to manage the soil, what might be affecting the outcomes you’re seeing, how to solve problems, and how to keep producing all through the seasons.
These veins of query are what led me to the five-day Earthworkers Regenerative Horticulture 101 course in the winter of 2021. I attended with two of my staff and I encountered a whole group of amazing people involved in different sorts of projects who were on my wavelength.
I discovered new terms which opened up my mind to the soil ecosystem in a new way. Quorum sensing, cation exchange, paramagnetism, root exudates, polycropping. I have kept in touch with the group ever since (online and in person), and this has led to multiple fertile exchanges and more farm visits, opportunities to learn and even to help others. It’s a magic human interaction!
ABOVE: Lux Organics market garden, February 2025
In recent years, with the domestic recession, business has been tough, as local people cut their organic vegetable spending. Looking at in a big picture way, it’s a manifestation of how people cannot/do not make longer-term environmental and health choices when they are poor and worried about their daily survival. Our business relies only on its connection with the local food system, rather than export.
While we experienced a huge high after the Covid crisis, when people suddenly became concerned about the sustainability of their local food supply, we are now in a phase of relentless cost-cutting. Our customer base has concentrated to only those who value food produced in a way that is free from contamination, and which looks after land.
Now that I have been working in practical agroecology on my own land for over nine years, I am curious about taking my soil knowledge deeper and broader, to have a wider impact. It’s one of those cliches… the more you learn, the more you realise you don’t know, and it becomes impossible to give simple explanations any more.
I would now never say, “ah, just use compost and everything will be fine”. There’s a lot more to growing, and to soil, than most of us really, truly understand. My curiosity burns and I want to know which levers to pull to achieve the healthiest crops and soil. Looking again to the bigger picture, how we manage soil on our productive land is the probably the most important aspect of New Zealand’s climate emissions profile.
This is why I’ve dedicated pretty much all of my market garden earnings in 2025 so far to further study and investing in my own knowledge growth.
I have taken papers at the University of Waikato in soil science and hydrological management, and I have attended specialist courses by regenerative educators (Graeme Sait from Nutri-tech Solutions, and Nicole Masters from Integrity Soils).
I am building up a research library and reaching out to soil mentors for the next step in my career. I even bought a microscope from a fellow Earthworker (thank you Coral).
All of this new learning is feeding directly into the next stage of my journey — growing my skills, confidence, and contribution through the Earthworkers community.
Over the next few months, I’ll be deepening my learning through the new Regenerative Horticulture 201 and Future Agronomists courses, working directly with Daniel Schuurman as we develop and pilot both programmes. My goal is to grow my capacity as a biology-first regenerative agronomist — someone who can read the soil, guide other growers, and support the shift toward biology-led farming across Aotearoa.
In 2024 I mentored for For the Love of Bees on their year-long Communities of Regenerative Learning programme, which opened a new path for me as a mentor within the sector. That experience, and my continued involvement supporting new growers through the post course Earthworkers WhatsApp network, has shown me how powerful it is when we stay connected — helping one another, sharing knowledge, and learning together every day out in the field.
I look forward to doing Regenerative Horticulture 201 in 2026 and keeping up my active learning and practice. Growing in soil is a bit like general life… you can’t follow one set recipe. Things keep moving and changing, and you have to be observant, responsive and kind.
Jenny Lux is a former chair of the Soil & Health Association. Find Lux Organics online here.
Earthworkers has launched
The natural evolution of For the Love of Bees, Earthworkers has a new hub to support biology-first regenerative horticulture in Aotearoa.
After a year of development they have launched a brand new website, and a full learning pathway.
Enrolments are now open for 2026:
The foundation course Hort 101 (4–8 May, Mangaroa Te Awa Kairangi – Wellington region)
The advanced course Hort 201 (13–17 April, Palmerston North, in partnership with Live2Give)
Both courses come with post-course support via a WhatsApp chat network to help growers transition to resilient, profitable, biology-first regenerative systems.
Earthworkers’ first alumni blog, Cultivating Knowledge Together, features Jenny Lux— an experienced grower and organic advocate who will be one of the first participants in our new Hort 201 and Future Agronomists programmes, designed to grow New Zealand’s next generation of biology-first agronomists.
https://organicnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/Jenny-Lux-2025-low-res-scaled.jpg25602560membershiphttps://organicnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/OrganicNZ-2024-Masthead.pngmembership2025-12-19 07:41:332026-01-18 15:48:24Loving soil, but also learning soil
Images and text from The Plant Book by Tammy Huynh, photography by Chris Chen. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.
Peace lily p. 234, Spathiphyllum wallisii
ABOVE: Cover image of The Plant Book, and author Tammy Huynh
Care Low maintenance
Pet friendly No
Light Bright, indirect light
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Part of the Araceae family, the peace lily is a favourite among indoor plant enthusiasts. It’s celebrated for its easy-care nature, attractive glossy leaves, and distinctive white flowers. Because it’s so adaptable, it’s a popular choice for shopping centres, offices and homes, and it makes an ideal gift for beginner plant parents.
The flower of the peace lily is actually a spathe – a unique structure that consists of a modified leaf surrounding a cluster of tiny flowers called the spadix. While the spathe is typically white in the peace lily, it comes in various colours among other members of the Araceae family. You’ll find the traditional green-leaved peace lily in most nurseries and garden centres, but the variegated forms can be harder to find. They’re worth the hunt, however, especially if you want something a little more special.
The peace lily grows into a large clump, giving the plant a full, bushy appearance. It may get too big for its pot; if this happens, then repot it into a larger container or trough. Alternatively, divide the clump every few years and pot up the divisions. Although it’s rare to hear of someone killing a peace lily, many people still encounter issues with it.
Understanding its natural habitat can help to address these problems. The peace lily is native to humid forest floors in tropical Central and South America, where it thrives in dappled light and consistent humidity. While you don’t need to give it a greenhouse environment, there are ways to ensure that it looks its best.
All the dirt on the peace lily
Light
The peace lily thrives in bright, indirect light. It can tolerate lower light levels, but it will grow more slowly and won’t flower.
Potting mix
Use a premium potting mix. Fertiliser Liquid feed regularly during the warmer months, or apply a controlled-release fertiliser at the beginning of spring, reapplying as directed.
Water
Water when the top 2.5–5 centimetres (1–2 inches) of potting mix is dry. Ensure that the water runs through the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. The leaves will droop quite dramatically if the potting mix becomes too dry – avoid reaching this point because it puts the plant under unnecessary stress.
Humidity
The peace lily is generally happy with the standard level of humidity found in most homes. However, if it’s positioned near windows, in draughty areas or close to climate-control devices (such as fans and heaters), the humidity will be lower than it prefers. Browning at the leaf tips typically indicates low humidity. For ways to boost indoor humidity, see page 26.
Choice cultivars of the peace lily
Spathiphyllum ‘Sensation’
Often referred to as the giant peace lily, this beauty is known for its large leaves and impressive spathes. It’s a true statement plant that makes an ideal floor specimen … but elevate it on a short plant stand for even more impact.
Variegated peace lilies
Spathiphyllum ‘Picasso’ (pictured) features broad, white brushstrokes painted across its leaves, while Spathiphyllum ‘Domino’ displays a more subtle stippled effect, as if it has been touched by a delicate hand.
Growing tips
Obtain more peace lilies
The best way to get more peace lilies is to divide your plant! As the plant grows, it naturally forms clumps of new shoots; these clumps can be separated to create new plants. Dividing is best done in spring or summer when the plant is actively growing, giving it the best chance to establish quickly.
To divide your plant, remove it from the pot. Tickle or brush away the potting mix to loosen the roots. Smaller plants or clumps may naturally separate from the mother plant. If they don’t, then identify the clumps and ensure that each one has healthy stems, leaves and roots. Use your hands to gently pry the clumps apart. A sharp knife or pair of secateurs may help.
