nirvana organic farm

One Happy Spider

2012-01-23T13:05:10.566+10:30

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Nirvana Fresh Berries- the taste of summer

2012-01-08T10:40:44.801+10:30

Fresh berries grown in own cool valley are ripening now and available exclusively from our farm shop. Raspberries- red and yellow. Red and White Currants English Gooseberries (mid-late Dec) Black Currants (late Dec-Jan) Mulberries (Jan-Feb) Fruit Vinegars Our fruit vinegars are triple infused to bring out the best fruity flavours.Used as a cordial makes a refreshing drink.Can add zing to a salad, desert,sauce or be used to deglaze. Raspberry, Elderberry, Mulberry and Red Currant. Dried Chestnut Pieces Ideal for stuffing your Christmas poultry or delicious chocolate chestnut cake. 250g makes approx. 700g Elderflower Cordial Try it on a hot day,topped up with soda water and ice. Make it into an ice block for the children. Try it as a syllabub or to sweeten cream. Jams Handmade in small batches to ensure fine flavour from our own biodynamically grown produce. Natural Fibre Baskets Woven with various plant materials growing at Nirvana and surrounding neighbourhood. About Deb’s Baskets All handmade by Deb and available only from our farm shop. Open daily 10 am –6pm except Christmas day,wednesdays and total fire ban days. Nirvana Organic Farm 184 Longwood Rd HEATHFIELDFor Yummy way with berries click here [...]

MULTI FUNCTION POULTRY

2011-10-17T20:54:00.233+10:30

Nirvana gardens and orchards are truly poultry heaven where the poultry work together as part of the MFP for the benefit of the garden   Sunrise is heralded in by Robert Rooster Early Morning Calls and after a delicious breakfast of bran and Deb’s mix of special chooky herbs like nettles,rue,wormwood, comfrey and chard its time to concentrate on the tasks at hand in the garden.       On arrival at ourr garden you will be Greeted by Honky Tonk Alarms                   And then checked out by the staff of Black Bitch Security Tails Up Mowing and Fertilizer Service are out tending to the orchard ground covers overseen by Black Bitch Security Around the MFP headquarters you will find the Speckley Egg Co operating at full capacity. Red Hen Hatchery has hatched a dividend and they will soon be being trained to be valuable members of the MFP community   Amongst the cover of the gardens you will notice the Beak and Claw Weed Control in action with mulch and soil flying everywhere   .Or you notice them on a break or getting a drink from a close by bird bath. Bird feathers are tended to in many large dust baths around the garden.Or they may just be sitting around the garden enjoying its ambience. Mother Goose Natural Hatchery are busily sitting on feather lined nests waiting patiently for more yellow fluff balls to hatch   while others care for their newly hatched goslings.Mother Goose Post Natal Care has a group of young goslings grazing on short grass close to the house.A good sign for a prosperous future.         All workers of the MFP contribute to a super scheme, which combines their resources for the U-Kekt-It Compost Company which pays big dividends for the gardens and orchards ensuring a good future for the MFP community.           As the sun goes down all the members of the MFP return to their cosy homes guarded by employees of Black Bitch Security until the sun rises on another day to spend in the gardens and orchards. [...]

