These gardens are only a few months old. The wooden frames and stakes were collected from local renovation sites. The tunnel contains peppers and cucumbers. The lightweight agricultural cloth provides warmth and protection from birds and insects. It will need to be removed when plants blossom, to allow bees access for pollination.

Abundant Harmony – red Russian Kale, Bright Lights Chard, Garlic, Parsley, Mint, Radicchio, Beets & Lavender

Peas, Poppies, Primrose, Celery, Endive, Beans, Spinach with the exuberant Di Cicco Broccoli at the back. Home-made yellow sticky traps monitor and trap insects. (these made from a dish-washing liquid bottle)

Container gardens are an excellent medium for greens of all sorts. Here we have beets, spinach basil and mesclun mixes. The boxes are kept up off the ground for easy maintenance and to deter slugs and snails. These boxes display growth of about two to four weeks. The growing area (on a deck) has a shade cloth over-top to provide sanctuary from the scorching NZ sun.

The northern side of the rental property is still being cleared – the hedgerow had become a mold, dust and rat infested knot of wild vines and dead trees – seen as the brown area at the back where I’ve been chopping. The task of clearing this mess has been tedious, but I am looking forward to establishing the biggest and most boisterous garden bed along this boundary, once it is tidied. The tree at the left is a White Fig.

Pennsylvania Amish children running through lush productive gardens.