Plants for Food

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Growing your own food is one of the most rewarding ways to eat well and live sustainably. Whether you have a garden, a balcony, or just a sunny window, you can enjoy the satisfaction of harvesting fresh, homegrown produce.

Growing fruit trees in containers

If your soil is fertile and well-drained, fruit trees grow best when planted in the ground. But when good garden soil isn’t available, growing fruit in containers makes good sense, especially if you plan on taking them with you when you move house or if you have limited space.

The mini food forest

Growing your own food can be challenging when space is tight, but where there is a will there is usually a way, as many a keen gardener has found.

Back yard food forest

While we all know money doesn’t ‘grow on trees’, the next best thing may well be to plant a fruit tree. Kate Marshall from Waimea Nurseries looks at the investment opportunity our gardens present us.

Winter warmers

10 seasonal tasks to keep the blood flowing and the garden growing

Prunus - beauty and abundance

Spring blossom, dappled shade, summer fruit, autumn colour and elegant form - there is much to love about the vast and varied trees of the plant genus, Prunus.

Summer stone fruit

Winter is action time for summer fruiting trees

Tomatoes your way

Sun-warmed and fragrant, nothing beats the taste of home-grown tomatoes - and the unbeatable freshness when it’s only minutes from garden to plate.

Fresh start

For good health and great taste, the very best greens are the ones we pick fresh from the garden. Salad leaves are the easiest of vegetables to grow.

Pears

Planting a pear tree is an investment in both beauty and bounty

Space saving apples

Apples that grow vertically on compact columns open a realm of exciting possibilities for creative gardeners.

Feijoas - a Kiwi favourite

Feijoas are a unique and beloved fruit in New Zealand. They are easy to grow, yielding plenty of fruit from autumn to early winter. The distinctive bright red flowers appear at Christmas, adding their own charm to the garden.

Fruit trees for small spaces

The joy of home grown fruit isn’t only for large backyards and lifestyle blocks. Thanks to today’s dwarf fruit trees, a tiny garden (or a few large pots) can be surprisingly fruitful - for most of the year.

Autumn is for alliums

It’s planting time for all members of the onion family. Easy to grow alliums include the fat golden vege staple and all the other onion flavoured herbs and vegetables. There is an allium for every taste and something for every size of garden or pot.

A cucumber a day

Munching on a cucumber which is 95% water, is a tasty way to stay well-hydrated in summer, aiding weight loss with a good measure of fibre, vitamins and minerals without the calories.