Henley’s Rustics

17/10/2026

Replenishing my garden beds,

🌱What I use
🌱How I do it
🌱Some reflections and why I have made some changes to my approach
🌱and some patch chats with Ned 💚🌱

Big love xx Jo & Ned - Frankie was enjoy a peaceful home to herself whilst we were in the patch 😅

17/10/2026

For the beginners 💚💚💚

To all the beginners out there, who might want some extra tips with the resources that I find helpful in the patch.. this is what I use as a rookie gardener. 💕💚🌱

I’m sure there are things I have left off… that I am sure I will remember later like a soil thermometer and a pH soil test 😅

Hope you find this useful if you can keep can keep up with my jumping around brain 😅🌱💚💕)

I also missed saying, I make sure my netting is off once the veggies are flowering (the veggies that need pollination from the bees, like cucumbers and zucchinis) as you don’t want to block out little bee friends out.

Big love rookie gardener, Jo Henley 👩‍🌾💚🌱

16/10/2026

You have probably heard a 1000 times.. if you are not feeling motivated, just start. Yeah great thanks for the advice.. because it feels too big to even start.

I have felt I have lost motivation, passion, drive… life demands feel so heavy sometimes, you just want to hide under a rock.

I know it’s okay to have those moments, to reset and go through that moment under the rock.. but there is so much beauty and joy that you miss under the rock… even when you don’t know where to start nor have the motivation… you just need to start. Start with one thing, a small part of the patch.

I did this last night with the kids.. I went out to pull a few carrots.. and then started pulling out more.. I was going to keep going on my own but though geez this feels so good to be in the patch, so I went and said to the kids.. who wants to pull some carrots out.? Being 7.30pm on a Friday night, both tried from the week, they looked unbothered, I showed the a bunch of carrots in my hand… next minute.. we were pulling out a bed of carrots all together. 🥕🥕🥕 the genuine joy we all felt was the most beautiful time together. 💚🌱

That’s life isn’t it. Just starting can feel the impossible.. but if you look at it as just one carrot (whatever it may be in life)… rather than.. I need to reset all my beds for spring planting, replenish, figure out planting configurations, replant, net the beds for the black birds, get stakes and frames ready (that feels like mountain when you have been under a rock)… last night began with one carrot and today we are go start with one bolted lettuce.. and next minute the patch will be spring planted.

There are times when the kids and I are in full garden lifestyle.. sometimes life takes us off the garden path.. 🌀 all of a sudden you are back in the over demanding life cycle.. but we know the benefits that a patch life brings..

Not just home grown food, its connection to nature, the simple life joys, appreciating the little things, raising children who have a place to learn, be curious, find calmness, support wellbeing.. the thing is.. adults need this just as much xx

Long story short.. feeling in a rut? go pull a carrot 🥕 😅

Big love Jo 🥕

15/10/2026

Last weekend Ann received her July Customer Monthly Winner garden bed … well actually garden beds 🤭🥳😍😍 Ann put her winning $200 towards 2 wickings beds to join her other wicking beds and standard beds 🥳😍🌱💚 yippee for more growing space 😍 Ann was also our April monthly winner and had picked out a lily pond 🪷💚

Saturday.. went a little something like this 😆

Me calling dad 📞 📣 dddaaaddddd … tell them not to leave until I get there, I’m on my way 🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️ (me wanting to give Ann a hug 🤗)

Dad waiting calmly with Collin at the wilks park meeting point in Wagga with the Ute loaded 😅

🌪️🌪️🌪️🌪️ we arrived (me, nanny and the kids 🌪️😆)

Collin- Ann is on her way to see you 😍🌪️🌪️🌪️

Yippeee Ann arrives 💚🥳🌱👩‍🌾😍💕

We get our hug 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗😅

Why I shared this run of events? 😆 because small businesses are not just business owners and customers, it’s human connection and genuine appreciation 💚🤗🤗🤗 I could of said to dad tell them sorry I’m still 10 minutes away and sorry I missed them.. but then I am just a chick selling garden beds 😩 mum and dad do our deliveries, but when the stars align, it’s so good see our customers excited faces 😍💚🌱

