The Almanac
Gardening guides — New Zealand
Practical guides to growing food in New Zealand: when to sow and plant out, what goes wrong and why, and how timing changes from the far north to the colder south. View the planting calendar →
Featured · Basics
Soil Prep for NZ Vegetable Gardens — A Season-by-Season Guide
What to actually do to your soil each NZ season — cover crops, lime timing, compost, and digging in — so beds are ready when the sowing rush hits.
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Basics
Saving Seeds in NZ — What Works Zone by Zone
Which NZ vegetables actually save true from seed, which need isolating from their relatives, and why your z...
Jul 22 · 6 min
Basics
Raised Bed vs In-Ground in NZ — Which Suits Your Climate
Raised beds or in-ground rows? A practical comparison for NZ conditions — drainage, cost, season length and...
Jul 17 · 6 min
Basics
Succession Planting in NZ — Keep Beds Productive Year-Round
Succession planting for NZ vegetable gardens — which crops actually support repeat sowing, realistic interv...
Jul 17 · 6 min
Basics
Frost Dates by NZ Region — A Practical Guide
Last spring frost and first autumn frost dates for NZ regions — Canterbury, Otago, Wellington, Nelson, Hawk...
Jun 29 · 8 min
Basics
NZ Cool/Mountain Zone: Exact Seed-Starting Dates Indoors
Canterbury and Otago gardeners: here's the week-by-week indoor sowing schedule for your 16–20 week frost-fr...
New Zealand — cool/mountain · Jun 29 · 7 min
Basics
Companion Planting for NZ Vegetable Gardens
A practical guide to companion planting for NZ gardeners — what the evidence actually supports, what's folk...
Jun 29 · 6 min
Basics
NZ Seed Suppliers — Where to Buy Vegetable Seeds Online
A practical guide to NZ vegetable seed suppliers — who stocks what, which are worth using, and what to know...
Jun 29 · 6 min