This one is for you, Jessie

My first post in almost a year. And it's about gardening. Haven't I come a long way?

I have recently left a very Mumsie flat, which means there was plenty of gardening, cooking, baking and knitting there. I have moved up to Auckland to work fulltime at Trends Publishing (interior design magazines).

So naturally, my flatmates sent me off with a kit full of gardening gear: pop-up vegetable garden, gardening gloves - children's size, trowel, and seeds (baby carrots, spinach, cauliflower and radishes).

Today I got to work.

Here I am with my loot. We stopped by Plant Barn (of which I am now a cardholder), and picked up some marigolds (natural pest repellent), stakes (for the already present tomatoes), capsicum, rosemary and pak choy plants, as well as some courgette and rocket seeds.

The tomato plants! Freshly staked and ready to grow upwards . . . instead of everywhere else.

The soil is in . . . now for the baby carrots. Also, check out them gloves.

Pop-up garden bottom left: baby carrots, spinach, caulis and radishes. Netting down to keep cats off. First tyre on the left: zucchini seeds, and a marigold for friendship. The second tyre holds capsicum, which also have a friendly marigold. The little black pot on the right holds oregano seeds.

Mint, basil and strawberries.

Rocket seeds planted and rosemary ready to go - and it grows upright!

The aftermath.

Right. Everything is planted and ready to grow. Get to it seeds.