About Us

Debbie - Homesteader

Hello Friends and welcome to Merchant Homestead!

This is me, Debbie, in my natural habitat. Messy hair, natural face, wearing Dan’s borrowed jersey. This is the happy face of a girl in the sunshine, snacking on peas and picking spinach. It’s a good time and I’m glad you can enjoy it too. Thanks for following along my garden journey.

I started sharing the joy of my urban homestead over on Instagram. If you enjoy a good browse of garden-flavoured spam, scroll down and dig in!

We spent the weekend with friends away on Waiheke,

We spent the weekend with friends away on Waiheke, lounging at the beach, baking bread, hunting Easter eggs and having a jolly old time. Meanwhile storm clouds had skirted around our edges and dumped a tropical cyclone on our little homestead. High winds, big rain, my little garden was left to fend for itself.

I got out this morning to see how she fared and I will say, better than expected! A few pots blown over and vertical plants now sideways. The chicken fence barely standing but chickens still happily contained. And my beautiful bunch of bananas still happily dangling in the tree 😍🍌

Good job little homestead ❤️

Baking bread and sharing skills with beautiful fri

Baking bread and sharing skills with beautiful friends... what better way to spend a long weekend! 🥰🍞

#thegoodlife #fromscratch #homemadefood #sourdough #focaccia #homesteading #qualitytime

It’s that time of year where rain drops hang heavy

It's that time of year where rain drops hang heavy in the asparagus ferns. We are braced for a storm this evening and while I wish all of you a safe and secure night, I'd also like to admire the beauty of our changing seasons, and the untamed world in which we still somehow live so comfortably. ❤️

Well, even though my luffa plant is very late to t

Well, even though my luffa plant is very late to the party, it seems to be giving this fruiting thing a crack! I don't have high hopes but nothing's impossible 😆🥒

Shout out to the serrano! This plant has received

Shout out to the serrano! This plant has received a number of shout outs this summer, I think, due to its ongoing tolerance, resilience, and understanding. I've been less than attentive, and by consequence, this plant, tucked in the shelter of the greenhouse, has been living in significant manmade drought conditions. Regardless, she continues to support my harvesting needs with these beautiful, spicy, sweet red numbers. Thank you for your commitment to the cause! 😍🌶🌶🌶

You know how some plants love to climb? They wrap

You know how some plants love to climb? They wrap their little tendrils around and grip on as they work their way up. You wonder how they know to grab on. It is because of these teeny tiny little hairs, often hard to see, but in this moment, catching the light just perfectly. 🌱

Hello sweet friends! Some of you know with baby on

Hello sweet friends! Some of you know with baby on the way, we're heading into renovations at our place, and so the time has come to sell our gorgeous antique stove. We've thrown it up on trademe and would love it to go to a loving home.

If you know someone who loves antiques, European vintage, or just the most charming offgrid appliance you've ever seen - please pass this on to them. ❤️

Find it here https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/antiques-collectables/appliances/listing/5253962517
or search 1920s Belgian Leuven oven stove

#antique #offgrid #homesteading #vintage #Belgian

The rain has come! Hope you’re snugged up cosy ins

The rain has come! Hope you're snugged up cosy inside while your garden gets a nice watering 😊🌱🌧

Anyone else been fossicking around their feijoa tr

Anyone else been fossicking around their feijoa trees today?! These beauts smell divine 😍

My bananas are looking so plump. My last bunch nev

My bananas are looking so plump. My last bunch never made it this long and I am EXCITED 😍🍌

The broccoli are settling into their new outdoor h

The broccoli are settling into their new outdoor home in fine form. They've already started decorating with their little dew drops every morning 🥰

The lawns are getting done today, possibly for the

The lawns are getting done today, possibly for the first time all summer (actually, it's not even summer anymore). We've been otherwise occupied and things have just grown, as they do. So tonight was the beginning of the lawn wrangling, but before that could be done, just a moment to appreciate one of the cute little sprouts who have found their home here amongst the wild. 🌱

Somehow, I don’t think these stripey bois are goin

Somehow, I don't think these stripey bois are going to ripen up, but I don't have the heart to tear them out today 😅🍅

Autumn colours have arrived on the homestead, beau

Autumn colours have arrived on the homestead, beautiful reds and oranges amongst the last of the greens. 🧡🍁

First harvest off the backyard feijoa trees today,

First harvest off the backyard feijoa trees today, and they're teeny charming delicious balls of joy 🤩🥰

Forgot I planted a luffa quite some time ago. It’d

Forgot I planted a luffa quite some time ago. It'd been buried under pickles n tomatoes for the summer, but now that those have come out.. we have surprise luffa flowers! 🤣 Most likely too late to grow anything harvestable but they look pretty cool none the less.