Spring workshops at Nirvana

2011-08-17T08:55:58.060+09:30

INTRODUCTION TO BIODYNAMIC METHODS Sunday, September 18th 8.30am – 4.30pm $120 One day course to introduce the practical concepts of the biodynamic methods to farmers & gardeners. The biodynamic method is a modern organic approach that creates a holistic approach to building healthy soil, plants, animals & humans. Includes notes, biodynamic preparations, lunch & teas.               VEGETABLES FOR YOUR TABLE. Sunday, October 2nd 9.00 -12.30 $50 Practical guide to establishing & maintaining a productive & healthy vegetable garden. Our climate offers many opportunities to grow food for your table all year round. Discover what plants to grow, and when. Practical tips & ideas.               COMPOSTING & MULCHING Sunday,  October 9th 9.00 -12.30 $50 Reduce water use by learning the principles of composting & mulching, techniques & materials used & how they can be used most effectively on your garden or farm.                     INTRODUCTION TO MOON PLANTING AND USING THE PLANTING CALENDAR Sunday, October 16th 9.00 -12.30 $50 Working with the rhythms of nature can develop your skills in fine tuning your garden and can add a new dimension to your gardening experience.                 . ORGANIC FRUIT, NUTS & BERRIES Sunday, October 23rd 9.00 -12.30 pm. $50 Practical guide to growing fruits, nuts & berries. Establishing, maintenance, ground covers, soils.                   POULTRY KEEPING Sunday October 30th 9.00 – 12 30 $50 All you need to know about getting started with poultry. Includes breed selection, housing, feeding, breeding, pests.                 WEAVING A BIT OF MAGIC Sunday, November 6th 9am 4pm $120 The ideal way to recycle your garden prunings .A introduction to natural fibre weaving. Includes techniques, suitable plants & other materials to make baskets, fences & trellises. Includes all materials, lunch & teas.                   All courses are held at NIRVANA ORGANIC FARM 184 LONGWOOD ROAD, HEATHFIELD UBD 157:G7. Exit from SE Freeway at Stirling, turn right at roundabout & travel 3.5 km. The courses are practical, ‘hands on’ conducted by experienced biodynamic/organic farmers, Deb & Quentin. Their successful small holding has been run under BIO-DYNAMIC principles since 1983. The 4.5 ha property provides the ideal classroom filled with practical examples of how goals can be achieved & gives inspiration into this GARDEN QUALITY FARMING to both gardeners & farmers alike. FOR BOOKINGS & FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DEB OR QUENTIN PHONE/ (08) 8339 2519 nirvanafarm@gmail.com [...]

RASPBERRIES–the taste of summer direct from the Adelaide Hills.

2011-01-01T15:34:11.042+10:30

With the late start to summer and the Christmas rush over the berries are now at there best. The raspberries along with their cousins, the English gooseberries, black currants ,and red and white currants are all ripe and dripping with flavour. All the berries are grown using biodynamic methods in a cool spring fed valley. We take the same care in picking our berries as we do growing them. This ensures only the best are sold. We don’t sell seconds for a couple of reasons-(1) the way they are grown and picked and (2) we do all our own value adding.Our berries are only available from our farm shop which means they have travelled no more than 300 metres. While we are picking, people drop in to the farm to buy berries. It is nice to stop picking for a few minutes and chat with regulars who enjoy buying directly from the producer. We receive direct feedback and the visitors take away high quality, fresh, biodynamic food.Our farm shop is unique as it only sells our produce, fresh fruits in season and value added products made from our own fruit by Deb - 20+ varieties of jams and preserves to choose from Plus a range of Deb’s baskets hand crafted from materials growing at Nirvana and roadside weeds. Nirvana Organic Farm is 5 kilometres from the Adelaide GPO the way the crow flies but for those who do not fly take the Stirling exit off the South Eastern Freeway , turn right at roundabout and travel 3.5 km to 184 Longwood Road HEATHFIELD. or check out your street directory UBD 157:G7 .We are open Daily 9-5 during the berry season. As the raspberries fade the Black Mulberry harvest begins.[...]

This is my tree!

2010-12-20T17:08:22.241+10:30

According to this young goslings the shahtoot mulberry near our veranda, along with another tree in the mixed fruit orchard, belongs to it.It spends its day alone cruising between the two mulberries trees.It is not alone in liking these sweet fruits as the tree is constantly visited by wattle birds, silvereyes and blackbirds.These birds are quite clumsy and knock the mulberries down to the delight of the gosling.The gosling has also learnt to jump up and grab lower limbs and shake off the mulberries. These are the sweet yummy mulberries. The red shahtoot mulberry is popular as well but we have it netted this year. [...]

