Visit Taroona Marian 2025

On a sunny but cold morning in February we were lucky to visit Marian’s vibrant and lush food forest in Taroona. In a little under six years Marian and her husband Pat have transformed a previously loved-but-neglected space into a thriving mix of fruit trees, vegetables, chicken habitat, and flowers.

 

Access to the main food garden at the rear of the property takes a path through a native garden comprised of hardy plants that can withstand both the coastal conditions and the hungry local wildlife. 

Coming through the side gate is like entering a secret garden with an entirely different mood. Paved paths wind through a green lawn, surrounded by stone-edged raised beds with mature fruit trees, berry bushes, and flowers in every direction.

 

Marian and Max introducing the garden visit

 

Designed around a commitment to biodiversity and a desire for a garden that is both beautiful and highly productive, the garden features a series of raised beds that include a wide range of fruit trees interplanted with smaller shrubs and perennial flowers. Marian described how her initial plans for the garden developed and shifted as she encountered a variety of different issues with her site and found herself running out of planting space --  a story familiar to many gardeners! The most recent changes have involved expanding the area covered by raised beds and converting the remaining lawn mostly to clover (to increase drought tolerance). The raised beds have been built up over time using 'lasagne style' layers of organic matter with coarse river sand and rock dust, to overcome the difficulties of planting directly into the native soil, which is reactive black clay.

Apple tree underplanted with currants

Raised bed with fruit trees and flowers

A tomato teepee in front of a grapevine

Scarlett runner beans climbing a sunny trellis

Annual veggies are tucked in among the flowers, which attract beneficial insects that provide pest control and pollination.

 

Marian has recently begun using biochar in her garden and says it has made an appreciable difference in the health and vigour of her plants.  She has sourced biochar from a variety of places, including community workshops, and recently has been able to purchase it from Horticultural Landscape Supplies in Brighton. There are several posts on the Food Garden Group blog for anyone keen to learn more about how to  make and use biochar in their own food garden. One note of caution: biochar does need to be 'charged' with nutrients before being added to garden soil (otherwise it will absorb nutrients from the soil). Marian charges hers with worm wee from her worm farms, but compost tea or seaweed solution are also suitable sources of nutrients.

Worm farms tucked in the back of the garden

  

Marian explained that when they moved to the property a large number of mature trees along the fence line had to be removed and significant work was undertaken to improve the drainage.  A french drain now runs down the side of the property. To avoid problems with plant roots interfering with the drain, all of the plants in this part of the garden are grown in large pots.  

The use of pots has the added benefit of allowing a form of crop rotation on a smaller scale than is generally used. In this case, each large pot functions as a garden bed would in a traditional crop rotation system; plants from the same family (such as brassicas or nightshades) are rotated through the different pots each season. This means that Marian can grow her vegetables in the same sunny, sheltered section of the garden each year without worrying about disease or pest build up. 

Tomatoes in pots above the french drain

 

 

Blueberries are also grown in pots to provide the low pH soil conditions they need to thrive.

 A frame running just inside the boundary fence provides support for espaliered fruit trees.

Potatoes were one of the first crops Marian planted in this garden, to help to break up the heavy clay soil. They can still be seen popping up in various places around the garden.

Volunteer potatoes 

The garden is also home to three lovely hens, two of whom came out to greet us during the visit while a broody third stayed hidden in the coop.

 Thanks to everyone who brought along something to share on the produce table or for morning tea.

Yellow fruits dominated the produce table this month!

 

 

 

 Many thanks to Marian and Pat for opening their beautiful garden for our visit, and, as always, to Max and Gaye for all their efforts in organising the visit and making everything run seamlessly.