Visit Old Beach Troy and Jing January 2024

 Visit Old Beach Troy and Jing January 2024

The Food Garden Group visit for January 2024 took place at the amazing oasis that Troy and Jing have created in Old Beach.

Troy moved to this property in 2008, and transformed his block into a predominantly ornamental garden with palms, cycads, tree ferns and much much more. A commercial grade Hunter irrigation system was installed, making life easier, since the eastern shore gets very little rainfall. You can see this impressive garden by looking up the series 30 Gardening Australia episode when Tino Carnevale visited Troy in 2017.

Since Troy met Jing 4 years ago, more and more food plants have been added to the garden, and by the time of our visit, the cycads and palms had grown into an even lusher oasis and there were edibles everywhere.

Raised beds were created, and they now host a variety of thriving vegetables.

cucurbits powering ahead

sweet corn in full flower

The kiwifruit growing over a trellis near the house is bearing fruit this year for the first time, and it is looking very promising indeed. 

A separate trellis supports a truly enormous bounty of perpetual climbing beans in their third year, admired by us all.

bumblebee helping with bean pollination

Silverbeet, carrots, onions, kale, you name it, they have all found a place.

A colourful variety of lettuce

Eggplant is doing very well in a 35 litre tree planter bag outside. Other warmth lovers like cucumbers have been allocated a place in the glass house.

Max rings the bell for the start of the tomato discussion

Tomatoes and their diseases and other problems were discussed by the group. Although some of Troy's tomatoes are looking great and the fruit is growing nicely, some of his plants were doing not so well. We discussed crop rotation and its importance for keeping disease at bay.

Max explaining about tomato diseases next to the healthy new tomato bed

the three year old tomato bed: fruiting fine but plants not as happy as those in the new bed

There are so many diseases and pests for tomatoes, it can be difficult to determine exactly which one is causing problems. The best tactic therefore is prevention. Crop rotation prevents build up of nasties in the soil, good ventilation between plants prevents fungal disease, so prune off branches that touch the ground, and taking away diseased individual leaves or whole plants and putting them in the bin instead of the compost can prevent viral things from spreading throughout your crop. Watering regularly is also important, since tomatoes can succumb to blossom end rot when the soil moisture fluctuates too much.

A hot chili growing in a sheltered spot outside

The fig tree is going very well. Their neighbour has a large tree and does not not mind sharing a few with the birds. Still, individual bagging makes sure you get that extra big and juicy one!

Some of the original planting also contains edible fruit! Who knew that Monstera deliciosa is just that? Its fruit, when ripe, is indeed delicious, sweet and tastes like pineapple. Troy and Jing harvest them from their garden year-round.

Monstera deliciosa

Another interesting edible is this palm tree from Quito, Equador (Parajubaea cocoides). Its smallish nuts taste just like coconut. And it grows well in Troy's garden.

Parajubaea cocoides

Tomatillo grown as a standard is a clever feature in the front garden. And look at that fruit! It is doing very well.

As always, we enjoyed rambling through the garden, catching up with friends, and chatting about garden related things.

The produce table for sharing excess produce, plants and seeds was visited well. And many of us came away with something new, interesting or yummy to take home.

Morning tea was a delight, and what a great garden to have a cuppa in and share a chat with friends.

Many thanks to Troy and Jing for opening their lovely garden, and as always a big thank you to Max and Gaye for organising and making it all happen.