Replant each clump into its own pot filled with a well-drained potting mix, ensuring that the base of the plant is at the same depth as before. Water in well with a diluted seaweed solution, which helps to promote root growth and reduce transplant shock. Place the pots in a warm spot with bright, indirect light.
Common problems of the peace lily
Browning of leaves
Brown leaf tips.
Cause
This typically indicates low humidity. It may be the result of draughts or exposure to hot or cool air, which can dry out the air around the plant and lead to water loss from the leaves faster than it can be replenished.
Solution
Position the plant away from open windows or doors to avoid exposure to draughts. Also, keep it away from heating or cooling vents. To maintain consistent moisture, consider placing a shallow tray of water near the plant to increase humidity.
Drooping leaves
Symptom
Leaves have wilted significantly, appearing limp and droopy.
Cause
Underwatering, overwatering or hydrophobic potting mix.
Solution
If the plant is underwatered, then the potting mix will feel completely dry. Give the plant a good soak, ensuring that the water runs through the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. The plant should recover over the next couple of days (if it doesn’t, then this may be an indication that the potting mix has become hydrophobic – see below for the solution). Continue with a more regular watering routine to prevent future issues.
If the plant is overwatered, then the potting mix will feel evenly wet or soggy. Allow the potting mix to nearly dry before watering again, and check if you need to move the plant to a brighter spot or if the pot has sufficient drainage holes. If roots are obstructing the drainage holes, then the plant needs to be repotted into a larger container. If your pot has a saucer, then avoid letting the plant sit in water for any length of time because this can lead to root rot.
If the plant is severely overwatered, then it may be best to remove the plant from its pot, prune away any dead, dying or mushy roots, and repot into fresh potting mix. Over time, potting mixes can become hydrophobic (water repellent), so despite your watering efforts, the water isn’t being absorbed into the potting mix.
You can rehydrate the potting mix by submerging the entire pot in a bucket of water for 30 minutes, using a brick or similar heavy item to keep it under the surface. Alternatively, use a wetting agent, which is available at most nurseries, to help rewet the mix. The plant should recover over the next few days.
Nutritional therapist Paula Sharp enthuses about the nutrition and flavour of the humble potato when in its seasonal ‘new’ incarnation, and shares a delicious potato salad recipe.
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There’s something joyful about the arrival of new potatoes. Their appearance marks the shift into early summer — that moment when gardens start to speed up, days stretch out, and meals feel lighter, fresher, and closer to the earth. In New Zealand, new potatoes sit in a special place in our food culture: early‐season, delicate, full of flavour, and a perfect fit for our festive tables.
From an organic perspective, they’re a beautiful example of how nutrient density, flavour, and sustainable farming intersect. Grown without synthetic fertilisers or pesticides, organic new potatoes offer us a clean, wholesome staple that supports soil health, biodiversity, and local growers, while delivering exceptional nutrition on the plate.
What makes a potato new?
‘New’ potatoes are planted and harvested earlier than main-crop potatoes, usually from late October through to early January, depending on region and soil warmth.
Rather than being cured like storage potatoes, they come straight to market with paper-thin skins and a moisture-rich interior. This is why they cook quickly, hold their shape well in salads, and have that signature creamy, subtly sweet flavour.
Their fragile skins are more than just a culinary bonus; they retain more vitamins and minerals compared with older, stored potatoes. Their freshness window is short, so in season matters.
New potatoes are more than an ingredient, in my opinion, they’re a story of soil, sustainability, and nourishment.
As we move into the festive season and the height of our growing year, they invite us to slow down, eat seasonally, and reconnect with the land beneath our food.
Photo: Potato foliage, by Anik Hasan, Pexels
Growing new potatoes in early summer
Across the Bay of Plenty, Pukekohe, Northland, Hawke’s Bay, North Otago and other temperate climates, new potatoes thrive in warm soils with good drainage and plenty of organic matter.
Planting happens from late winter through mid-spring. Early varieties mature quickly, often ready within 60 to 90 days. Some of the common varieties are Jersey Benne, Cliffs Kidney, Rocket and Swift.
Mulching, companion planting, and natural pest management are key in organic systems. Many organic growers use biological controls, beneficial insects, and proper spacing to reduce disease and improve airflow. The result is a nutrient-dense crop produced in a way that enhances, rather than extracts from, the land.
Why organic matters for potatoes
Potatoes are among the crops most commonly treated with fungicides, herbicides, and sprout inhibitors in conventional systems.
Choosing organic means you’re supporting growers who prioritise soil structure, microbial health, and ecosystem balance, and it reduces your exposure to these chemicals. Organic potatoes come from systems where soil nutrition is built naturally through compost, cover crops, and crop rotation. This richer soil profile contributes to higher micronutrient content and superior flavour.
Photo: sbj04769 | Pixabay
Higher in nutrition
While potatoes are often lumped into the ‘carb’ category, new potatoes offer considerably more. Because they’re so fresh, they retain a higher proportion of:
Vitamin C – supports immunity, skin repair, and iron absorption. (Vitamin C degrades with heat but, depending on cooking time and method, new potatoes are likely to retain more than stored potatoes.)
Potassium – crucial for heart function, nerve signalling, and maintaining healthy blood pressure.
B vitamins – especially B6, essential for hormonal balance, mood regulation, and metabolism.
Dietary fibre (especially when the skin is left on) – helps with digestion, blood sugar steadiness, and gut microbiome resilience.
New potatoes naturally contain resistant starch, a type of fibre that feeds beneficial gut bacteria and supports metabolic health. Interestingly, resistant starch levels increase when potatoes are cooked and cooled — making new potatoes ideal for summer salads and picnic dishes.
In the kitchen: versatile, quick, and festive
With New Zealand’s cherry season lasting only a few weeks, from mid-December into early January, savouring them New potatoes shine when their skins are left on. A simple steam or boil is often enough. Toss with herbs, lemon, good olive oil, or cultured cream for an instant seasonal dish.
They’re also ideal for festive cooking, Christmas tables, barbecues, shared platters, and light summer lunches. Their ability to hold shape without becoming floury makes them perfect for salads.
Creamy new potato salad
with edamame, herbs & lemon
Photo: Paula Sharp
Ingredients
1 kg new potatoes
1 cup shelled edamame beans (frozen)
3 spring onions, finely sliced
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
Dressing
½ cup whole-egg mayonnaise (or vegan mayo)
2 Tbsp Greek or coconut yoghurt
zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
Method
Boil potatoes whole until just tender. Drain and cool slightly.
In a bowl, add frozen edamame beans, cover with boiling water, cover with a lid for approximately 3 minutes.
Slice cooled potatoes into halves or quarters (keep the skin on).
In a large bowl, add potatoes, edamame, spring onions, dill, and parsley.
Whisk dressing ingredients together. Pour over salad and gently fold to combine.
Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.
AUTHOR BIO
Paula Sharp is a nutritional therapist supporting women’s health, digestion, hormones, skin, sleep, and energy through one-to-one consultations via Zoom. She’s also a local guest speaker in the Bay of Plenty and regular writer for Organic NZ.
Join Paula’s free newsletter – Sharp Bite – for weekly nutrition tips, seasonal recipes, and mindset inspiration.
Photo at top of article: Alexei_other | Pixabay
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Seed saving is one of the most beautiful acts of resilience and nourishment we can do for ourselves, our communities, our future, and the ecosystems we find ourselves in. Each year on our farm, I save more and more varieties, and it is incredible to witness just how quickly they adapt and strengthen within our farm organism. Everything I grow from the seed we saved ourselves is healthier, abundant, easeful, and has a strength, vitality and density that is unrivalled.
