What Veggies can I grow? New Zealand
A wide range of fruit and vegetable crops are grown in New Zealand. They include oranges, lemons, avocados and persimmons, which grow in the warm north. Berries, olives and nuts grow in cooler areas.
The temperate to subtropical climate of New Zealand means that you can pretty much grow whatever fruit and vegetables they wish. But you may require some under glass growing to ensure the hot climate plants get the start they need.
Your growing conditions depend on where in New Zealand you are based : North Island, South Island and Stewart Island. But the country does experience the full four main seasons.
- Summer Dec - Feb
- Autumn Mar - May
- Winter Jun - Aug
- Spring Sept - Nov
The West coast of the south island is very cold, with frosts likely in winter months.
The rest of the South Island and Stewart Island have fairly mild winters with slight risk of frosts.
North Island can be sub-tropical and has less risk of frosts in winter
What Fruits and Vegetables can I grow?
The majority of Fruits and Vegetables grown in gardens across the country hail from British growers. This is not surprising as the New Zealand Company settlers wanted to reproduce the familiar foods and flavours of their home country.
Many indigenous fruits and vegetables are grown. These were used for many years by the Maori well before the british settlers set foot on New Zealand. But none are native to the islands.
- Kumara is Sweet Potato in the rest of the world
- Puha (sowthistle) - similar to spinach
- Pikopiko (Fern roots)
- Cabbage Tree (Cordyline australis) - The stems and fleshy rhizomes have lots of sugars that can produce a carbohydrate-rich addition to sweeten other foods.
- Yam (sweet potato)
- Various Gourds
- Taro (similar to sweet potato)
- Manuka (for manuka honey)
- Kawakawa - Tree used for leaves that are dried, ground and sussed to season food
- K?whitiwhiti (watercress)