It’s been a rainy old autumn week in the big smoke

It's been a rainy old autumn week in the big smoke, and I haven't had very much time outside, but tonight there was a little break. I ventured out into the cool evening air and spent just a while amongst the long grass and gardens. There's still little sniffs of summer holding on, like this little tomato blossom, heavy from the rain. 😊

Mix up a couple of sourdough loaves with me 😊

Mix up a couple of sourdough loaves with me 😊

#merchanthomestead #thegoodlife #fromscratch #homemadefood #sourdough #bakingbread #sourdoughbread #homebaking

My little welcome home from the feijoa tree 🥰

My little welcome home from the feijoa tree 🥰

Getting some pep in my step and giving the chicken

Getting some pep in my step and giving the chicken house a good clean. It's super easy with our new style coop, dump the bedding trays, hose off and water blast any grubby bits, leave to dry (and let a chicken perch a while) and then fresh bedding and back together.

Happy nesting, my flock! 😊🐔🐓

#merchanthomestead #thegoodlife #urbanhomestead #mybackyard #chickensofinstagram #backyardchickens #cleaning #yardwork #homesteading

New sprout coming to Merchant Homestead this winte

New sprout coming to Merchant Homestead this winter ❤️

Pickled the last jar of gherkins for the season on

Pickled the last jar of gherkins for the season on the weekend before tearing out the plants to make way for something new. There were just a couple of tiny fruit still left so into the jar they went. I'm sure I've seen teeny tiny snack gherkins on fancy platters before, so hopefully that's where these lil beauties are headed! 😆🥒

I think it’s time to acknowledge this beauty, whic

I think it's time to acknowledge this beauty, which is my serrano chilli. It's taller than me (not hard), has been neglected many a time, shrivelled, blown over and yet still gets up again, and has started churning out these spicy little numbers like it's going out of fashion. What a star 🌶🤩

#merchanthomestead #thegoodlife #urbanhomestead #mybackyard #harvest #chillies #growingfood #gardening

The first Autumn harvest basket, with the last of

The first Autumn harvest basket, with the last of the blueberries, a few little tomatoes, some miniature capsicum, jalapenos, serrano chillies, and a handful of fresh spuds. It's the colour of it all that really takes me in. 😍🌶🫐🫑🥔

That jiggle at the end 😍👌 Double batch of s

That jiggle at the end 😍👌

Double batch of sourdough sandwich bread coming right up! Looking very good after a month of fridge hibernation for my starter 😅🍞

#merchanthomestead #thegoodlife #fromscratch #homemadefood #sourdough #sourdoughbread #bakingbread #bakingfromscratch #urbanhomestead

Not too many more of these little gems coming out

Not too many more of these little gems coming out of the backyard garden. Autumn is arriving and with that, many of the abundant summer plants have browned and withered, ready to make space for the next season.

Welcome to Autumn my beautiful friends 🍂 Today

Welcome to Autumn my beautiful friends 🍂

Today I got my first round of seeds down for the new season. Talked through them all on my stories with a bit more detail and tips, but for the TL:DR version, here we are!

Autumn is bringing me green peas, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spring onions, beetroot and swedes. And it's going to be wonderful.

Have you started thinking about your Autumn garden yet?

#merchanthomestead #gardening #fromseed #planting #autumn #nzgarden #homegrownfood

There’s a new face in berry forest. An imposter. N

There's a new face in berry forest. An imposter. Not a berry at all. A pumpkin of some kind it would seem, has snuck through the neighbours fence and found its cosy new home here. 😅

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