Visit Otago Gemma and Geoff 2024

 Visit Otago Gemma and Geoff 2024

Max unerringly picked brilliant spring weather for the Food Garden Group visit to Gemma and Geoff's garden in Otago. And what a garden it is! There was so much to see and discuss.

Here are Gemma and Geoff introducing us to their garden.

Let us follow them through the four different sections of this very interesting garden.

The above photo shows the property as it was when Gemma and Geoff bought it 8 years ago. By now, they have changed the use of most of these areas and are growing a lot of food. The courtyard garden has changed the least. It is beautiful and is a secluded haven with an amazing flower border. Through an arch you get a tantalising glimpse of the main vegetable garden beyond, where the old BBQ area was.

This vegie garden faces north and Geoff recently built raised beds to replace the in-ground vegie beds. 

 

The beds are doing very well and some of the tomatoes were already in! Another batch is growing happily in a small cold frame; great for getting them ready for planting out into the garden.

The peas and snow peas were huge and very prolific. Geoff encouraged us to taste and many of us did. How enjoyable!

All the vegie beds are watered automatically by a Rain Bird watering system. It takes the stress out of having to make sure you don't forget to water and the beds are thriving. Geoff said there is even an app  you can add, so you can adjust your settings from your phone. Handy for when you are away and suddenly a hot weather spell arrives! 

Back past the house we enter the former empty paddock. It too is watered by an automatic watering system. Here is Geoff showing us the solenoids that open and close the 6 different zones in that part of the garden. The controller for this system is situated in the garage, 10 metres away.

The former paddock has had a major transformation. Firstly, there is now a chicken palace with a covered run. 

In the afternoons, Gemma lets them out to free range in the garden, but since they are very active foragers it is not always easy to prevent them from scratching up garden beds.

An orchard covers a large part of the slope and includes apples, cherries, nectarines, apricots, a greengage plum, mulberry, avocado, orange and some olive trees.

A fenced area encloses another vegetable area, where there is room for many things:

raspberries

a very healthy looking rhubarb patch

broad beans

And the list goes on! Near this area is also the compost set up, with 3 bays, providing plenty of room for hot composting. 

Next to the compost is the worm farm, made by putting a very well made lid neatly onto an old bath tub.

We continue our tour around to the river side of the house, where there is an additional long raised bed for vegetables. It is currently netted against cabbage butterflies. Gemma and Geoff use this bed for crop rotation with the other vegetable areas.

In this area we also find a lot of food for bees and other beneficial insects. This may or may not be intentional, but we saw many happy bees foraging among the Echiums.

Happy foraging bees

It was high time to refresh ourselves with a cuppa and a snack, and of course more chatting about gardens! The produce table was also well visited, as usual.

A very big thank you to Gemma and Geoff for opening their beautiful garden to us, and to Max and Gaye for organising. What a great way to spend a sunny spring morning among gardening friends!