I started with the easy crops – pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes. Then added in more flowers like calendula, cornflower, strawflower, sunflowers. Then came brassicas: kale and broccoli. There was the year where I was so proud to do zucchini for the first time – not realising how it’s best to hand pollinate for seed saving – the following year I had the most incredible array of fruits and colours, that all came from the same one fruit! Nature is absolutely incredible.
In biodynamics, we save seed at particular times that are favourable for what we are wanting to produce. So for flowers, I typically save seed on ascending flower days. For pumpkins and tomatoes I save seed on ascending fruit and seed days. For potatoes we always harvest on descending root days for better longevity in storing, and this is correct for seed saving too. This year, I am trying something new, as there is always so much to learn and experiment with. When the moon is opposite Saturn, calcium and silica are in balance, which makes for true-to-form, balanced growth, so I am interested to see what seed saving at this time does for all the crops that might be ready at this very specific time.
Remember, seed should only be taken from well developed plants, not those which run to seed quickly and do not flow through their full expression. And of course – sharing seed is key!
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Monique Macfarlane is a holistic food systems facilitator, teaching biodynamics, planting by the moon, no-dig food growing and self-sufficiency. See www.natural-wisdom.net
Monique co-creates with organic, biodynamic, regenerative, no-till, and natural principles on eight hectares in Waihi that includes a small market garden, orchard, pastoral grazing, chickens and agroforestry.
Fashion: the good, the bad, and the greenwashed
/in Building and Technology, Magazine Articles, Organic WeekIf you’re feeling overwhelmed and bewildered about what constitutes planet-friendly fashion, you’re not alone. Claire Brunette unpicks the multilayered environmental and ethical issues within the fashion industry.
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Clothing is powerful and necessary, and a handwoven burlap sack just doesn’t do it for most people these days. The right clothes can help get you the job you want, keep you safe, change how you see yourself and how others see you; they can be a source of joy.
If clothing production ceased tomorrow, there would be enough clothing in the world to keep us going for a very long time, but we keep producing more than we can use. It’s getting harder and harder to process the wall of information about clothing that is out there. What is actively environmentally harmful? What is exploiting the people making the fabric? What seems sustainable, and says it is, but shimmering below the surface has the nasty tint of greenwashing?
An oft-repeated statement is that the most sustainable piece of clothing is the item you already own, but what if that item is releasing tiny microplastics into the ocean every time you wash it? Microplastics are now found in our kaimoana, our honey, our salt and our blood. A report published by Scion in 2019 showed that 87 per cent of microplastics found on Auckland beaches were likely to be from fabric fibres released during laundering.
So how do we get dressed in the morning in a world that’s tugging us in different directions? Information is empowering, so before you buy anything, especially anything new, let’s explore fabrics. It’s important to note that no fabric is perfect and all have their own unique impact. It is still an essential tenet of sustainability to use what you have and to seek items that are already circulating.
Synthetics
The big bads of fabric. Derived from fossil fuels and irresistibly cheap to make. Polyester, nylon, acrylic and their ilk are to be avoided whenever possible. They continue their dirty work post-production, shedding microplastic fibres into the marine environment every time they are washed. Many vegan alternatives are simply plastic. Companies are rushing to make garments out of recycled polyester, turning plastic bottles into tracksuits, but as these items are still capable of fibre shedding, it’s best to save your recycled polyester purchases for items that don’t need to be washed, such as shoes.
Semi-synthetics
Viscose, rayon and bamboo all come under the umbrella of semi-synthetic cellulose. The wood pulp, bamboo or other raw plant material is put through rigorous, chemical-intensive processes to break the fibres down into a product that can be spun and woven into fabric. The resulting fabric is biodegradable, breathable and silky on the skin, making it extremely popular with consumers.
Unfortunately, the environmental and human cost of producing cellulose is high. According to the non-profit environmental organisation Canopy, 3.2 billion trees are cut down every year for cellulose production, up to 30 per cent of which is from ancient and endangered forests. The Changing Markets Foundation released a report in 2017 revealing that viscose factories in Indonesia, China and India were dumping highly toxic wastewater into local waterways, destroying marine life and exposing workers and local populations to harmful chemicals. Awareness around these issues has increased, and manufacturers have been making changes, so when purchasing cellulosic fabrics, look for brand names, such as EcoVero, that encourage responsible, closed-loop production.
Flora Collingwood-Norris is an ethical, low-impact knitwear designer based in Scotland, and a champion of visible mending – a technique where repair work is deliberately made into a feature.
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Natural
Cotton
Soft and smooth, cotton allows air to circulate, keeps you cool in summer and is an ideal inner layer in winter. We love cotton! It also is an incredibly thirsty crop using often inefficient irrigation systems that divert water from natural sources. According to WWF, cotton cultivation severely degrades soil quality, leading to expansion into new areas and the attendant destruction of habitat. Cotton production is heavy on pesticide use, threatening the surrounding ecology of cotton-growing areas and the people that live there. It is hard to forget the dark past of cotton production, and bonded and child slavery are still of concern today.
GMO cotton has long been touted as an alternative and now accounts for close to 100 per cent of cotton grown in Australia. It is designed to increase both insect resistance and herbicide tolerance (so products such as glyphosate can be applied for a longer period of time) while reducing the need for water. An obviously controversial choice.
If you want fresh cotton in your wardrobe, organic is the best choice. Check for labels with GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification. GOTS is a non-profit that prohibits the use of GMO cotton while maintaining high organic, labour and welfare standards.
Most recycled cotton comes from pre-consumer waste, scraps and excess from factories. These are shredded and woven into new fabrics, which often have a pleasing speckled appearance. There are innovations that are creating a pulp out of those scraps by dissolving them with a solvent, so it’s worth looking into how the garment you are buying is recycled, but luckily most producers have this information prominently displayed on their websites.
Linen
Breathable, moth-resistant and durable, linen is grown from flax (Linum usitatissimum – a different species from Phormium tenax, our native harakeke), a resilient, ancient plant that can thrive in poor soils and requires a fraction of the water that cotton does. Organic linen is even better, as nitrates and toxic dyes aren’t used in its production. GOTS certification is also available for linen. Overall, linen is an excellent choice. The con is that all this comes at a premium price.
Wool
Our beloved national fibre is natural, warm and biodegradable. But is it sustainable? There are currently over one billion sheep in the world. That’s far too many to be considered planet conscious, and sheep farming is resource-intensive. According to Circumfauna, who do research on the impact of animal-derived materials, more than 367 times the amount of land is required for wool than for cotton in Australia, and an Australian wool-knit sweater emits about 27 times more greenhouse gas emissions than a cotton-knit sweater. The wool industry comes with a host of issues relevant to those interested in animal welfare. If you are looking for wool, check for accredited or organic wool to mitigate concerns. It may be easier for hand knitters to trace their wool through small suppliers. Recycled wool is often blended with polyester for durability, so beware. There is nothing like the warmth of wool, so consider looking for second-hand items to keep the chill off.
Silk
The fanciest fabric of all, silk biodegrades and keeps rural artisans in business in an almost zero-waste industry. Unfortunately, it’s a fussy fabric to maintain, with the care instructions usually demanding dry cleaning. Its animal welfare credentials are nil, thanks to the traditional step of boiling the silkworms alive to separate the silk from the worm. Sericulture requires very little land use but unfortunately is water-intensive. The dyeing process is where toxic chemicals can shimmy their way into production, so look for naturally dyed items. New alternatives, such as peace silk (where the silkworms aren’t killed), spider silk and silk made from fruit fibre are being developed and offer exciting possibilities for the future.
Second time round
Cost can be a significant barrier to accessing responsibly produced clothes for many. Making beautiful clothes in a way that takes the planet and its people into account is unavoidably expensive. Natural, organic fibres cost more than synthetic, and fair labour costs more than exploitation.
