teebrown

Hi all, before we come to NZ I was searching this site for info on what to grown in a veggie garden etc and many people gave some great advice. I have never had a veggie garden so was eager to get as much info as possible. Well we have been in NZ for 10 months now and I wanted to share the photos of my very first veggie, fruit and herb garden with you. We have planted so many different veg, 4 Berry bushes and strawberries and even made a herb wheel. The kids have loved planting all the veg and we drive out of bed in the morning to see what has grown in the garden and can't wait to eat it. we are making pasta and pesto and pizza with the herbs today, it's all very exciting (blimey when I was younger, I never thought I would be enjoying gardening, must be getting old)!!

Also made a lovely planter box to go in between our decks, we found planter boxes so expensive over here, so had a go a building our own, I think he did a good job.

As many of you may know we built our own house, now the ground has been cleared and the seed is sown, 7 - 10 days we should have a green lawn.

scrubbedexpat094

That looks great. Well done you. We are about to get an area of our garden fenced off for our veggie plot. Already growing herbs, apples, lemons, limes, mandarins & grapefruit. Have capsicums, chillis, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon & rock melon on the go.

It is exciting seeing produce appear, then picking & eating it. House looks great too.

Keep up the good work & more photos of your produce as they come please

teebrown

Thank you. Did you grow your watermelon from a seed tray and then plant them or straight into the ground? what month do you plant them?

weejie

Hi Tee
looks great,love the herb wheel idea and the stepped beds look brilliant. We have had our first time growing stuff and are now reaping the benefits. We are now eating lots of new spuds,peppers,chillis,carrots,parsnips and had loads of peas,parsnips and courgettes. These last 3 are now about done but we are going to plant more. We did not do well with caulis and brocolli but the cabbage are still going strong. We have just picked some onions and have spring onions and leeks still to be picked.Our tomatoes are now starting to ripen and flowers have appeared on the melons. Here is my thread showing our progress.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=631215

It is really satisfying watching things grow,harvesting them and then eating them. Happy gardening

Phyl x

Dewb09

: brilliant it looks fantastic. Love the stepped beds as well. A friend had a herb wheel, they look so good and are a great idea.

House is looking fab too

Thanks for photos, more please
DEwb

BEVS

Looking good TBrown and I like that table and chair set on the patio too.

We've been slowing converting the bottom of our section into our veg garden
There was a derelict old greenhouse at the top of our section so we renovated it , as this was far cheaper than buying one.
Haven't had much time to tend the thing of late but I did plant potatoes, onions, garlic, cucumber and tomatoes which are doing well.

weejie

looking good Bevs

Phyl x

BEVS

You may note, I do not have a living garden gnome in mine.

kiwi_child

Don't think you're getting old at all! Rather you are discovering the sense of achievement that comes from this type of activity. Something that when we are much younger, don't have the time, inclination or appreciate the benefits it brings. Well done!

I think growing your own fruit, veg & herbs is a bit like starting to create meals from scratch and moving on to creating your very own recipes. You become an artist of sorts (and avoid all that processed crap manufacturers throw in to make it more cost effective for them).

anniiee

Well done !!
We've started our veggie garden though nowhere near as adventurous as you guys. We have carrots, lettuice, cucumbers, onions, spring onions, sweetcorn and tomatoes. Hoping to do potatoes, cabbage, cauli and broad beans next.

scrubbedexpat094

not at that stage yet. I bought a seedling from Plant Barn in early Dec & planted it

teebrown

Here are a couple of tips I got out of books and off the telly. If you plant Basil with tomatoes and marigolds all over and fennel with cabbage these plants will deter the bugs and things.

Anyone else with any tips?

anniiee

Yes I had heard about marigolds, not heard about Fennel though I'll certainly give it a try, as I've just planted some cabbage seeds. We have loads of what I think are wooly aphids (after lots of google searching) I read that marigolds and basil are good. Along with spraying the aphids with soap and water ?
I am a complete novice lol as you can probably gather.

teebrown

I too am a complete novice, this is the first time I have grown anything, so I need all the advice I can get. Apprently if you collect seaweed off the beach and dig it into the garden it's an excellent fertilizer, you can also add it to your compost bin.

BEVS

You can make a liquid fertiliser using grass clippings, seaweed and/or poultry poo by adding water and leaving for a few weeks.