With minimal effort there’s nothing quite like eating fresh vegetables from your garden. As we move slowly towards spring, now is the time to start planning for a veggie garden.

A decent spade is a great investment, but it can be hard on your back. If you are looking to convert a piece of grass into your veggie garden, our larger SEP or our Husqvarna Rotary Hoe may be the best choice. Alternatively our smaller Masport Rotary Hoe may be sufficient for an established garden.

Soil that has been moistened with rain is easier to work (and there hasn’t been a shortage in Upper Hutt this year!) However it’s often best to allow the soil to drain for a couple of days, in order to achieve that nice balance between ‘pliability’ and ‘absolute mud’. We’ve had a few customers who prefer to turn over any sods of grass and allow it to decompose for a few weeks before adding any fertiliser or compost.

All of our Rotary Hoes are easy to operate. Our preference is to run across the ground, turning over the top 10 – 15cm of soil first, then repeating it again at a greater depth to achieve the desired degree of tillage. If you are planting seeds immediately, a final run to loosen up the top 5 cm of soil can often make planting easier.

Creating furrows or rows also helps with planting and garden management. The rows should run east-west (but may need to be changed slightly if the garden is on an incline) to allow the plants to get the maximum exposure to the sun, and remember to plant taller varieties (such as sweet corn) on the south side, so as not to leave the other plants in the shade. As most vegetables take 10 – 16 weeks to grow and will only last a 10 – 21 days once picked, remember to plant seeds every 3-4 weeks to provide a constant supply of home grown goodness during the warmer months.

And while it may not be warm enough just yet, consider the idea of germinating some seeds in egg box containers on the windowsill, in anticipation of the arrival of spring. Transplanting seedlings to a prepared garden often reduces the amount of weeding required, as the growing foliage of the vegetable plants will help to provide a green canopy, depriving the weeds of sunlight and slowing their growth.

There’s more information on our range of rotary hoes at or call in and have a chat about the types we have in our range. Our rotary hoes are very popular from now until November, so booking are recommended.