Purchasing second-hand clothing is a lower cost option, but generally requires a larger investment in time. Op shops can sometimes be a challenging place to shop as the racks are becoming increasingly filled with the poorly constructed, synthetic-heavy clothes of recent years. There are a number of people selling second-hand clothing online, curated according to particular needs or aesthetics. However, for some people, the stigma of second-hand clothing is hard to shake. And if you are at either end of the size spectrum, finding quality second-hand clothing can be close to impossible. It’s easy to see the allure of shops that stock your size, in your style, at a price that won’t eat too far into the weekly shop.
Slow wins the race
Where the sustainable industry fails, where fashion fails in general, is in providing for a plus-sized market. Amanda Matthews, owner of KoiNo, a Hamilton-based, size-inclusive, sustainable fashion label, agrees that many brands don’t see the value in extending their sizing. “Increasing a size range to include plus size is not always as simple as extending sizing by taking standard sizes and making them bigger. Often new patterns are needed, with adjustments made to make the style fit well on a bigger body.”
To avoid this problem, and its associated costs, Amanda bases her patterns on an XL, grading up or down from there, as she finds this creates a better fit on a wider range of sizes. This isn’t the only clever model that Amanda has adopted. Her garments are made to order, essentially eliminating unsold pieces. “I don’t need to invest in making every size in every style in every colour. I only make what is needed.”
In Aotearoa, we are lucky to have a raft of fashion designers who are eco-conscious and innovative, from I Used To Be, who make frankly adorable bags out of discarded pool toys, to the chic Kowtow, whose clothes read as a love letter to the rain-fed, fair-trade organic cotton they are made from.
Change is coming to fashion. Technology is firmly focused on future solutions. It won’t be long until we are wearing mushroom leather and lab-grown wool. Until then, choose your clothes wisely and love them well.
Claire Brunette is a writer, worrier and textile enthusiast who lives in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Fantastic feijoas
/in Free Online, Health and Food, Magazine ArticlesAs the air cools and the leaves begin to turn, a familiar scent signals the arrival of one of New Zealand’s most iconic seasonal fruits, the feijoa.
With its unmistakable perfume and tangy-sweet flavour, the feijoa is more than just a garden staple, writes Paula Sharp; it’s nutrition packed in a fibrous skin, and it has a firm place in childhood memories and Kiwi culture.
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A brief history
Feijoas (Feijoa sellowiana, formerly Acca sellowiana) are native to the highlands of southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina.
They were introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand in the early twentieth century and quickly found a natural home in our temperate climate.
Over time, feijoas have become so embedded in New Zealand life that many people assume they are native. They are in the myrtle family – along with pōhutukawa and rata, whose flowers are similar.
From schoolyard swaps to overfilled buckets left at the gate, feijoa season is a community event.
Photo: Theresa Sjoquist
Nutritional benefits
Feijoas may be small, but they pack a big nutritional punch. They are particularly rich in vitamin C, supporting immune function as we head into the cooler months, exactly when many people begin to feel run down.
They are also high in dietary fibre, especially soluble fibre, which helps nourish beneficial gut bacteria and support digestion. For people navigating bloating, sluggish digestion, or changing hormones, this kind of gentle, food-first support can be incredibly powerful.
Feijoas contain antioxidants such as polyphenols, helping to reduce inflammation and protect cells from oxidative stress. They also provide potassium, supporting heart health and fluid balance
Interestingly, feijoas contain natural compounds that may support mood and calm the nervous system, perhaps part of the reason they feel so comforting to eat.
Autumn is a natural time to reset. If your energy feels low, digestion is off, or hormones are shifting, small changes using seasonal food, like feijoas can make a real difference. For personalised, practical support, visit www.paulasharpnutrition.com or email paulasharp31@icloud.com.
Growing feijoas at home
Feijoa trees are well suited to organic growing and are relatively low maintenance, making them ideal for home gardens. They thrive in full sun and well-drained soil and are hardy once established.
For the best fruit production, plant two varieties to encourage cross-pollination. Varieties such as Apollo, Unique, and Kaiteri perform well across many regions of New Zealand.
Feijoas benefit from regular watering during dry periods and a layer of organic mulch to retain moisture and support soil health. Feeding with compost or organic fertiliser in spring will encourage strong growth and fruiting.
One of the joys of feijoas is that the fruit drops when ripe, no picking required. Simply gather them from the ground each day during the season. Just be quick, as birds and insects love them too.
Photo: Philippa Jamieson
Reducing waste, embracing abundance
Feijoa season often brings abundance; healthy trees can be BIG and therefore the harvest is vast. Rather than letting the fruit go to waste, this is a perfect opportunity to preserve, share, and get creative in the kitchen. Feijoas freeze well (simply scoop out the flesh), making them an easy addition to smoothies, baking, or desserts through the winter.
Simple feijoa recipes
Feijoa & ginger compote
.Fabulous for breakfast, dessert or a snack. Serves 2.
Ingredients
Method
Feijoa crumble
Filling
Topping
Method
Want more seasonal nutrition inspiration?
I’m Paula Sharp, nutritional therapist and founder of Paula Sharp Nutrition, supporting women to nourish their health with sustainable food and mindset habits.
If you’d like seasonal recipes, practical nutrition tips and evidence-based wellness insights delivered straight to your inbox, I’d love you to join my newsletter. Sign up at: www.paulasharpnutrition.com
Photo at top of article: Kamran Aydinov, Freepik
Alone in the world
/in Features, Free Online, Magazine ArticlesBy Miriam Lancewood
After years in Aotearoa New Zealand’s wilderness, Miriam Lancewood sets off to Bulgaria, the Himalayas, India, Turkey, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
In Alone in the World, her third book, she describes how she hitchhikes to remote locations, camps in the wild, fights off bears and unwanted men, climbs mountains and survives by eating from the land and living by her wits.
This inspiring story also includes practical advice for preparing for the unexpected, living without modern conveniences, and lists of expedition gear and food.
Images and text from Alone in the World: How to find courage and clarity in uncertain times by Miriam Lancewood. Allen & Unwin, RRP $37.99.
ABOVE: Cover image of Alone in the World, and on top of the 4000-metre pass in Kyrgyzstan
TOP PHOTO: Miriam Lancewood with sticks – photo: Lottie Hedley
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I walked into virgin forest – it had never been logged. The difference to regenerating forest was striking – these trees were tall and ancient, and the atmosphere felt calm, almost serene. The air was filled with the chirping of bellbirds, and the beech trees stood proudly, their ancient trunks exuding a sense of dignity and timelessness.
Above the evergreen canopy was a bright blue sky, and the sun lit up cheerful patches on the ground. Fantails fluttered behind me wherever I went. Every now and then a curious robin dropped out of the sky to see what I was up to. Then I arrived in an open clearing and saw the Dragons Teeth. The sight both scared me and fired me up.
“Hello, Dragon, I’m coming!” I said out loud.
I laughed, hearing my own voice.
After some hours walking up the river I began to look for suitable goat country. I know these creatures well. In my bow-hunting years I became very familiar with goats by observing them almost every day. I had studied their routines, habits and patterns. I know they prefer dry, sunny places. The old male loves to sit on a lookout point to guard his harem. They like to sleep under an overhang. Goats have their own trails, which are well trodden, but sometimes they will cross near-vertical rock faces, making it hard for us two-footers to follow.
In the afternoon I found a peaceful clearing with lush grass on the banks of a stream. I was delighted to hear the ‘whio’ whistling sound of the rarely encountered blue duck. I heard the male’s warning call before I saw the dark blue waterfowls. The pair glided swiftly and elegantly over the water, diving here and there, before eventually disappearing down the fast-flowing river.
I ate some dandelion and chickweed leaves and waited for the goats with the sun on my back and the wind in my face. I knew I was in goat country because I saw their recent poo. I could almost smell their presence – yet I saw nothing.
