Lifestyle File

Practical, trustworthy articles for lifestyle farmers. Browse by species, season, or topic. New content added every week.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Under the Tuscan Sun zucchiniMy "zucchini" moment occurred in Italy, not in a romantic "Tuscan villa"

Trouble in Paradise

I'm such a garden enthusiast that it never crosses my mind to think that my gorgeous vegetables may actually encounter problems enroute to becoming a meal.

As Good As a Bought One!

Make winter meals easy with a simple harvest and wash routine, freezer herbs, and chook mash from trimmings. Enjoy better flavour, lower cost, and a 2026 safety note.

That’s because I transplanted a mass of overly mature beetroot and parsnip seedlings into new homes. Considering the appalling spring we’ve had, a surprising number of seed germinated but as hail, sleet and gale force winds continued well into early summer there was little chance to get into the garden to attend to the young seedlings.