Visit Mount Nelson Michael, Robin, Tracey & Lynda 2023

The sun-dappled slopes of Mount Nelson are always beautiful, but today they pulled out all the stops for our visit to an impressive and inspirational garden created by Lynda, Tracey, Robin and Michael. From its humble beginnings as an unproductive divided lot, this 3 ½ acres of land now provides in abundance.

The most obvious feature of the property is the many and varied structures: walls, fencing, cages, raised beds, glass houses… Thanks to our friendly, hungry, and industrious local fauna, regular garden clubbers are familiar with a myriad of installations along this theme. But there were some original and interesting aspects in what we saw today. Firstly, there was a large enclosure surrounded by wire fencing topped by plexiglass strips. The plexiglass extensions are a recent addition to deter the few possums who discovered the tasty citrus tree and stripped it bare (an all-too-common sight in Tasmanian gardens). The plexiglass strips seem to be doing the trick as most of the fruit trees were untouched and the beans, tomatoes, herbs… were all growing in peace. After the myriad of cages and covered food gardens we’ve witnessed, this un-topped veggie patch was great to see. Perhaps there is hope for those of us resistant to enclosures after all.

Outside of this fenced garden there were a series of raised wicking beds. Each topped by its own sturdy cage. (The cages were custom made by Capral Aluminium of Glenorchy.) The veggies all looked happy and safe in their private fortresses.

Then there were 3 glass houses which some might say is just showing off 😊 It all started with a small glass house which is now bursting with tomatoes. Then, when that proved successful but insufficient, a large glass house was added which has a LOT of tomatoes in it. And, finally, a smaller glass house arrived as a hand-me-down and has – you guessed it – tomatoes growing happily within 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅. But, none just have tomatoes – they also have other goodies like basil, dill, marigolds (all helping control pests), cucumbers, chillies and some nice shelving ready for the sowing of seed trays. Absolutely everything in these glass houses screamed health and vitality – and tomatoes! I was reassured, more than once, that our hosts and their friends, can consume and/or store every last tomato they grow. Impressive on every level.

I did ask about the soil. The beds and pots in the glass house get their soil rejuvenated with large doses of compost enhanced with cow manure. The beds will be planted with winter crops and be ready for tomatoes again next summer. Which is a nice segue to the composting system in use on this property. Several large wooden bins are full of typical garden scraps and a wire tube is inserted down through the bin to allow maximum air interaction with the compost. This saves some of the back-breaking stirring to introduce air into your compost and keep it working hard.

Several bags full of cow manure were leaning near the compost bins. After being collected from a friend’s property, the cow pats are left alone until fully dried. Then they are put through a mulcher which turns them into a fine manure powder. This powder is easily sprinkled throughout the compost to further cure. No seeds end up later germinating in the veggie beds after this treatment. It’s a fantastic solution to a common problem with using manure as fertiliser.

Not to be satisfied with a bumper crop of veggies, there was also a flock of very friendly chooks on the property. Six to 8 eggs per day keeps even the hungriest gardener satisfied!

At the back of the property, in a sun-drenched and protected spot, 2 bee hives are busy doing their thing. They’ve been given a little help from their keeper, Robin, with some mesh in front of their entrances to deter wasps which have been a problem in the past. This year the wasps seem to be under control. These 2 colonies have been installed in flow hives (https://www.honeyflow.com.au/) That’s an Australian invention allowing beekeepers to harvest honey without disturbing the bees. After using these hives for a while now, Robin thinks she might shift to a different system. Flow Hives don’t perform as well in Tasmania as they do in their home state of Queensland.

Backtracking a little bit, it’s worth explaining how this garden came into being. Originally the land was divided into 2 properties but the open-minded neighbours and friends decided that it would be better to work together on the common ground. They each bring something different to the garden: Michael is the king of the compost; Lynda is the designer; Tracey is responsible for the wicking beds and Robin is the beekeeper, to name but a few specialties. They all add their time, their muscles, their mind and their heart to make this garden such a success. Their garden is also integral to their not-for-profit: OUTSIDE THE BOX – Earth Arts Rights. Details about this organisation can be found here: https://outsidethebox.org.au

Being totally distracted by the gorgeous garden, I forgot to take pictures of the produce and heavily laden morning tea tables. As is always the case with these visits, there was plenty on offer. Thanks to everyone for your contributions. Thanks to Max and Gaye for the organisation and set-up of this and all of the garden club visits. And, finally, thank you Robin, Tracey, Michael and Lynda for opening your property to us, for sharing your stories, for explaining what is working for you and for making us all feel so welcomed.