On my third day without food I gradually became more hungry. The hunger pangs came in two-hourly intervals.
My solution was to put in more effort. I scouted the whole valley, roamed the side creeks, combed through every bit of bush. No goats.
But I burnt a lot of calories looking for them. I was so hungry I began breathing exercises, which made my tummy feel full – albeit for short moments. Drinking lots of water and clover tea filled the stomach but didn’t give me more energy.
Munching on edible plants, like sorrel and the tips of supplejack, seemed only to remind my stomach that more should be coming, which made me even more hungry.
That afternoon I heard a rustling through the leaf litter. It sounded exactly like a small goat that was obviously not trying to be quiet. Surprisingly, the noise seemed to come my way. I stopped in my tracks, placed the magazine in its chamber, and silently loaded a bullet. Ever so carefully I turned around, scanning the forest for the creature that approached so boldly. It sounded really close now.
There it was! Alas, a weka!
Above: Miriam’s last summer in the wilderness in New Zealand – skinning a hare at our camp in Rainbow Valley, Marlborough. Photo: John Bozinov
Alone in the World: How to find courage and clarity in uncertain times, by Miriam Lancewood
Passionfruit: Small fruit, big benefits
/in Free Online, Health and Food, Magazine ArticlesWrinkled on the outside, vibrant and jewel-like inside, passionfruit is one of New Zealand’s most distinctive summer fruits.
Beyond its distinctive aroma and tangy sweetness, passionfruit offers impressive nutritional benefits, supporting digestion, immunity, heart health and even mood. Small but mighty, this fruit earns its place as more than just a decorative topping, as Paula Sharp elaborates.
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Growing passionfruit
Grown widely across warmer regions, particularly in home gardens and organic orchards, passionfruit thrives with minimal intervention when conditions are right, making it a natural fit for organic growing systems. You can grow it from seed, generally from October to May.
Passionfruit (Passiflora edulis) likes moist, fertile soil and a warm, sunny and sheltered spot.
A framework, such as wires or trellis, is essential for the vine to to climb up. It can be grown alongside a fence, with wires, or even in a tub, with bamboo stakes or tub trellis.
Photo: Eka P. Amdela / Unsplash
A nutrient-dense favourite
Passionfruit is rich in vitamins, minerals and plant compounds that support whole-body health. Just one fruit contains a meaningful amount of vitamin C, essential for immune function, skin health and collagen production. Vitamin A and carotenoids contribute to eye health and cellular repair, while potassium supports healthy blood pressure and heart rhythm.
Focus on fibre
What truly sets passionfruit apart is its fibre content. The edible seeds and pulp provide both soluble and insoluble fibre, supporting digestive health, bowel regularity and beneficial gut bacteria. For those focusing on blood sugar balance, fibre helps slow the absorption of natural sugars, making passionfruit a smart addition to meals rather than a spike-and-crash snack.
Gut health and digestion
Traditionally passionfruit is used in herbal medicine systems for its calming properties, but modern nutrition also highlights its role in digestive wellbeing. The fibre feeds beneficial gut microbes and supports healthy gut motility, the coordinated muscular contractions that move food efficiently through the digestive tract.
The polyphenols in passionfruit act as antioxidants, helping to reduce inflammation in the digestive tract. In organic systems, where soil health is prioritised, fruits like passionfruit often show higher polyphenol content. Healthy soils produce resilient plants, and that resilience is reflected in their nutritional profile.
Photo: Bluesnap / Pixabay
Heart and metabolic support
Passionfruit contains potassium, magnesium and plant sterols that collectively support cardiovascular health. Fibre plays a role in lowering LDL cholesterol, while antioxidants help protect blood vessels from oxidative stress.
For those managing insulin resistance or aiming for metabolic balance, passionfruit works best paired with protein or healthy fats, for example alongside yoghurt, nuts or seeds to further stabilise blood sugar levels.
A gentle mood booster
Interestingly, compounds found in the passionflower family have been studied for their calming effects on the nervous system. While the fruit itself is milder than medicinal extracts, its magnesium content and antioxidant profile can support stress resilience as part of a balanced diet. The sensory experience alone, that tropical aroma and burst of flavour, often brings a moment of joy, which is no small thing in today’s busy world.
Choosing and using passionfruit
Ripe passionfruit should feel heavy for their size with wrinkled skin – smooth skins usually indicate under ripeness. Organically grown fruit may show more surface imperfections, but inside, the pulp remains vibrant and nutrient-rich.
Passionfruit requires little preparation: simply halve, scoop and eat. The seeds are entirely edible and contribute much of the fibre and beneficial fats.
Photo: Bluesnap / Pixabay
Simple Passionfruit Recipes
Passionfruit Coconut Chia Pudding
Serves 2
Ingredients
Method
Mix all ingredients in a bowl or jar.
Stir well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Serve topped with fresh berries or toasted coconut.
Photo: Monika Borys, Unsplash
Passionfruit Yoghurt Dressing
Perfect for both fruit salads or leafy greens
Ingredients
Method
Passionflower Tea
The fruit offers vibrant nutrition, but also the leaves and flowers of the passion vine, particularly species such as Passiflora incarnata. This is traditionally drunk as a herbal tea (or herbal tincture) because of its renowned calming properties.
Passionflower tea is useful when you are feeling: mild anxiety and nervous tension, restless sleep, and/or stress-related digestive discomfort.
The plant contains flavonoids and alkaloids thought to gently influence GABA receptors in the brain. These promote relaxation without heavy sedation. It’s often used as part of a bedtime routine or during heightened stress.
NB. While considered safe, it’s not recommended during pregnancy, and anyone on sedative medication should seek professional guidance before use.
How to make passionflower tea
Ideally, for sleep support, drink 30–60 minutes before bed. For daytime calm, enjoy mid-afternoon.
Photo: CollectingPixels / Pixabay
Want more seasonal nutrition inspiration?
I’m Paula Sharp, nutritional therapist and founder of Paula Sharp Nutrition, supporting women to nourish their health with sustainable food and mindset habits.
If you’d like seasonal recipes, practical nutrition tips and evidence-based wellness insights delivered straight to your inbox, I’d love you to join my newsletter. Sign up at: www.paulasharpnutrition.com
Photo at top of article: Michael Kucharski / Unsplash
Moon Calendar March-April 2026
/in GardeningEnjoy the seasonal bounty and prepare for spring
By Monique Macfarlane
Successful food and flower growing starts well before seedlings or seeds are planted in the ground. Planning, preparation, soil care, and nutrition are all endeavours undertaken in the seasons before.
As we pass through the most abundant time of year, as the fruiting crops hang from their vines and branches, as we preserve the bounty for the cooler times, it can be a time where we have given and taken so much from our gardens… but this is a very important time for preparation too.
The harvested stonefruit trees are setting up now for next year’s fruit; this is a crucial time to feed, replenish and take care. If you are struggling in high humidity, warm areas with fungal dis-eases, try pruning in late summer rather than winter, as often the trees do not go dormant. Spraying equisetum monthly at moon opposition Saturn suppresses the fungal bloom back down into the soil. If you are wanting to support overall tree health and nutrition, for all types of trees, biodynamic tree paste is a fantastic option.
Now is also a great time to get green crops sown to rest parts of your established garden through the autumn and winter months. Try a mix of mustard, lupins, oats, barley, phacelia, buckwheat and marigold. If you want to bring in new areas, or create multiple spaces for resilience, sow green crops in these spaces now, to free up later for spring and summer. It’s also an opportunity for making compost to be ready for the spring, or for setting up a worm farm, but also taking the time to plant beneficial plants for tonics such as comfrey, nettle, dandelion, chickweed.