CHESTNUT BLIGHT

2010-11-13T10:42:36.678+10:30

The potentially devastating news that chestnut blight has been found in north eastern Victoria puts all chestnut growers on edge. In USA it wiped out the entire industry in 3 years!

Chestnut blight is a fungus that enters through wounds in the bark. Which is a real worry for us as our trees are regularly smashed by the neighbour’s unmanaged Stringybark's.It grows underneath it causing a canker which will girdles and kills the branch above the infection point. The disease can kill the tree if the trunk is girdled by a large canker or several cankers growing together.

The first signs of infection is often seen as wilting, yellowing and death of leaves and shoots.Yellow –brown to orange cankers on young smooth  barked trees or branches may also be early signs of infection.

The fungus is spread by animals (especially humans in this global village) that come into contact with the cankers and through the air after rain. If you suspect anything  or need more information contact www.planthealthaustralia.com.au

Chestnut blight occurs in Japan, China, Korea, USA, Canada, Italy and throughout Europe. It infects chestnuts, oak, red maple, shagbark hickory  and eucalyptus.

Biosecurity team checking our orchard for chestnut blight. (image)

A Stringybark falls from neighbouring property and damages  another chestnut. In the last few years 5 productive  trees have been damaged by falling trees.(image)

Enjoying Spring

2010-10-15T16:15:27.684+10:30

Winter seemed cold and drawn out  which means it was  a typical hills winter - grey and damp. The past few winters have been cold yet sunny. The grey meant we had average rainfall at long last so hopefully their is enough subsoil moisture to get us through the coming  summer.

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Now spring has  arrive(image) d and everything looks wonderful and fresh. So good that you want to be out there all day. The morning and evening scents are also so full of fragrance ,  gentle  and refreshing.

The frogs are busy calling  while the birds display their riches plumes.While weeding the berries  the blue wrens follow me along the rows chasing the tiny lives I’ve disturbed.

It would not be Spring at Nirvana(image) without those fast growing yellow fluff ball goslings that quickly turn into mini geese as they continually graze the orchards.

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Spring is a special time to observe and enjoy.

SPRING WORKSHOPS TO INSPIRE A PRODUCTIVE HOME GARDEN

2010-07-30T17:02:02.966+09:30

Nirvana Organic Farm offers gardeners a chance to  share Deb’s 30+ years of experience in creating a productive landscape in a unique and beautiful living classroom.   COMPOSTING AND MULCHING Sunday, September 5th 9.00 - 12 30 $45 Principles of composting and mulching, techniques and materials used and how they can be used most effectively on your garden or farm.     ORGANIC VEGETABLESFOR YOUR TABLE Sunday, September 12th 9.00—12.30 $45 Practical guide to establishing and maintaining a productive and healthy vegetable garden.   BIO- DYNAMIC AGRICULTURE BEYOND ORGANICS Improve your soils water holding capacity. A one day course to introduce the practical concepts of the biodynamic methods to farmers and gardeners. The Bio -Dynamic method is a modern organic method that creates a holistic approach to building healthy soil, plants animals and humans. The course covers history, concept of a living organism, soils, compost, special preparations that enhance nature and equipment required. Sunday, Sept 19th 2010.   8.30 am. -4.30 pm.  Cost: $110 Includes: notes, lunch, Membership of Adelaide Hills Biodynamic Group   INTRODUCTION TO MOON PLANTING AND USING THE PLANTING CALENDAR Sunday, September 26th 9.00-12.30 $45 Working with the rhythms of nature can develop your skills in fine tuning your garden and can add a new dimension to your gardening experience . ORGANIC FRUIT, NUTS & BERRIES. Sunday, October 10th 9.00 -12.30 $45 Practical guide to orcharding. Includes establishment, soils, ground covers, maintenance & pruning. . POULTRY KEEPING. Sunday October 17th 9.00 pm – 12.30 $45 All you need to know about getting started with poultry. Includes selection, housing, feeding, breeding, pests. . WEAVING A BIT OF MAGIC  Sunday October 24th 9am – 4pm $110 .The ideal way to recycle your garden prunings. This introduction to natural fibre weaving will show you the essential techniques, suitable plants & other materials to make baskets, fences, or trellises. Course includes all materials, lunch, morning & afternoon tea.   To enrol and get further Information phone Deb or Quentin 8339 2519 [...]

