Syntropic agroforestry speaks of biomimicry, creating a system that is like a natural forest. Ecological succession is a key pillar. All plant species have their life cycles; each finds its niche within a system and in turn flourishes then dies in its own time. Story and photos by Andy Jeffs.

Suggested seasonal tasks based on the cosmos, are a wonderful starting point for investigation, as each farm, property or garden is a unique organism.

A simple, flavour-packed stew utilising spring veg and pantry staples – serves four. Recipe and photos by Tess Lenart

Christine Dann found the Matariki holiday was a perfect time to take a walk around the garden and think about what worked well in the past year, and what needs to happen in the new year.

Fancy growing a hardy vegetable that will provide nutritious food for a few years? Several members of the brassica (cabbage) family grow as perennials, not setting seed for years. By Peta Hudson and Philippa Jamieson.

There is a new system of industrial food manufacturing that produces edible substances that are not food, but rather food products containing novel, synthetic molecules never found in nature. These ever-increasing laboratory-engineered chemistry experiments are designed to simulate food. 

Hazel Berryman was a life long gardener who believed in two cardinal credos: ‘you are what you eat’ and ‘eat food that goes bad, but eat it before it goes bad’. With these two credos, Hazel lived to the ripe old age of 100.   

Traditionally, wheat was a protein and vitamin-packed staple chiefly used for grinding into flour and making bread. Theresa Sjöquist investigates how it is grown and processed in New Zealand today and details its composition and effects on our health.

Without the diverse organisms within our soil there would be no land- dwelling life on Earth. Duncan Smith describes the creatures and critters that underpin our plants, and ultimately, ourselves.