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Raised timber beds filled with straw and compost are ideal for growing vegetables. Photo / Supplied

This is the weekend people rip into their gardens and plan great things for the next season. Before you do this, grab a coffee and walk around your garden thinking about what grew well and tasted good. Did the birds eat your pea seeds? Did the beans grow too high? Do the kids want more cherry tomatoes? Are you tired of eating silverbeet?

Work out what the family wants to eat and what you need to plant. Pace out your edible garden area and plot it on graph paper.

Work out your year's plan, starting in August. Annual planting and cropping guides are useful, and can be found on edible.co.nz, tuigarden.co.nz or gardennz.co.nz, or you could download a phone app from gardenate.com. Awapuni Nurseries and Kings Seeds sites also have comprehensive information about vegetables and herbs.

I treat myself to a new tree each year. Last year it was a gingko. Someone told me gingko leaf tea prevented memory loss, but I forgot where I'd planted it and it got buried by weeds. I've uncovered it now and we're both thriving.