Visit Belinda 20 September 2015

On Sunday 20 September the Food Garden Group visited Belinda's garden at Sandford


The first food garden visit of the season was held on a nice and sunny 21 degree day and a great group of people turned up for a very enjoyable and informative morning.

Here Belinda welcomes everyone and talks about her challenges and successes

All enclosures are wildlife-proof

Belinda's challenges are bad bush soil, wildlife and water and she has overcome these difficulties very successfully.

The chooks were happy too and not shy

Around a year ago she completely re-designed the garden, raising all beds and surrounding them with frames covered with bird netting. The cages are high enough to allow you to stand inside them and the netting can be easily lifted up on one side to enter. All food-garden areas are watered via an automated watering system.

Overhead sprinklers in the shade house

In addition, she has a large open work area, a hot house, a shade house, a chook pen and bees.

Happy asparagus

Belinda already picked her first asparagus from this sheltered raised bed with floppy fence that keeps the wildlife out.

Mustard 'Red Giant'

Belinda recommended leaves of her large Mustard plants for salads and stir-fries.

Bees entering at the base of the hive

Belinda is also having a go at beekeeping and she shared her experiences with us.

It is still so early in the season, but people brought a lot of stuff for the trade table: plants, produce and processed chutneys and other goodies from last season.

Morning tea was great, with many contributions, including a really nice cake made by Belinda.


Belinda commented that our visit had encouraged her to complete a number of garden jobs that otherwise would not yet have been completed and she was very pleased about that.


Many thanks to Belinda for making us welcome in her garden and many thanks to everyone for coming and contributing to the trade table and morning tea.

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