Visit Clarendon Vale Steven and Kathryn 2024

Self-sufficiency and enjoyment are the motivations behind the incredibly productive and welcoming garden that we visited this month. Keep reading to see what Steven and Kathryn have created on their suburban block in Clarendon Vale.



There was so much to see in this garden that I’m pretty sure I’m going to leave out more than I put into this post. And I suspect if I went back next week, I’d discover more. But isn’t that the beauty of gardening? There’s always something to see and more to look forward to.

The layout of the garden is pretty straightforward: espaliered trees and berries along the fence lines, and a series of raised beds covering any land that doesn’t have a house on it. This is a jam-packed property starting with the driveway – espaliered apricots to the right, hazelnuts to the left (plus a peach tree and some grapes, no space is left idle). Steven was pleased with the bounty from both.

Beyond the drive is a poly grow tunnel established for tomatoes. This structure was built primarily to provide protection from the wind. The top section of plastic sheeting has been removed to improve airflow and stop overheating during summer. It gets covered up again in winter, increasing the temperature inside during the cooler months.

Surrounding the grow tunnel and the house, the garden opens onto a series of beds – some raised, some less-so. All packed with food, flowers, trees, herbs, you name it. Some were almost permaculture style garden beds with trees and perennials mixed together, while others were dedicated for seasonal vegetables. A nice, relaxed planting style that keeps the pollinators coming back for more and the gardeners well-fed.

Kathryn was unable to join us so Steven explained the garden and answered questions. He talked about the value he sees in both espaliering and using a sturdy wire/trellis set-up for growing fruit and vining food plants. Training the plants along the wires makes it easier to spray as required, to harvest the food, and for the plant to support the heavy crops he enjoys. The apricots, plums, brambles, and grapes all benefited from this style of husbandry.

Espaliering also makes it easier to net plants against a fence. A plum along the front fence was covered with nets, one along the side fence wasn’t. The difference being that the possums raided one but not the other. Possums, eh? Steven is doing an excellent job of keeping most of his harvest for humans.

To help with espaliering and any other branch or vine wrangling, Steven uses a Tapener. For him it makes attaching vines to wires so much easier (with the help of one heavy glove when thorny brambles are tackled).

 
You can’t leave Steven’s garden without noticing the avocadoes. He has 7 trees, many he’s grafted himself with good success (and praise from Wendy, our Garden Club’s “avo expert”). He’s chosen several varieties which bear at different times of the year maximising the amount of time he and Kathryn can enjoy fresh avocadoes. He explained the A/B tendencies of avocados (he’s got both types). Basically, these hermaphroditic plants are broken into 2 varieties: A flowers are female (receive pollen) in the morning and male (shed pollen) in the afternoon; B flowers are male in the morning and female in the afternoon. You need at least one of each variety to maximise your harvest. Nature is fascinating! And it never hurts for a gardener to learn some of the basics of a plant’s properties for anything they’re trying to grow.



Besides all the food producing plants already mentioned, there are plenty more including 6 varieties of raspberries, at least (I lost count) 5 types of brambles, citrus trees (5 years old and finally producing), 5 step-over apple trees, strawberries everywhere that are still producing (!), 4 ½ year old kiwis not yet producing. Steven mulches cuttings and garden waste with his electric Ryobi mulcher (he gives it a thumbs up for suburban garden waste), feeds most of his plants with Seasol liquid compost, and waters mainly by hand and using rotating sprinklers that will cover about ¼ of the garden at a time. The results speak for themselves.

The produce and morning tea table were, as always, a hive of activity. There was so much to share and plenty to talk about on this gorgeous, summery Saturday. 

Thanks to Steven and Kathryn for opening their garden and sharing their knowledge. Thanks to Max and Gay for organising another fabulous morning with a great group of people. Welcome to the new people who came along to their first garden visit. Hopefully we’ll see you all at another visit soon.