Visit Kylie 11 January 2015

On Sunday 11 January we visited Kylie's garden near Richmond
On a perfect summer's day we had a really great visit to a garden that, like all gardens, has its own advantages and challenges. With apricots already for sale everywhere in the area, the Coal River Valley clearly is ahead of many other parts of the South. However, soil, wind and water are major challenges and Kylie showed how she is dealing with them really well.

The produce table was well provided

Here Kylie welcomes us and explains the challenges

Kylie has planted 14 varieties of fruit

The pigs eat scraps, provide manure and are clearly much-loved pets

This is an area that chooks and food plants share and it works!

A very impressive hothouse choc-a-bloc with seedlings

An area sheltered from winds where seedlings of all kinds mature further

The contributions for morning tea were impressive and delicious

Look at that! Everyone went out of their way

Kylie's property is large and Kylie is looking after it really well, with not a lot of help.

The weather was perfect, but this hides the fact that strong winds, and the drying out of soils this causes, is one of the major problems Kylie is dealing with. This and clay soils are a constant problem.

Kylie said that wildlife is not a major worry with a good fence around the entire property and a dog that keeps the wildlife out.

We were all impressed with what Kylie has achieved since she and her husband bought this property three years ago, even more so if you realise that she also has four children and is active in the Richmond community.

What brings us together for these events is our enthusiasm for growing our own food, but what makes these events such a pleasure is the people who come, the friendships that flourish, and the experiences, food and produce that are shared.

Thank you very much, Kylie, for your impressive organisation, both of the event and your garden, and for sharing with us your knowledge of and enthusiasm for food-gardening.

This text was previously published on the Food Garden Group blog. It was written by Max Bee.