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Ground Breaking Ideas
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Cash for weeds
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
For a ground breaking idea with a difference, the Department of Conservation in Kaitaia is offering ‘cash for weeds’, in a campaign aimed at ridding the Far North of two particularly nasty plants.
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Subdivision options in rural Kaipara
Monday, 22 September 2008
In this, my second article about rural subdivision, I would like to discuss the various options available to those who wish to cut off a bit of land in the Kaipara District. Subdivision in rural Kaipara is relatively straight forward; and can be undertaken as a complying activity to a minimum site size of 4 hectares (Rule 11.5.1 of the District Plan).
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The magic of clover
Monday, 22 September 2008
Clover is in the legume family along with plants like lucerne, Lotus species, lupins and gorse. They all have little nodules on their roots where bacteria called Rhizobia species live and can convert nitrogen gas into nitrate, which the pasture plants then use as a fertiliser. Clover is also very high in all the nutrients that stock need.
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Pleasing Pasture
Monday, 22 September 2008
Paddocks that have survived months of drought and hard grazing will need careful management to make it through the winter, and to avoid them becoming thin and infested with weeds and volunteer grasses.
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Growing Tree Lucerne (Tagasaste)
Monday, 22 September 2008
Tagasaste or tree lucerne is a perennial forage shrub or small tree that grows well in mild, temperate climates. It can provide good feed for farm livestock maintenance and for wool growth, and provides shelter from chilling winds. It also supplies good firewood where that is needed.
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Make your veggie patch from scratch
Monday, 22 September 2008
A number of people are lapping up the self satisfaction of feeding their friends and family with their own home grown produce; they’re embracing the shift towards becoming more eco-friendly as they get their hands back in the soil.
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Planting native trees in the pasture
Monday, 22 September 2008
Forests once covered much of the Earth’s land surface. It was beneath this forest mantle that most of our plants and animals evolved and our soils were formed. In New Zealand, our wildlife and soils are seriously threatened by deforestation. Planting native trees in your pasture helps to offset this damage in two ways:
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Adding value
Monday, 22 September 2008
If two similar neighbouring houses were for sale and one had a well-designed garden, it would sell faster. In fact, it is often literally the first thing potential buyers look at. It wasn’t that long ago that the garden was usually left until last or completely overlooked when renovating the inside of the home for ways to add value. Well these days things are a little different.
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