https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal.html Dated notes from a small Auckland backyard - what worked, and what didn't. en-nz https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-watering.html https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-watering.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +1200 Memories If you want kids in the garden, do not start them on weeding. Give them the hose. Which is why half my garden photos have somebody wet in them. https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-new-lawn.html https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-new-lawn.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +1200 Landscaping The back lawn was builder's clay with a skim of topsoil over it, and by 2023 it had cracks running right through. So I dug the lot out by hand and started again. https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-stain-everything.html https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-stain-everything.html Sun, 09 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +1200 Landscaping The Auckland sun bakes bare timber until it cups and twists. So now the shed, the fence, the boxes and the edging all get stained, and the girls get roped in. https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-first-border.html https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-first-border.html Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +1200 Landscaping Flowers In 2022 there were no gardens here at all. I dug a strip of lawn out along the fence, put a timber edge on it, and accidentally set the pattern for everything since. https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-biggest-beetroot.html https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-biggest-beetroot.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +1200 Memories Vegetables I had to go back through the photos to work out what 2016 even was. The biggest beetroot I have ever grown, a bucket of tomatoes, and the whole family out in the beds come spring. https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-black-doris.html https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-black-doris.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +1200 Memories Fruit Peas, radishes, lettuce and strawberries at the rental in 2015, and an old Black Doris plum that gave us more fruit than we knew what to do with. https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-kids-gardening.html https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-kids-gardening.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +1200 Memories Flowers The girls were small, so I gave them seedlings to plant and a hose to point at them. Marigolds, corn, and a month later you could not see the soil. https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-beans.html https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-beans.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +1200 Memories Vegetables My dad grew vegetables on a quarter acre and we hardly ever bought any. In 1990 he put the whole section in beans. I still have some of his seed. https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-six-trees.html https://www.gilthegardener.co.nz/journal-six-trees.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +1200 Fruit Landscaping A lemon, a plum, a nectarine, two feijoas and a magnolia, all arriving at once. The FAQ on this site says I want to plant a mini orchard. Turns out saying it out loud makes it happen.