Your Garden Coach

08/09/2026

Not much gardening going on today!
Fortunately, the Moon Calendar tells me it’s a cultivate-only day -
so I’m taking that advice quite literally.
Today I’m cultivating a fabulous experience instead, with a helicopter ride to the top of Coromandel Peak, high above Wānaka.
I reckon that counts. Thanks to Brogan Brogan | NZ Wedding + Proposal Photographer 📸 for a special treat.

08/09/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱: 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽!

Learn the cost effective way of growing apple trees. Grab your tickets through the Humanitix link below!
https://events.humanitix.com/apple-grafting-workshop-5nlv4n32

07/09/2026

A little appreciation post for Maura.

Maura arrived at Crosshill as a WWOOFer, but from the start she became a hugely important part of Your Garden Coach NZ.

Those of you who listen hear the finished podcast, but there is an enormous amount of work behind every episode – and over the past 10 months Maura has quietly taken on so much of it.

She has helped research and plan episodes, organise recording sessions, record alongside me, work through edits and technical details, prepare social media, take photographs and document what’s happening in the garden.

She has also been my sounding board. We’ve bounced around ideas, talked through topics and had countless conversations that have started with, “You know what we should talk about on the podcast…?”

And she has done all of this while WWOOFing – working in the garden, helping around Crosshill and becoming part of our family, and everyday life here.

Producing a podcast involves so much that listeners never see: research, preparation, recording, editing, organising and planning what comes next. Maura has shared that load with me, but she has also brought enthusiasm, curiosity, humour and a fresh perspective to the podcast.

WWOOFing is supposed to be an exchange of skills, knowledge and experiences. I think this one became something rather more than that.

Thank you, Maura, for your hard work, friendship, ideas, and for becoming such an important part of Your Garden Coach NZ.

The podcast has been better for having you behind the microphone – and very definitely better for having you behind the scenes too.

We will miss you very much

Ali

03/09/2026

We’re delighted to welcome Sarah O’Neil – 'Sarah the Gardener' to the podcast!

Sarah’s fabulous book Growing Vegetables was first published back in 2016 – and now, ten years later, it’s back.

Sarah has revisited, revised, and updated her book, bringing it firmly home for New Zealand gardeners.

The new edition, Growing Vegetables – A Simple Guide for NZ Gardeners, takes you through the growing season with practical, down-to-earth advice to help you understand not just what to do in the vegetable garden, but why you’re doing it.

We chatted with Sarah about the new edition.

A lovely conversation with a very experienced Kiwi gardener – Season 4 Episode 1 -

02/09/2026

A gorgeous little wax-eye feasting on what’s left of the crab apples in my early-spring garden.

This morning I spent 20 minutes standing beside Lindy as she documented the phenology here at Crosshill - noticing what was flowering, what was emerging, which birds were visiting, and all those small signs that show us the season is changing.

It was early, a little chilly, but incredibly peaceful. We stood quietly watching 20-30 tiny birds flitting through the crab apple tree and became completely absorbed in the moment.

We commented - neither of us would have imagined our younger selves finding such wonder in simply standing still and observing.

The wax-eye is also known as the silvereye, and in Māori as tauhou - meaning ‘new arrival’, which feels very fitting as the garden emerges into early spring.

Twenty quiet minutes of simply 'noticing' was a rather wonderful way to start the day. Try it with a cup of homegrown herbal tea to keep your hands warm, unless you are the photographer - isn't she amazing by the way!

02/09/2026

Heading into year 4 of our Garden Podcast - Season 4 Episode 1 is now live. You can find the episode here: www.yourgardencoach.nz/podcast

31/08/2026

A little peek into Del’s garden…

You’ll know Del from Dishes with Del on the podcast.
Del has some lovely new raised beds, and Your Garden Coach NZ is helping with the technical side - what to grow, where to grow it, soil preparation, planting plans, timing, and all those little decisions that help a new productive garden get off to a good start.

Del will be doing the growing - and, knowing Del, turning plenty of the harvest into something delicious.
The Spinach is already loving its home and will be on the dinner plate really soon.

We’ll share the progress as the beds develop, including what works, what we change along the way, and eventually what comes out of the kitchen.
From raised bed to dinner plate — with Del.

27/08/2026

25/08/2026

This week’s Subscriber Email – The Wardian Case

Because I was pondering the origins of glasshouses and I went down a rabbit hole - (not literally, of course, - though that could happen in our rabbit-infested Central Otago region)

Have you ever wondered how plants travelled halfway around the world long before plastic pots, air freight, and modern glasshouses?

This week’s bonus subscriber email takes a little detour into gardening history with the fascinating story of the Wardian Case – a simple glass box that completely changed the way plants were transported around the world.

This one is just for interest – because sometimes it’s lovely to know a little more about the history behind the plants we grow.

Have you subscribed to our newsletters yet?

Usually they’re packed with practical, seasonal gardening information – what to sow, plant and do in the garden right now, along with ideas to help you garden with the seasons.

And every now and then, I’ll send you something simply because I think you’ll enjoy it.

Join us via the website – yourgardencoach.nz