If you are looking to strengthen the resilience of your garden and nutrient density, autumn is also the perfect time to do a biodynamic preparation 500 stir and spread. This incredible method has a wealth of microbial activity, fungi, bacteria, and starts to bring the cosmos and mineral kingdom into balance, as well as being a foundational building block for a flourishing garden.
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Monique Macfarlane is a holistic food systems facilitator, teaching biodynamics, planting by the moon, no-dig food growing and self-sufficiency. See www.natural-wisdom.net
Monique co-creates with organic, biodynamic, regenerative, no-till, and natural principles on eight hectares in Waihi that includes a small market garden, orchard, pastoral grazing, chickens and agroforestry.
Images: Arina-Ulyasheva, VeraPetruk
Soil & Health Auckland – Meeting Announcement
/in Education and Knowledge, Gardening, Health and Food, NewsSoil & Health Auckland has the pleasure of hearing from Savannah Carter-Green, who runs the Kai Rākau Project at Auckland Council’s Sanders Reserve on the North Shore.
All welcome.
The Kai Rākau (Food Tree) Project is a community collection of heritage fruit, nut and subtropical trees, plus native medicinal trees and plants for the purposes of education, protection and heritage.
Savannah will tell us:
Thursday 12 February 2026
7pm start time – sign-in, koha, and time to browse the sales tables.
7: 30pm – general business and announcements followed by our guest speaker, and question time.
9 pm Supper time – plate for our shared supper is always welcome
VENUE: Western Springs Gardens Community Halls, 956 Great North Road, Western Springs, Auckland
Offers of help with setting up from 6:40pm or tidying up afterward are gratefully accepted!
If you wish to download the ‘flyer’ above, you can do so here.
Summer’s juiciest hydrator
/in Free Online, Health and Food, Magazine ArticlesThe watermelon
Few foods say ‘New Zealand summer’ quite like watermelon. Crisp, refreshing and naturally sweet, the watermelon is more than a picnic staple: it’s a nutritional ally for hydration, heart health and skin vitality.
With its high water content and vibrant pink-red flesh, watermelon earns its place as one of summer’s most supportive seasonal foods, as Paula Sharp writes.
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The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is believed to have originated in Africa over 5000 years ago, where it was valued not only for its sweetness but its ability to store water in hot, dry climates. Archaeological evidence shows watermelon seeds placed in Egyptian tombs, highlighting its role as a life-sustaining food. From Africa, watermelons spread through the Mediterranean and Asia, eventually becoming a summer fruit worldwide.
Growing watermelons
Today, watermelons are grown seasonally in New Zealand, particularly in warmer regions with long sunny days and free-draining soils. They thrive in warm, sunny conditions and need room to sprawl. They prefer fertile, compost-rich soil with good drainage and consistent watering, particularly while fruit is forming.
Seeds are best planted after the last frost, once soil temperatures are reliably warm. Organic growers often use mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds. It usually takes 70-100 days from planting to harvesting, although some varieties take up to 120 days. A ripe watermelon sounds hollow when tapped and has a creamy yellow patch where it rested on the ground.
Seeds are best planted after the last frost, once soil temperatures are reliably warm. Organic growers often use mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
It usually takes 70-100 days from planting to harvesting, although some varieties take up to 120 days. A ripe watermelon sounds hollow when tapped and has a creamy yellow patch where it rested on the ground.
Photo: Lorenzo Andreotti, Pixabay
Super hydration
Watermelons are made up of around 90% water; they are among the most hydrating foods available. This is especially valuable during summer when dehydration can creep in unnoticed, particularly for children and older adults.
As well as water, watermelons provide electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium, which support fluid balance, muscle function and nerve signalling. For those who struggle to drink enough water, watermelons offer a refreshing and nourishing alternative.
Nutrition
Despite its sweetness, the watermelon is relatively low in calories and delivers meaningful nutritional value. It provides vitamin C to support immune health and collagen formation, and vitamin A (as beta-carotene) to support skin, eye and cellular health.
The red flesh of the watermelon is rich in lycopene: a powerful antioxidant linked to reduced oxidative stress and improved heart health. Notably, watermelons contain highly bioavailable lycopene, making them a valuable addition to a cardioprotective diet.
Watermelons also contain the amino acid citrulline, which is found in the flesh and pale rind. Citrulline supports nitric oxide production in the body, helping to improve blood flow and support circulation and exercise recovery.
Cautions
Watermelons suit most, but not all people.
Nature’s timing
For me, eating watermelon is a reminder of nature’s timing: a cooling, hydrating food arriving exactly when we need it most. Simple, joyful and deeply nourishing, watermelons show that good nutrition can be practical and pleasurable.
Watermelon, mint & feta salad
Ingredients
Method
Serve chilled.
Gently toss watermelon, feta and mint in a bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil, season with pepper and add lime juice if using.
Photo: Monika Borys, Unsplash
Watermelon hydration slushie
A great electrolyte. Serves 2.
Ingredients
Method
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately.
Photo: Marcelo Verfe, Pexels
AUTHOR BIO
Paula Sharp is a nutritional therapist based in Whakatāne, New Zealand, supporting people, especially women to improve digestion, hormones, energy and overall wellbeing through practical, holistic nutrition.
Join the Sharp Bite Newsletter: for seasonal nutrition tips, recipes and simple wellbeing insights, subscribe to Paula’s Sharp Bite newsletter at www.paulasharpnutrition.com.
Photo at top of article: 1179 Design, Pixabay
Loving soil, but also learning soil
/in Education and Knowledge, Farming and Horticulture, Features, Free Online, Gardening, Magazine ArticlesBy Jenny Lux
This article was first published by Earthworkers and is republished here with their kind permission.
We hope you enjoy this free article from OrganicNZ. Join us to access more, exclusive member-only content
I have always been a details-oriented sort of person. As a child I remember planting flowers with my Mum, learning all of their names and pressing them in a flower press. I later I revelled in learning how to identify and use the three names of all our native vascular flora (Māori, English and scientific). My first career was in plant ecology, after I did a Masters in that area looking at the relationships between soil and the regeneration of kauri forest after fire.
Moving between the details and the big picture, I became seriously concerned about climate change around the time of my late twenties. Not just mildly concerned as I had been in my youth, but in-your-face, losing-sleep, suffering-existential-fear-and-anxiety level of concern.
Of course, this had coincided with finding a husband who was a big-picture thinker and having two wonderful baby boys. I did not end up giving up at that point, but I decided that when I got back to paid work, I would be dedicating my time to a career in climate action.
Growing vegetables
I moved from field-based plant ecology work to growing and selling organic vegetables, as a home-based profession that could keep me close to our kids and our food. Richard helped me establish Lux Organics, a small-scale organic market garden on the outskirts of Rotorua. He initially kept his day job as an ecologist, but then joined me full-time in the business for three years. My parents got involved, providing a generational backbone to the business.
We grew beautiful vegetables for our community, and by the time the Covid crisis and lockdowns occurred, we were able to pivot to vege boxes, bringing them to peoples’ doors with our electric van. We started hiring seasonal staff in 2020, which meant a succession of people learning the organic growing methods with us. By 2023 we had added solar panels to our shed, powering our household, vegetable chiller and van with the sun.
This has been a journey of creating a business that minimises carbon emissions while growing food. Hand tools, electric tools and hands in the soil have been our main inputs. The productivity of our soil has been the foundation of our business (as it is for all farming) and we have strived to care for it, taking soil tests each year, and learning about every aspect of soil health along the way.
When you grow a crop for market, and especially when you grow over 40 of them (!), there are a lot of questions and uncertainties about how to manage the soil, what might be affecting the outcomes you’re seeing, how to solve problems, and how to keep producing all through the seasons.
These veins of query are what led me to the five-day Earthworkers Regenerative Horticulture 101 course in the winter of 2021. I attended with two of my staff and I encountered a whole group of amazing people involved in different sorts of projects who were on my wavelength.