Big love xx Jo Henley.. sending a big hug to you all 🤗

Congratulations Ann and Collin 💚💚 happy growing 🥳 🤗

🌱🌱🌱💚💚 so good to see you both and loved our chats about gardening for wellbeing 🌱💚 I love and appreciate all your shares from filling, to making worm hotels, to growing 💚💚

15/10/2026

What I am up to in the patch and garden 👩‍🌾🌱💚💕

Big love xx Jo Henley- rookie gardener (3rd spring 💚👩‍🌾)

13/10/2026

Thank you Forbes Mitre 10 😍💚🌱 I am sooo thrived and grateful for all these garden goodies 😍💚🌱 couldn’t believe I won! gardeners dream come true 🥳🌱👩‍🌾🪴💕💚

I just finished planting the many plants I bought from you in September 😍🌱💚xx Jo

🎉🔥 CONGRATULATIONS, JO! 🔥🎉

🥳 WE HAVE A WINNER! 🥳

A huge congratulations to Jo, who has won our September Promo – a wheelbarrow filled with goodies! 🛠️🎁❤️

Jo simply scanned her Mighty Rewards card at the checkout and went into the draw… and look what happened! 🙌🎉

We hope you enjoy your wheelbarrow full of goodies, Jo! ❤️

A big THANK YOU to everyone who entered our September promotion and continues to support us. We truly appreciate your support! 🥰

👏🎊 Congratulations again, Jo

13/10/2026

Upcoming Load details.. Raised Garden Beds and Self-Watering Wicking Garden Beds 🪴

Each load is very unique. Depending on the orders, will determine the route dad will take. Below is a guide for the loads. 🌱
🌱🌱🌱🌱

🚛South East Load- 17th October weekend- FULL/sold out
Temora, Harden, Young, Boorowa, Yass, Murrumbateman, Canberra, all ACT, Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Jugiong.. all towns along the route

🚛Central West 1 & 2… 7th November weekend
Forbes to Dubbo, down through Molong, Wellington to Dubbo- through to Orange, down through to Canowindra, Cowra and Grenfell. all the towns along the route.

🚛Riverina 1 Load… 10th November..
Weethalle, Yenda, Griffith, Leeton, Narrandera, Colinroobie, towns along the route. (Coleambally if demand)

🚛South East Load- 28th November weekend - Temora, Harden, Young, Boorowa, Yass, Murrumbateman, Canberra, all ACT, Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Jugiong.. all towns along the route (possibly Cootamundra)

🚛December 19: possibly CBR due to demand

🚛Riverina 2 Load.. 23 or 24th December .. Temora, Junee, Coolamon, Marrar, Wagga.. all the towns along the route.

🚛South East Load- January
Temora, Harden, Young, Boorowa, Yass, Murrumbateman, Canberra, all ACT, Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Jugiong.. all towns along the route.

🛻 You are always welcome to collect directly from our Ungarie workshop 🌾
🌱🌱🌱

⚒️All hand made in Ungarie by dad and the team Kerry & Katie, using reclaimed corrugated iron from local farms.

🪴Delivered assembled to your home or educational service.. personally delivered by mum and dad 💓 Sheila & Lindsay Henley

🙋‍♀️Please reach out if you are unsure about your town.. we also have meeting points if we can not deliver to your town/ home xx

💻Jump onto our Henley’s Rustics website to view our range. Submit your order request form there. I’ll respond 🙋‍♀️

☎️Call me with questions 💚
🌱🌱🌱🌱

🫶Thank you for growing with us 🥹🌱💓

Big love xx Jo Henley 💓💓 0404 632 452
https://www.henleysrustics.com.au
Henley’s Rustics Garden Beds & Wicking Garden Beds NSW & ACT

13/10/2026

Sharing the story behind the grower 💚🌱Nigel’s story in Canowindra 💚

🌱 What led you to gardening, and when did your gardening journey begin?

