Hi from the colony

[mread]

...maybe not PC to call it the colony any-more...

Hi all from New Zealand. I'm a new gardener, have just bought a new house that has a large - ish section (half acre) so im really excited about filling it up with food and flowers.

its autumn here at the moment so im getting as much as i can started on the window-sill and digging over outside.

I just thought id join a forum or two outside the country. there's probably a tip or two ill pick up. maybe trade some seeds. global garden...

Cheers,
Red

[rustylady]

Hi Red. Welcome to the Vine. It would be a big help if you would add your location to your profile. It will then show up on your posts. What is your climate like there?

[Jeanied]

Welcome to the vine Red - I second what Rustylady says - you will get us all confused when you talk about summer over Xmas time otherwise!
Half an acre! Wow - what are you planning on growing? Are you going for a flower garden area and a big veg patch?

[mread]

Thanks Rustylady, Jeanied. Much appreciated. have updated my profile now.

New Plymouth would be Hardiness Zone 9 / 10. The climate is here at wikipedia. (with some pics of New Plymouth too.) We live beside this which dictates the temperature and chill factor. but its awesome scenery. we can hit some high temps in summer though.

We had a small section but now with our third child arrived i wanted somewhere they could run around in but not take over the whole section for themselves.. My wife says im mad wanting all that lawn to mow. i just think 'collecting compost' not 'mowing lawns'.

@Jeanied yeah i want to grow as much food as possible. so i can pay my mortgage.. but i found there was only so much work i could do / prepare during winter (just ending now) so ive been a bit more interested in flowers and other plants now.

[rustylady]

Sounds fantastic!! I would think you should be able to grow lots of food. What sort of stuff do you like to eat?

[elizajay]

What a beautiful location! You lucky thing.

I would have thought you can grow most things there, except perhaps things that enjoy frost, like garlic. You can grow beans, peas, onions, courgettes and squashes, soft fruit, potatoes, salad, tomatoes, etc.

[mread]

@rusty, i like everything apart from Brussel sprouts.. , there's a use or a recipe for anything eh? probly even sprouts. i really like spinach, chillies, yams, kumara (sweet potatoes), tomatoes, fruit, chillies. and Swedes. cauliflowers, broccoli, curries (i wish there was a curry tree). guess ill have to grow the ingredients instead. My Wife's tastes are completely different to mine, so ill have fun growing whatever she wants too.

@elizajay Funny you should say that .because ive got about eighty garlics coming up right now i really like garlic so i went to the local nursery and bought three bulbs for NZ $7 (about 3 quid), i thought it was a bit of a rip off so i went to the grocers and bought the same amount for 70 cents. and now im doing an experiment to see which grows better. so far (planted June 15) theyre averaging about 6 inches high. no difference at all. i read afterwards i wasnt supposed to plant the small cloves so ill just eat them and plant the big ones out next time.

[mread]

@elizajay but yeah we do get some beauty frosts, there's maybe a few left before September, i doubt there's much after that. what's your favourite food to grow girls? mines going to be the Garlic and Chillies i think. pretty excited. want to make some spicy food.

[Nicos]

Hi there - and welcome to the Vine!

...we do have a few Grapes in NZ and Oz!

I've recently moved to France- so I'm getting my head around which crops grow best with more extremes of temperatures and rainfall!

Fun isn't it?

[Florence Fennel]

Hi Red and a very warm welcome to the Vine. You sound just as excited and enthusiastic as the rest of us, so we're sure to enjoy each others company!

[Two_Sheds]

Hi,
Am I right that you don't have allotments in NZ, but you do have community gardens like this one?

[ginger ninger]

Hello red, welcome to the vine. Your place sounds fantastic...you'll have to post some photos for us all to get jealous over...we love photos

[mread]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone, i will post photos this weekend maybe, its still getting dark when i finish work.

@TwoSheds, By Allotment do you mean 'BackYard'. if so then most houses in NZ have a decent allotment.

heres my boundry (about 2500 sq metres), its bigger than average for a house in the suburbs, but only because the left hand edge is against a park/domain (privacy bonus.. large trees on the border).

this photo is a few years old (before i bought it)


I guess there would be a lot of community gardens in Auckland/Wellngton where the section sizes would be a lot smaller / apartment housing etc.. but the bulk of New Zealand cities would look like my neighbours..

the kids are stoked to have a 'spooky forest' haha. thats all they cared about. theyre 5, 3 and 6mths

Thanks again all.

[Two_Sheds]

@TwoSheds, By Allotment do you mean 'BackYard'. if so then most houses in NZ have a decent allotment.

No
An allotment is a pocket of land that you rent to grow vegetables on, and it's not near your house (usually). Mine is 5 km away from my house. We have about 40 tenant gardeners on the site, each has their own parcel of land to tend.

In UK, most houses have small or no gardens (back yards).

[mread]

i see now, just watched your lotty video, really nice, hope i can get my yard looking like that, i bet it took a while. shame its so far away but i guess its a good excuse for a bike ride!