La Via Campesina

2010-07-19T17:32:31.142+09:30

Via Campesina is an international movement of peasants, small- and medium-sized producers, landless, rural women, indigenous people, rural youth and agricultural workers. We defend the values and the basic interests of our members. We are an autonomous, pluralist and multicultural movement, independent of any political, economic, or other type of affiliation. Our 148 members are from 69 countries from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. We had a wonderful visit in late June organised by Friends of the Earth for  members of La Via Campesina ,East Asia & South East Asia along with  farmers from , Japan-Japanese Family Farmers Movement, Korea – Korean Women's Peasant Association and East Timor.  US Social Forum: Statement from the People’s Movement Assembly on Food Sovereignty US Social Forum, Detroit, 2010 Over a half-century ago, Mahatma Gandhi led a multitude of Indians to the sea to make salt—in defiance of the British Empire’s monopoly on this resource critical to people’s diet. The action catalysed the fragmented movement for Indian independence and was the beginning of the end for Britain’s rule over India. The act of “making salt” has since been repeated many times in many forms by people’s movements seeking liberation, justice and sovereignty: Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, and the Zapatistas are just a few of the most prominent examples. Our food movement— one that spans the globe—seeks food sovereignty from the monopolies that dominate our food systems with the complicity of our governments. We are powerful, creative, committed and diverse. It is our time to make salt. A movement for food sovereignty – the people’s democratic control of the food system, the right of all people to healthy, culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems – is building from every corner of the globe. We find that our work to build a better food system in the Unites States is inextricably linked to the struggle for workers’ rights, immigrant’s rights, women’s rights, the fight to dismantle racism in our communities, and the struggle for sovereignty in indigenous communities. We find that in order to create a better food system, we must break up the corporate control of our seeds, land, water and natural resources. Because at a time of record harvests and record profits we have over one billion hungry people on the planet; because poverty is the root cause of hunger; because the world’s oceans are being polluted and plundered,because industrial agriculture contributes one third of all greenhouse gas emissions, because increasing inequality, poverty, hunger, a global land grab, and environmental destruction are threatening the livelihoods of family farmers,farm workers, fisher folk, and marginalized communities worldwide; and because community based food systems and agro ecological farming can cool the planet, build resilience to climate change, and eliminate poverty; We therefore commit to re-building local food economies in our own communities, to dismantling structural racism, to democratizing land access, to building opportunities for the leadership of our youth, and to working towards food sovereignty in partnership with social movements around the world; We call on others in the US to demand an end to the global land grab, to end both corporate and military land occupations, to demand fairer trade,aid and investment policies, land reform, and support for sustainable peasant and community agriculture and sustainable community fisheries; We endorse actions that include: the liberation of land and water resources for the production of food and sustainable livelihoods; the creation of new structures for co[...]

Chestnut harvest …..and more

2010-04-28T21:21:26.059+09:30

We have had a very busy time of late with the chestnut harvest,shed relocation and farm tours. Fortunately we had some excellent help from woofers', Emanuele and

(image) Federica from Northern Italy who where keen to learn about our farming methods and sustainable lifestyle. While they were able to experience our lifestyle and farming methods first hand we learned about chestnut forests in Northern Italy and their traditional foods, celebrations and way of life. The polenta and kangaroo is a merging of the two cultures.

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They were keen to experience food from paddock to plate .Here they are preparing birds for the table a valuable experience as they wanted to provide quality food for themselves in the future.

A few new building skills never go astray.(image)

Emanuele also put 26 years of rainfall records on the computer (something I planned to do one day but never got around to.) Now its easy to see patterns and trends in our rainfall patterns.