Gaynor and I have been off and on gardeners for many years, however we both love gardens and the bush! We purchased our 1 acre block of land in Canowindra in 2017. We had some very specific requirements for the block we were looking for:
• We wanted a 1 acre and it had to be relatively flat,
• Had to be in walking distance to town shopping centre, cafe!
• Had to have town water,
• Had to have electricity available,
• Preferably on sewer
• Had to face north.
• Had to be within 45 minutes of a major centre, I.e., Orange.

The first block of land we looked at ticked all of the above is the one we purchased!!

Vision for our Garden.

We decided that we wanted a garden that will be:

• a habitat for native fauna,
• Including a “food forest, based around permaculture principals
• A productive vegetable patch,
• Chooks, and,
• Bees.

🌱 What are your favourite vegetables or flowers to grow?

All veggies are good!

We have started an asparagus patch. Take a couple of years to get established.,

🌱 What do you love most about spending time in your garden?

We both enjoy just pottering about in the garden and seeing plants grow and change over time. Gaynor is the designer and I like to build the infrastructure, but a lot of our ideas come from us watching gardening show especially Gardening Australia and then talking about what we would like in our garden.

All vege

🌱 What’s the best gardening advice you’ve ever received or what advice would you give someone just starting out?

Best advice I received (Nige) is really look at where the sun is in your garden, i.e., vegies need full sun.

Advice I would give, Just have a go!

Put some thought into planning what you want you garden to be and what you want in it. For me. I want to have the following:

Bees, they are having a really tough time at the moment with Varroa Mite which has led to the collapse of wild European honeybees on the eastern side of Australia. Varroa can be managed and you can have great success with bees in a garden. You will hopefully get better crops and honey as well.

Chooks because they are so much fun to have around, I can watch them doing their thing for hours. They are great for the vegie patch too.

We are planning to have a couple of frog ponds as frogs like bees need our help and support.

We are also going to develop a pond system once we have completed building a house on the block. This will have aquatic plants and some native fish in it.

Gaynor and I retired in July this year and have moved full time to Canowindra, so the pictures are all fairly recent and the place itself is a “work in progress” we have planted over 100 different native and exotic plants and they are establishing themselves quite well.

Exploring Australia is also one of our favourite things to do and hanging out with our family.

Anyway that’s probably enough waffle from me. If you are interested in anything we are doing or want to ask question, go for ot and I’ll try to answer them for you.

Enjoy your garden, family and friends, Nige.

Nigel, thank you so much for sharing your story xx you a building a life and retirement of peace and joy 🥹💚🌱 what a special phase of your life together 🌱 such patch goals and life goals!! Im looking forward to seeing your journey grow, the natives mature, the chooks running around soon and the busy bees making honey 🍯 and fresh patch meals 🤤

Mum and dad will see you in November with your next lot of beds and your wood stack 🔥🔥🔥

Big love envious Jo Henley 🌱

12/10/2026

If you know you know 😭🤪🤯📝

When you run your life and business on sticky notes, this is my worst nightmare come reality 😭. What was on this sticky note that went through the wash 🕵️‍♀️🧐 I have no idea 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

It’s on a sticky note so I don’t need to remember.

I have 20 sticky notes to action today. What is on 21? Or I fear it’s 21,22,23 by the size of pile 😭

I’m back in Forbes and had a huge admin today everyday. I’m continuing to catch up today.

I also have other working lists so I’m hoping these notes are also on my working list.

My fear it’s important, or is it just a note to cut my kids finger nails before school starts back Today 🤪🤯

If you are waiting for a response or follow up from me and you don’t hear from me by the end of the day.. please contact me and say.. Jo, I think I was sticky note 21 😅

It’s also the start of the high growth period for above ground veggies.. I haven’t forgotten that as it’s on many sticky note and on my calendar 😆🌖 I’ll try do a post today after I action 20 sticky notes and hopefully work out what was 21 😆

Big love Jo x remembers conversations from 20 years ago but my working memory required sticky notes to survive. My brain is in melt down my system failed me 🫠

Ps READY SET SOW 🌖🌖💚💚🥳🥳🌱🌱