School holidays, trips to the beach, and a house full of visitors – all great fun – but not so helpful when it comes to finding time for a garden in full swing. Diana Noonan shares labour-saving techniques so you can keep on top of the garden chores while enjoying the summer and the culinary delights it produces.

Summer is such a waiting and watching period. All the hard work of spring is about to come to fruition – if we protect and nurture our precious plants and their ground crew. Diana Noonan shares her experience of growing food organically and reminds us, as we tinker in the garden, to enjoy the riot of colour all around and to marvel at how the earth, the essence of life, really can bring forth food in abundance.

Recycling plant matter into plant food is half of the cycle of life. Kaitlyn Lamb describes how this can be done on any scale, in any place – even the most urban situation.

With autumn settling into winter, what better advice than turning to the sun and letting the shadows fall behind you could gardeners take? Especially those who have lost so much in recent weather events. Wherever you are in the country, make the most of the little heat that still lingers, by trapping it in cunning ways

March and April are such surprising and exciting months in the garden. Just when it seems the world is winding down and our edible beds are readying themselves for sleep, a whole new season of opportunity presents itself. That’s because, apart from a few of the coldest spots in the country (and even then, there is potential for growing undercover or indoors), nature never sleeps. So while autumn is very much the season for harvesting and storing, it’s also a time to be out with the fork, the seeds and the seedlings – and to start growing all over again! 

Most māra around the country are now in full swing, and keen gardeners are keeping up with succession sowings and plantings. While that’s wise, it also behoves us, as sustainable growers, to look for new ways to make the most from every plant we already have in the māra. Through meticulous maintenance and careful coaxing, we can all hope to increase production from our allotted growing space, while at the same time, reducing waste. 

Enough with the spick and span, says Sara Mertens. Instead, go a little bit wild and take advantage of the smorgasbord of nutrition our gardens have to offer, especially from those plants with reputations for being weeds.