The busy pattern continues as Deb will be attending a 4 day Biodynamic trainers seminar at the end of the week.We have enlisted the help of Maggie and Bob to man the farm shop while Deb’s away.

We are still awaiting the autumn rains so the biodynamic preparations can be applied and we can experience the creeks running once more.

After that, the next couple of months will fall into a nice pattern of selling chestnuts and weekend roasting chestnuts until the cold room empties and we snuggle up for winter . Quentin calls this the ‘football and firewood season.’

CHESTNUT HARVEST

2010-04-16T06:48:24.140+09:30

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The chestnut harvest is underway. It started with 30+C days which was hard on the hands as the burrs were dry and easily penetrated the leather gloves. But now the Autumn rains have arrived the burrs open easily. The quality this year is excellent. They seem to benefit from the doubling of the irrigation to try and counter the drought and lack of subsoil moisture.

Each morning we harvest, then grade the nuts. Now that the rains have come this is an especially good experience, the smell of damp soil and the explosion of fungus popping up everywhere. It would be much better if they where the edible types.

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Once the chestnuts are picked and graded they are stored in the cold room. The coldroom maturation starts the process of the starches converting to sugars. Fresh chestnuts are sold direct to the public from our farm shop. The shop is opened daily.We can pick and complete other chores because we have a radio controlled pager to inform us that you need serving. Once the cooler weather arrives the chestnut roasting season begins in the Stirling village, on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons from Saturday 1st May and lasts until we have sold all our nuts- usually late June-early July.

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Changing Seasons

2010-03-04T14:06:30.573+10:30

As we pick the last of the mulberries , the packing shed coverts briefly into a classroom before the chestnut season begins.

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The courses are generally slow to fill at this time of the year despite being the best time to establish gardens and compost. In general most people think of such things in Spring , missing the best establishment opportunities.

(image) Much of the last few weeks has been dominated by basketry activities. Its time to collect, dry and store  much of the material needed plus  Basketry SA’s exhibition, ‘Warp on the Wild Side’ is now in progress.Being my first  at such and event has been a busy time preparing as well as a rewarding experience and steep learning curve.

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At the Bottom of the Garden’

Gardens can house many secret lives if we take the time to look.

Gnomes are the elemental being connected with all that is below in the earth, and the fertility of the soil. Since the soil is more active and alive in winter, I like to think that in summer they emerge from deep within the earth to frolic in the summer sunshine, revitalizing themselves like the sun trapped in quartz crystals. If you venture to the bottom of my garden you may find their summer house amongst the grasses and faded flowers along with a few other seasonal visitors.

Like the common brown butterfly you’ll find resting amongst dead leaves and grasses. They are masters of camouflage even reducing their shadow by leaning to one side. They fly in waves amongst the orchard trees emerging from the dry summer grass.

Ants are also connected with the earth and like gnomes most of their activities are underground, they also like undisturbed areas. Their nests within the soil creating tunnels and spaces that help water infiltrate the soil while the ants busy themselves foraging, thus keeping the place tidy.