I discovered new terms which opened up my mind to the soil ecosystem in a new way. Quorum sensing, cation exchange, paramagnetism, root exudates, polycropping. I have kept in touch with the group ever since (online and in person), and this has led to multiple fertile exchanges and more farm visits, opportunities to learn and even to help others. It’s a magic human interaction!
In recent years, with the domestic recession, business has been tough, as local people cut their organic vegetable spending. Looking at in a big picture way, it’s a manifestation of how people cannot/do not make longer-term environmental and health choices when they are poor and worried about their daily survival. Our business relies only on its connection with the local food system, rather than export.
While we experienced a huge high after the Covid crisis, when people suddenly became concerned about the sustainability of their local food supply, we are now in a phase of relentless cost-cutting. Our customer base has concentrated to only those who value food produced in a way that is free from contamination, and which looks after land.
Now that I have been working in practical agroecology on my own land for over nine years, I am curious about taking my soil knowledge deeper and broader, to have a wider impact. It’s one of those cliches… the more you learn, the more you realise you don’t know, and it becomes impossible to give simple explanations any more.
I would now never say, “ah, just use compost and everything will be fine”. There’s a lot more to growing, and to soil, than most of us really, truly understand. My curiosity burns and I want to know which levers to pull to achieve the healthiest crops and soil. Looking again to the bigger picture, how we manage soil on our productive land is the probably the most important aspect of New Zealand’s climate emissions profile.
This is why I’ve dedicated pretty much all of my market garden earnings in 2025 so far to further study and investing in my own knowledge growth.
I have taken papers at the University of Waikato in soil science and hydrological management, and I have attended specialist courses by regenerative educators (Graeme Sait from Nutri-tech Solutions, and Nicole Masters from Integrity Soils).
I am building up a research library and reaching out to soil mentors for the next step in my career. I even bought a microscope from a fellow Earthworker (thank you Coral).
All of this new learning is feeding directly into the next stage of my journey — growing my skills, confidence, and contribution through the Earthworkers community.
Over the next few months, I’ll be deepening my learning through the new Regenerative Horticulture 201 and Future Agronomists courses, working directly with Daniel Schuurman as we develop and pilot both programmes. My goal is to grow my capacity as a biology-first regenerative agronomist — someone who can read the soil, guide other growers, and support the shift toward biology-led farming across Aotearoa.
In 2024 I mentored for For the Love of Bees on their year-long Communities of Regenerative Learning programme, which opened a new path for me as a mentor within the sector. That experience, and my continued involvement supporting new growers through the post course Earthworkers WhatsApp network, has shown me how powerful it is when we stay connected — helping one another, sharing knowledge, and learning together every day out in the field.
I look forward to doing Regenerative Horticulture 201 in 2026 and keeping up my active learning and practice. Growing in soil is a bit like general life… you can’t follow one set recipe. Things keep moving and changing, and you have to be observant, responsive and kind.
Jenny Lux is a former chair of the Soil & Health Association. Find Lux Organics online here.
Earthworkers has launched
The natural evolution of For the Love of Bees, Earthworkers has a new hub to support biology-first regenerative horticulture in Aotearoa.
After a year of development they have launched a brand new website, and a full learning pathway.
Enrolments are now open for 2026:
Both courses come with post-course support via a WhatsApp chat network to help growers transition to resilient, profitable, biology-first regenerative systems.
Earthworkers’ first alumni blog, Cultivating Knowledge Together, features Jenny Lux— an experienced grower and organic advocate who will be one of the first participants in our new Hort 201 and Future Agronomists programmes, designed to grow New Zealand’s next generation of biology-first agronomists.
Explore the pathway: earthworkers.org
Earthworkers courses in 2026
Peace lilies
/in Free Online, Gardening, Magazine ArticlesBy Tammy Huynh
Images and text from The Plant Book by Tammy Huynh, photography by Chris Chen. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.
Peace lily p. 234, Spathiphyllum wallisii
ABOVE: Cover image of The Plant Book, and author Tammy Huynh
Care
Low maintenance
Pet friendly
No
Light
Bright, indirect light
We hope you enjoy this free article from OrganicNZ. Join us to access more, exclusive member-only content
Part of the Araceae family, the peace lily is a favourite among indoor plant enthusiasts. It’s celebrated for its easy-care nature, attractive glossy leaves, and distinctive white flowers. Because it’s so adaptable, it’s a popular choice for shopping centres, offices and homes, and it makes an ideal gift for beginner plant parents.
The flower of the peace lily is actually a spathe – a unique structure that consists of a modified leaf surrounding a cluster of tiny flowers called the spadix. While the spathe is typically white in the peace lily, it comes in various colours among other members of the Araceae family. You’ll find the traditional green-leaved peace lily in most nurseries and garden centres, but the variegated forms can be harder to find. They’re worth the hunt, however, especially if you want something a little more special.
The peace lily grows into a large clump, giving the plant a full, bushy appearance. It may get too big for its pot; if this happens, then repot it into a larger container or trough. Alternatively, divide the clump every few years and pot up the divisions. Although it’s rare to hear of someone killing a peace lily, many people still encounter issues with it.
Understanding its natural habitat can help to address these problems. The peace lily is native to humid forest floors in tropical Central and South America, where it thrives in dappled light and consistent humidity. While you don’t need to give it a greenhouse environment, there are ways to ensure that it looks its best.
All the dirt on the peace lily
Light
The peace lily thrives in bright, indirect light. It can tolerate lower light levels, but it will grow more slowly and won’t flower.
Potting mix
Use a premium potting mix. Fertiliser Liquid feed regularly during the warmer months, or apply a controlled-release fertiliser at the beginning of spring, reapplying as directed.
Water
Water when the top 2.5–5 centimetres (1–2 inches) of potting mix is dry. Ensure that the water runs through the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. The leaves will droop quite dramatically if the potting mix becomes too dry – avoid reaching this point because it puts the plant under unnecessary stress.
Humidity
The peace lily is generally happy with the standard level of humidity found in most homes. However, if it’s positioned near windows, in draughty areas or close to climate-control devices (such as fans and heaters), the humidity will be lower than it prefers. Browning at the leaf tips typically indicates low humidity. For ways to boost indoor humidity, see page 26.
Choice cultivars of the peace lily
Spathiphyllum ‘Sensation’
Often referred to as the giant peace lily, this beauty is known for its large leaves and impressive spathes. It’s a true statement plant that makes an ideal floor specimen … but elevate it on a short plant stand for even more impact.
Variegated peace lilies
Spathiphyllum ‘Picasso’ (pictured) features broad, white brushstrokes painted across its leaves, while Spathiphyllum ‘Domino’ displays a more subtle stippled effect, as if it has been touched by a delicate hand.
Growing tips
Obtain more peace lilies
The best way to get more peace lilies is to divide your plant! As the plant grows, it naturally forms clumps of new shoots; these clumps can be separated to create new plants. Dividing is best done in spring or summer when the plant is actively growing, giving it the best chance to establish quickly.
To divide your plant, remove it from the pot. Tickle or brush away the potting mix to loosen the roots. Smaller plants or clumps may naturally separate from the mother plant. If they don’t, then identify the clumps and ensure that each one has healthy stems, leaves and roots. Use your hands to gently pry the clumps apart. A sharp knife or pair of secateurs may help.
Replant each clump into its own pot filled with a well-drained potting mix, ensuring that the base of the plant is at the same depth as before. Water in well with a diluted seaweed solution, which helps to promote root growth and reduce transplant shock. Place the pots in a warm spot with bright, indirect light.
Common problems of the peace lily
Browning of leaves
Brown leaf tips.
Cause
This typically indicates low humidity. It may be the result of draughts or exposure to hot or cool air, which can dry out the air around the plant and lead to water loss from the leaves faster than it can be replenished.
