Visit Mt Nelson Fiona 2021

This month we were welcomed into a beautiful, yet challenging garden in Mt Nelson. Fiona, with some help from Craig, has managed to battle the environment and all the hurdles it presented to create a very productive food garden in a lovely bush setting.

Fiona spent some time explaining the history of her garden. It’s pretty young, having only been started in the last few years, but it’s looking well-established and healthy. The main obstacles to it becoming a productive garden were (and still are): shallow, infertile soil; LOTS of rocks; large gum trees surrounding the property; and ever-present and increasingly persistent local fauna.

To deal with the soil problems, Fiona uses raised beds. She’s brought in soil, manures (sheep & horse) and adds a lot of organic matter.

Much of the organic matter comes from her “compost” heap, aka the chook run. Her girls process all the garden and kitchen waste and turn it into rich, fertile soil which can be used in any bed.

Fiona also mulches with a lot of straw. Straw bales are placed on fallow beds in winter, turned regularly to kill weeds and then broken apart and used as mulch through the year.

 The gum tree issue is mainly being tackled by enriching the soil and having a good watering system. As a result, most of the plants are thriving.

The battle against local fauna, primarily possums and wallabies, is unrelenting. Fiona has installed a series of fences around entire sections as well as around individual plants, all of which is surrounded by perimeter fencing. Yet still wallabies get in and possums snack away. Luckily Fiona grows heaps more than she and Craig could ever eat!

 

Fiona issued one warning – not to use old washing machine drums to protect plants from wildlife, it radiates too much heat and she has a sad, little blueberry plant that underscores her advice.

That one example of repurposing a household object for the garden may not have been a huge success but, in general, you can see Fiona makes use of what’s on hand to good effect in her garden. It was nice to see so many items getting a second life, like the door which is doing a great job as an entrance into her large plant cage.

Once the fundamentals of the garden have been dealt with, finding the right plant and the right place for that plant is the joy and frustration of most gardeners and Fiona is no exception. Many of the plants she’s got have been introduced based on inspiration from something she’s seen in other gardens (often on Food Garden Group garden visits) or on an idea or need in her own garden. The resulting variety is diverse, interesting and beautiful.

A Meyer lemon was the first of several citrus trees to find a home in Fiona’s garden.

Flowers aren’t just there for their beauty but also to attract beneficial insects and to provide edible flowers.

Like many plants and concepts in Fiona's garden, the hazelnuts have multiple purposes. They aren’t just for the nuts they produce, but also to work as a hedge and Fiona has plans to coppice them and use some of the branches for weaving projects in the future.

 


A greenhouse stands near the front of the garden where it has become the permanent home to some herbs: basil, turmeric, lemon grass and coriander.

  


During her introduction, Fiona mentioned several issues she was having and advice she sought. That’s one of the not-so-secret advantages of hosting a garden club visit – there is a lot of experience in this club and it’s great to see it being shared. As we all wandered the garden I overheard conversations about pruning, watering and pest control. One discussion I was involved in was about some pests (Whiteflies? Aphids? Mites?) on her hazelnut bushes. The consensus was that white oil would probably be the best go-to option to try to control them without harming beneficial insects (as many commercial sprays, unfortunately, can do). Luckily the FGG blog has a post which includes a recipe for horticultural oil (white oil). It you’re interested, have a look here: Safe Pest Control The recipe is about ¾ of the way down the page.

 

Though the weather threatened rain, the most it could summon was a bit of drizzle which did nothing to deter us from lingering on the property inspecting, chatting, enjoying our morning tea and scoring some goodies via the produce table. In fact, someone was generous enough to provide some brassica plants that were keenly adopted. Unfortunately, we don’t know what type of brassica it is. If you’re the one who supplied the seedlings, please let us know what they are. If not, there will be some keen sleuthing over the coming months.

As always thanks to Max and Gaye for all they do to make these garden visits a success and to Fiona and Craig for opening their garden to us for the morning. Everyone had a great time, including the 3 Max’s!