If you live on a lifestyle block in New Zealand or regional Australia, October isn’t just a month—it’s one busy ass season 🤣
Spring brings this wild, energising rush where everything explodes at once. The grass is shooting up, lawns need mowing every five minutes, the chickens are back in full laying overdrive, and the calendar becomes a countdown to Labour Weekend—the official “safe zone” for tender spring planting (well, tbh here in Canterbury I will hold off a little longer until Show Weekend I think!).
Around here, spring isn’t just about pretty garden beds; it’s a full-body workout involving livestock, water troughs, strawberry feeds, and prepping for the big summer push.
If your boots are muddy, your seed trays are taking over the windowsills, and your to-do list is three pages long—welcome to the club! Here is what’s happening on our block right now, and the ultimate checklist to get your lifestyle block prepped for the warmer months ahead.
1. Livestock & Paddock Management: The Spring Reset
Spring pasture growth is a blessing, but managing animals through the flush takes some serious coordination before break feeding begins.
- Lambing Wrap-Up: We’ve officially wrapped up lambing with our Wiltshire flock! The lambs have been weaned, tailed, drenched, and the ram lambs sorted. Our horned ram also got his seasonal horn trim so he’s comfy and safe heading into summer. Why do we not have a polled ram, you ask? Well this guy was a free swap for our old ram so we couldn’t say no haha.
- Cattle Drenching & Break Feeding: Before turning our Hereford steers onto the fresh, rich spring pasture we have had locked up over winter, we’re running them through the race for a thorough drenching and check over to set them up for solid growth.
- Trough Duty (The Pukeko Battle): Checked your water troughs lately? Pukekos are in absolute full force right now, and if yours are anything like ours, they treat every stock trough like their personal mud spa. A good scrub and flush of Pukeko shit across all troughs is essential before the summer heat hits.
- Piglet Weaning: Our Berkshire piglets are approaching 8 weeks, which means weaning time and getting them ready for their new homes.
Spring Pasture Tip: High-protein spring growth can cause pulpy kidney or bloat in livestock. Ensure all stock are up to date with 5-in-1 vaccinations before transitioning them onto lush new break-fed paddocks.
2. In the Garden: Prepping Beds & The Labour Weekend Count
It’s tempting to run to the garden nursery on a warm October afternoon and plant out all your tomatoes, basil, and dahlias. Hold off just a little longer!
In many parts of NZ and southern Australia, late spring frost snaps can wipe out delicate crops overnight. Labour Weekend (late October) remains the gold standard target date to safely transfer summer seedlings into the ground.
| EARLY OCTOBER (Prepping & Feeding) | LABOUR WEEKEND (The Safe Zone) |
| • Feed strawberries • Weed raised beds • Top up compost • Harden off seedlings | • Plant out everything, even the tomatoes! |
What to Do Right Now (Before Labour Weekend):
- Give Strawberries a Heavy Feed: Strawberry plants are kicking into high gear right now. Clear away dead leaves, weed around the base, and give them a good boost of organic berry fertilizer or seaweed liquid feed to ensure big, sweet fruit come December.
- Weed & Top-Dress Raised Beds: Get ahead of the spring weeds now. Clear out winter greens, fork over the soil, and lay down a rich layer of aged compost and sheep manure so the beds are conditioned and ready.
- Harden Off Seedlings: If you’ve been raising seedlings indoors or in a greenhouse, start bringing them outside during the day to get used to the breeze and direct sun, bringing them back inside at night.
3. The Coop & Incubator: Spring Chickens
Spring means daylight hours are back, and so is the egg tsunami!
- Broody Hen Watch: The flock is laying daily again, and we already have one stubborn hen sitting hard on a clutch of eggs. There is nothing quite like watching a broody hen do her thing!
- Firing Up the Incubator: It’s almost time for us to pull out the Brinsea incubator to set a fresh batch of replacement chicks for next season. Setting eggs in October means young pullets will start laying right as older hens slow down next autumn.
The Ultimate October Lifestyle Block Checklist
If you’re trying to prioritise your weekend chores, here’s a quick summary to keep pinned to the fridge:
| Area | Key October Task | Status |
| Paddocks | Drench cattle & sheep before rotational/break feeding | ▢ |
| Water | Clean & scrub stock troughs (curse the pukekos) | ▢ |
| Berry Patch | Feed strawberries & mulch around roots | ▢ |
| Vegetable Beds | Weed, compost, and cover beds until Labour Weekend | ▢ |
| Poultry | Check for broody hens & clean out coops for chick season | ▢ |
| Property | First heavy lawn mows & fence line maintenance | ▢ |
How is Spring Looking on Your Block?
Spring on a lifestyle block is messy, exhausting, and completely rewarding all at once. Whether you’re wrangling stock, waiting patiently for Labour Weekend to plant your garden, or just trying to keep up with the grass growth, hang in there—summer drinks on the deck are just around the corner!!
What’s currently taking up most of your time on the block? Let me know in the comments below!