Solution
Position the plant away from open windows or doors to avoid exposure to draughts. Also, keep it away from heating or cooling vents. To maintain consistent moisture, consider placing a shallow tray of water near the plant to increase humidity.
Drooping leaves
Symptom
Leaves have wilted significantly, appearing limp and droopy.
Cause
Underwatering, overwatering or hydrophobic potting mix.
Solution
If the plant is underwatered, then the potting mix will feel completely dry. Give the plant a good soak, ensuring that the water runs through the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. The plant should recover over the next couple of days (if it doesn’t, then this may be an indication that the potting mix has become hydrophobic – see below for the solution). Continue with a more regular watering routine to prevent future issues.
If the plant is overwatered, then the potting mix will feel evenly wet or soggy. Allow the potting mix to nearly dry before watering again, and check if you need to move the plant to a brighter spot or if the pot has sufficient drainage holes. If roots are obstructing the drainage holes, then the plant needs to be repotted into a larger container. If your pot has a saucer, then avoid letting the plant sit in water for any length of time because this can lead to root rot.
If the plant is severely overwatered, then it may be best to remove the plant from its pot, prune away any dead, dying or mushy roots, and repot into fresh potting mix. Over time, potting mixes can become hydrophobic (water repellent), so despite your watering efforts, the water isn’t being absorbed into the potting mix.
You can rehydrate the potting mix by submerging the entire pot in a bucket of water for 30 minutes, using a brick or similar heavy item to keep it under the surface. Alternatively, use a wetting agent, which is available at most nurseries, to help rewet the mix. The plant should recover over the next few days.
The Plant Book, by Tammy Huynh
Small, sweet, and mighty
/in Free Online, Health and Food, Magazine ArticlesNourishing new potatoes
Nutritional therapist Paula Sharp enthuses about the nutrition and flavour of the humble potato when in its seasonal ‘new’ incarnation, and shares a delicious potato salad recipe.
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There’s something joyful about the arrival of new potatoes. Their appearance marks the shift into early summer — that moment when gardens start to speed up, days stretch out, and meals feel lighter, fresher, and closer to the earth. In New Zealand, new potatoes sit in a special place in our food culture: early‐season, delicate, full of flavour, and a perfect fit for our festive tables.
From an organic perspective, they’re a beautiful example of how nutrient density, flavour, and sustainable farming intersect. Grown without synthetic fertilisers or pesticides, organic new potatoes offer us a clean, wholesome staple that supports soil health, biodiversity, and local growers, while delivering exceptional nutrition on the plate.
What makes a potato new?
‘New’ potatoes are planted and harvested earlier than main-crop potatoes, usually from late October through to early January, depending on region and soil warmth.
Rather than being cured like storage potatoes, they come straight to market with paper-thin skins and a moisture-rich interior. This is why they cook quickly, hold their shape well in salads, and have that signature creamy, subtly sweet flavour.
Their fragile skins are more than just a culinary bonus; they retain more vitamins and minerals compared with older, stored potatoes. Their freshness window is short, so in season matters.
New potatoes are more than an ingredient, in my opinion, they’re a story of soil, sustainability, and nourishment.
As we move into the festive season and the height of our growing year, they invite us to slow down, eat seasonally, and reconnect with the land beneath our food.
Photo: Potato foliage, by Anik Hasan, Pexels
Growing new potatoes in early summer
Across the Bay of Plenty, Pukekohe, Northland, Hawke’s Bay, North Otago and other temperate climates, new potatoes thrive in warm soils with good drainage and plenty of organic matter.
Planting happens from late winter through mid-spring. Early varieties mature quickly, often ready within 60 to 90 days. Some of the common varieties are Jersey Benne, Cliffs Kidney, Rocket and Swift.
Mulching, companion planting, and natural pest management are key in organic systems. Many organic growers use biological controls, beneficial insects, and proper spacing to reduce disease and improve airflow. The result is a nutrient-dense crop produced in a way that enhances, rather than extracts from, the land.
Why organic matters for potatoes
Potatoes are among the crops most commonly treated with fungicides, herbicides, and sprout inhibitors in conventional systems.
Choosing organic means you’re supporting growers who prioritise soil structure, microbial health, and ecosystem balance, and it reduces your exposure to these chemicals. Organic potatoes come from systems where soil nutrition is built naturally through compost, cover crops, and crop rotation. This richer soil profile contributes to higher micronutrient content and superior flavour.
Photo: sbj04769 | Pixabay
Higher in nutrition
While potatoes are often lumped into the ‘carb’ category, new potatoes offer considerably more. Because they’re so fresh, they retain a higher proportion of:
New potatoes naturally contain resistant starch, a type of fibre that feeds beneficial gut bacteria and supports metabolic health. Interestingly, resistant starch levels increase when potatoes are cooked and cooled — making new potatoes ideal for summer salads and picnic dishes.
In the kitchen: versatile, quick, and festive
With New Zealand’s cherry season lasting only a few weeks, from mid-December into early January, savouring them New potatoes shine when their skins are left on. A simple steam or boil is often enough. Toss with herbs, lemon, good olive oil, or cultured cream for an instant seasonal dish.
They’re also ideal for festive cooking, Christmas tables, barbecues, shared platters, and light summer lunches. Their ability to hold shape without becoming floury makes them perfect for salads.
Creamy new potato salad
with edamame, herbs & lemon
Ingredients
Dressing
Method
AUTHOR BIO
Paula Sharp is a nutritional therapist supporting women’s health, digestion, hormones, skin, sleep, and energy through one-to-one consultations via Zoom. She’s also a local guest speaker in the Bay of Plenty and regular writer for Organic NZ.
Join Paula’s free newsletter – Sharp Bite – for weekly nutrition tips, seasonal recipes, and mindset inspiration.
Photo at top of article: Alexei_other | Pixabay
Moon Calendar January-February 2026
/in GardeningEnhance nourishment & resilience by saving seeds
By Monique Macfarlane
Seed saving is one of the most beautiful acts of resilience and nourishment we can do for ourselves, our communities, our future, and the ecosystems we find ourselves in. Each year on our farm, I save more and more varieties, and it is incredible to witness just how quickly they adapt and strengthen within our farm organism. Everything I grow from the seed we saved ourselves is healthier, abundant, easeful, and has a strength, vitality and density that is unrivalled.
I started with the easy crops – pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes. Then added in more flowers like calendula, cornflower, strawflower, sunflowers. Then came brassicas: kale and broccoli. There was the year where I was so proud to do zucchini for the first time – not realising how it’s best to hand pollinate for seed saving – the following year I had the most incredible array of fruits and colours, that all came from the same one fruit! Nature is absolutely incredible.
In biodynamics, we save seed at particular times that are favourable for what we are wanting to produce. So for flowers, I typically save seed on ascending flower days. For pumpkins and tomatoes I save seed on ascending fruit and seed days. For potatoes we always harvest on descending root days for better longevity in storing, and this is correct for seed saving too.
This year, I am trying something new, as there is always so much to learn and experiment with. When the moon is opposite Saturn, calcium and silica are in balance, which makes for true-to-form, balanced growth, so I am interested to see what seed saving at this time does for all the crops that might be ready at this very specific time.
Remember, seed should only be taken from well developed plants, not those which run to seed quickly and do not flow through their full expression. And of course – sharing seed is key!
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Monique Macfarlane is a holistic food systems facilitator, teaching biodynamics, planting by the moon, no-dig food growing and self-sufficiency. See www.natural-wisdom.net
Monique co-creates with organic, biodynamic, regenerative, no-till, and natural principles on eight hectares in Waihi that includes a small market garden, orchard, pastoral grazing, chickens and agroforestry.
Images: Arina-Ulyasheva, VeraPetruk