Farming and Horticulture

Farming & Horticulture Articles

Working with the earth

18 Dec 24

Coral Ramiro is the manager of Earth Stewards certified organic urban farm in Kirikiriroa / Hamilton, and an alumna of the Earthworkers Hort 101 programme. She tells her story to Sarah Smuts-Kennedy.

Stop, look and listen to the weeds

25 Nov 24

Organic gardeners and growers can be challenged by weeds. But if we learn to work with them – to observe what weeds grow where, we'll see what they're telling us about the soils.

Steve Erickson, second from right, and group in pasture

Creating on-farm fertility

22 Oct 24

Chaos Springs at Waihi run regular workshops about soil health, composting, and on-farm fertility. Jenny Lux reports on a recent workshop.

Microbes are a big name in organic agriculture – in fact, they are the reason for everything. I’m not exaggerating here: the first life forms thought to have existed were – you guessed it – of such tiny proportions that you and I would have thought nothing of them. Story and photos by Paige Murray.

What is Syntropic Agroforestry?

20 Sep 24

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

Winter Jobs for Blueberries in the Home Garden

25 Jul 24

There are many blueberry varieties available to the home gardener. Large and small, sweet and sour and everything else in between. They can be notoriously difficult to grow. So if you have some blueberry plants, here are a few winter jobs to help your plants to thrive. By Andy Jeffs.

Life Underground – A Guide To Aotearoa’s Soil Food Web

16 May 24

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.

Live2Give: Focusing on foundations, making good ethics a viable business

01 Mar 24

Two Manawatū couples with a big vision made hard choices, distilling their operation down to its essence. Rachel Rose talks to the owners of Live2Give about how their business has grown, diversified, adapted, and prioritised, all the while keeping the culture of doing it for good.

Underground interactions: how roots communicate

01 Mar 24

They may be out of sight, but Dr Charles Merfield tells us what science is beginning to understand about the complexity of root interactions.

Blooms for change with Rebecka Bjelfvenstam Keeling

18 Jan 24

Rebecka Bjelfvenstam Keeling is not just a grower and a champion of local seasonal flowers; she is also an educator with a strong commitment to cultivating a greener tomorrow

Going underground to the root of it all

18 Jan 24

Roots, the essential ‘engine room’ of a plant, is the determining factor of health and growth. But roots may not be where you expect. David Whyte delves down into how our trees behave underground.

Spelt: the benefits and challenges of an ancient grain

18 Jan 24

An ancient grain that’s enjoying a modern revival is being grown organically near Bulls in Manawatū. Theresa Sjöquist talked to Harry Russell-Bowen of Ratahi Farm about the benefits and challenges of growing spelt.

Healing the earth through biodynamics

25 Aug 23

A philosophy that transcends all cultures, religions, or science has been practised in Aotearoa for nearly a century. It’s a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition that is gaining recognition worldwide.

The soil improver: transforming forestry slash with biochar

27 Jul 23

Kev Dowman tells Paula Sharp why we should be producing biochar on a commercial scale. He says it is an investment for our future, specifically the future of New Zealand’s land quality and how we can contain carbon.

Accounting for the future

05 May 23

A recent article in a farming magazine, bemoaned that an estimated $55 million has been spent comparing organic/regenerative to industrial (named conventional) farming – with the conclusion that regenerative farming produced less profit and more GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.

Funding the future with biodynamics

28 Apr 23

Practitioners are convinced biodynamics is the way of the future – and are financing the research to prove it.

The farm-to-kitchen model bringing food sovereignty to India

22 Mar 23

Food sovereignty is an important issue in a world of increasing centralisation, and in our documentary ‘The Worm is Turning’ it’s one of many subjects we address.

Azolla: a simple and sustainable biofertiliser

22 Feb 23

It is the ultimate fertiliser for your garden. It is free, only needs a bucket of water, removes greenhouse gases, fixes nitrogen, and enriches your soil. Sheryn Dean describes a simple and sustainable biofertiliser.

Biocontrol: natural pest management

22 Feb 23

Nature is an ongoing war. A battle for survival, for dominance, and resources. ‘Pests’ are when one species are winning and are having a detrimental effect on our desired outcome. Charles Merfield explains how we can change the balance and allow nature to regulate itself.

Get into intercropping and living mulch

20 Dec 22

Nature endeavours to cover bare soil with a succession of plants. Science is understanding why and learning that the benefits of roots can outweigh even the best of inputs. Charles Merfield says we need to recloak Papatūānuku with a diversity of living plants and discusses how we can put this into practice amongst our crops.

Farming & Horticulture Articles

Working with the earth

Stop, look and listen to the weeds

Creating on-farm fertility

When Micromanaging is Good

What is Syntropic Agroforestry?

Winter Jobs for Blueberries in the Home Garden

Life Underground – A Guide To Aotearoa’s Soil Food Web

Live2Give: Focusing on foundations, making good ethics a viable business

Underground interactions: how roots communicate

Blooms for change with Rebecka Bjelfvenstam Keeling

Going underground to the root of it all

Spelt: the benefits and challenges of an ancient grain

Healing the earth through biodynamics

The soil improver: transforming forestry slash with biochar

Accounting for the future

Funding the future with biodynamics

The farm-to-kitchen model bringing food sovereignty to India

Azolla: a simple and sustainable biofertiliser

Biocontrol: natural pest management

Get into intercropping and living mulch

Proudly published by the Soil & Health Association NZ