Take advantage of the daylight hours and make hay (or compost) while the sun shines.

Seeds saved from your best crops will look after you in seasons to come.

Fruit harvesting is a topical issue where I live. Once again, we're in the the eye of a biosecurity storm and troops of fluorescently clad officers are walking door to door to curb the spread of the dreaded Queensland fruit fly.

On a baking hot afternoon in December, our 18-year-old nephew Mark drove us around remote roads in the high country above Kaikoura, doing a great job of showing us the local sights.

Sharpen your shears and take to the fruit trees to prepare for the coming winter.

Over the summer holidays we caught a sea shuttle from Kaiteriteri Beach and spent a week with my family at a holiday house in Awaroa Inlet in the Abel Tasman National Park.

Worm farms, compost heaps, beehives and vege gardens. Auckland businesses

Gil Hanly's garden is a verdant wonderland in Mt Eden. On a sweltering day a welcome wave of cool, forested air greets the visitor at the gate.

Renting can be hard for creative people because we want to enhance beauty and you're not allowed to change much, but gardening is one way you really can do that.

Up and down our country, home gardeners are enjoying the fruits of their hard work.

Make summer last even longer with some relaxation-inducing outdoor living furniture and accessories.

Barnardos has always led the charge in putting children first. The Garden Project is their newest initiative to promote gardening among South Auckland children and families...

This Christmas we're catching the train to Kaikoura to spend a few days with my husband's family, who live up Mt Lyford, in a village of log houses surrounded by beech trees and mountain tarns.

I enjoyed researching this story, as I don't often peruse websites for garden gift-giving. My go-to presents for special days are often plants (not a surprise).

The holidays are just around the corner and it is also peak growing time for summer crops.

I was looking forward to visiting friends Gilbert Wong and Jo Boese to check out a landscaping project at their Herne Bay home last week.

No room, no problem; options include pots and mobile beds.

Throw in longer days, warmer temperatures and regular rain, stir up the soil and you have the perfect recipe for a weed explosion. Fortunately, weeds come with benefits. If you're pulling out your hair and reaching for expensive herbicides, think again. I