Garden Guides & Advice

Gardening in New Zealand changes with the seasons, soil conditions, and plant types.

This hub brings together simple, practical advice to help you get better results in your garden.

whether you’re dealing with a problem, planning what to do this month, or looking after specific plants.

Growing Guides

  • 🍅 Tomato

    Learn how to grow healthier tomato plants with advice on planting times, soil preparation, feeding, watering, common problems, and improving fruit production.

    Grow Tomatos

  • 🌶 Chilli

    Discover how to grow strong, productive chilli plants with tips on planting, soil health, feeding, flowering, fruit development, and harvesting.

    Grow Chilli's

  • 🫑 Capsicum

    A complete capsicum growing guide covering planting times, soil preparation, plant care, feeding, and how to encourage larger, healthier fruit.

    Grow Capsicum's

  • 🥒 Cucumber

    Learn how to grow vigorous cucumber plants with advice on soil preparation, watering, feeding, plant health, and improving cucumber yields.

    Grow Cucumber

  • 🥒 Zucchini

    Everything you need to know about growing productive zucchini plants, including planting times, soil health, feeding, flowering, and harvesting tips.

    Grow Zucchini's

  • 🎃 Pumpkin

    Learn how to grow bigger, healthier pumpkins with practical advice on soil preparation, plant nutrition, watering, and supporting strong fruit development.

    Grow Pumpkins

  • 🥕 Carrot

    A complete carrot growing guide covering planting times, soil preparation, root development, feeding, and how to grow straighter, healthier carrots.

    Grow Carrots

  • 🥔 Potato

    Discover how to grow better potatoes with advice on planting, soil health, feeding, watering, and producing healthier potato crops.

    Grow Potatoes

  • 🟣 Beetroot

    Learn how to grow vibrant beetroot with stronger roots, healthier leaves, and better harvests through improved soil and plant care.

    Grow Beetroots

  • 🌱 Parsnip

    A practical guide to growing better parsnips, covering planting times, soil conditions, root development, feeding, and harvesting.

    Grow Parsnips

  • 🧄 Garlic

    Learn when to plant garlic, how to prepare soil, improve bulb development, and grow healthier garlic with stronger roots and better harvest potential.

    Grow Garlic

  • 🥬 Lettuce

    Discover how to grow crisp, healthy lettuce with advice on planting, soil preparation, feeding, watering, and producing consistent harvests.

    Grow Lettuce

  • 🌿 Silverbeet

    Learn how to grow strong, productive silverbeet plants with tips on soil health, nutrient availability, plant care, and harvesting.

    Grow Silverbeet

  • 🌱 Spinach

    A complete spinach growing guide covering planting times, soil preparation, feeding, watering, and how to grow healthier leafy greens.

    Grow Spinach

  • 🧅 Spring Onion

    Learn how to grow fresh, healthy spring onions with guidance on planting, soil improvement, feeding, and achieving strong leafy growth.

    Grow Spring Onions

  • 🥦 Broccoli

    Discover how to grow better broccoli with advice on planting times, soil preparation, feeding, watering, and producing stronger heads.

    Grow Broccoli

  • 🫐 Blueberry

    A complete blueberry growing guide covering planting, soil conditions, growing in pots, feeding, plant care, and producing better harvests.

    Grow Blueberries

  • 🍓 Strawberry

    Learn how to grow sweeter, healthier strawberries with advice on planting, soil preparation, feeding, watering, and improving fruit production.

    Grow Strawberries

Monthly Garden Guides

What to plant, prune, feed, and prepare in your garden each month.

Our monthly guides help you stay on track with seasonal gardening in New Zealand — so you can make the most of your garden all year round.

Garden Problems & Fixes

Not everything in the garden goes to plan — and that’s normal.

This section helps you identify common garden problems and understand simple ways to fix them, including:

  • poor growth

  • yellowing leaves

  • weak lawns

  • soil issues

  • inconsistent plant performance

👉 Explore all Garden Problems & Fixes Hub

🪴 Spotlight:

Killer / Poor-Quality Compost

Not all compost is the same — and in some cases, it can actually hold your garden back.

“Killer compost” is a term gardeners use for compost that looks fine but doesn’t support healthy plant growth.

It can lead to:

  • slow or weak plant growth

  • poor seedling establishment

  • inconsistent soil performance

  • reduced response to fertiliser

👉 Learn how to identify poor compost and fix the effects in your garden

Practical advice for better garden results

Good gardening isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing the right things at the right time.

These guides are designed to help you:

  • avoid common gardening mistakes

  • improve plant growth and performance

  • understand seasonal changes in your garden

  • get more consistent results from your garden routine

Turning advice into better results

Every garden is different, but the goal is the same, healthy, consistent growth.

Many of the issues covered in these guides are linked to how soil and plants respond to feeding and care.

That’s why improving overall garden performance often leads to better results across all plants and seasons.

👉 Explore our garden products