In 2013, once the house was built, Jane and husband Victor set about transforming a blank canvas into a growing haven. Local designer Hamish Moorhead drew up an initial hard landscaping plan to surround the house.  This was constructed by Infinite Landscapes, leaving Jane and Victor to design the planting.   

Despite the challenges of wind, drought and an infestation of twitch grass in Jane and Victor’s bare Martinborough plot, they set about creating a garden focused on native plants and edibles. 

Of the native plantings, Jane propagated about half from eco-sourced Wairarapa seed, with the rest coming as small plants from Norfolk Nursery.  The only plants already on the section when the house was built were two large and probably original flax bushes and they were pulled apart by a digger before being re-planted as a “flax mountain” on spare fill which is at the back of the property.

The vegies are Jane’s domain, and Victor looks after creating new structures and general maintenance.

Jane visited the  Koanga Institute  in Wairoa in 2018 to learn how to grow food year round and save seeds.  She was inspired to put her learning into action, completely changing how the vegetables beds were prepared and planted.  Beds are double dug once only, and then in subsequent years they are prepared in the autumn with a layer of manure, own compost and straw, which is then covered with black plastic.  In the spring the beds are uncovered and ready for planting.  At this stage they are alive with worms and beetles.