Foxes and Heatwave

2010-01-28T16:04:47.659+10:30

We are enduring another heat wave on top of a fox problem. In all our years here we have never seen so many foxes or been subjected to so many attacks. The last 3 have been a zero result for the fox but in the process we lost a goosing and a chook both where killed but dropped the birds when pursued by the dogs. The latest attempt was well cut off in the orchard but in this heat you can’t be out on the lookout all the time. This has meant the birds have been kept in their pens more of the time. I only allow a few out each day which is more difficult in the heat as there are lots of cool shady places for them to hang out.
The foxes we have seen are larger than normal and are out and about around midday .Hear say around the district is they are around in large numbers. Being an urban fringe area there are really no control taking place. With a mix of smaller properties and plenty of bushes for them to hide any sort of control is difficult. Quentin mentions getting out the gun but he is only 5 weeks out from a total knee replacement and needs to watch is steps especially on the slopes. (Actually it’s amazing how he has progressed in such a short period)
So now we are on fox, weather and fire watch .During a heatwave all you can hope to do is a few chores not involving any machinery early in the mornings, keep the water up to the orchards, keep a watch on the poultry and go inside. Every half hour I check the poultry. They have shaded pens fitted with misters that run for about 10 minutes every half hour as well as a sprinkler on the shed roof to cool it down in the afternoon.
As a result of the Victorian bushfires there has been much hype over what householders should or should not do in case of a fire. Our plan has always been to stay and defend as result, on serious fire risk day we always stay at home, alert to the possible risks. The areas around our house are kept well watered ,sprinkler in the roof. the fire pumps are all well serviced and ready to go (unlike many that come to Quentin to be serviced or fixed after being left out in the weather all winter!) We also have suitable clothes, pants, boots, woollen jumpers, hat etc all there ready to put on at a moment’s notice. We hope we never have to implement our plan but we are ready

Busy Spring

2009-11-17T11:05:54.637+10:30

Recent events at Nirvana –Diversity of a small mixed orchard. Spring workshop season ended this month with Deb conducting an extra biodynamic workshop. Nirvana also hosted several school tours .Firstly a visit by Bridgewater Primary School who are part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation a school gardening and cooking program. Then several groups from Belair Primary who were studding the concept ‘From paddock to Plate’ and where and how food is grown. The basketry workshop ‘weaving magic naturally’ was also a successful day of learning, sharing and creating. Next event is the BERRY SEASON Where you can buy fresh berries direct from our farm shop. The berries have travelled no more than 300 metres. Red and white currants, English gooseberries and Raspberries in December and black currants and mulberries in January. [...]

A Close Encounter!

2009-11-16T14:05:53.641+10:30

Today I had a reminder of how dangerous some farming activities can be. While returning the self –propelled slasher to the shed via the chestnut hill (a steep slope) it jumped out of gear and started running backwards increasingly faster down the slope. I was trapped between the handles and kept running backwards until I fell and the machine ran me over trapping one of my legs under it. Fortunately the mower blades where turned off. There I was stuck and screaming out for help. Quentin, who was mowing on the other hill finally heard and came to my rescue, lifting the heavy machine off my leg. Fortunately for me I only suffered some nasty bruises and skun elbows. This is an important wake up call as I often work alone and there is no one to help. Today being a cooler day after the first ever November heatwave , which is set to continue this week , we were keen to get stuck into the long list of things to do before harvest and before Quentin’s knee operation which will put him out of action for all our berry harvest. Early mornings are really the only time to get things done in the orchard before the searing heat drives you indoors. By the time the sun starts to fade and the evening cools your usually too drained to do anything except tend the vegie garden and relax. Another job on the list is to set up an irrigation system on the raspberries. Being in a cool damp valley they have never needed additional water until last year. There is still plenty of moisture there at present, but it’s only November and we are in the middle of a heatwave and my midweek it’s expected to reach 41oC. The Red currants, and cherries are turning red, the gooseberries are large and succulent and will need their protective bird netting put up this week. At this rate I expect the raspberries to be early as well. [...]

Spring

2009-10-26T19:45:52.938+10:30

It’s been a hectic spring with goslings and chickens hatching, a new dog to train and lots of lovely rain. Although the rain has slowed down the orchard work there is plenty to do. The horns have been retrieved yielding excellent quality biodynamic 500. The spring workshops have had a wonderful cross section of people participating and I’ve scheduled a second biodynamic workshop this weekend for those who missed out in September. We have had a rush of schools ordering fertile eggs to incubate and now primary schools are learning about food from paddock to plate , several tours have been booked by schools throughout November. December and the beginning of the berry harvest is not far away. There are many more things to do before then but now it’s important to enjoy and savour the season of SPRING- the green of our valley, the activity of the wildlife, the vibrant colours and perfumes of the flowers and the fast growth of the goslings and chickens. [...]

September, but it's not quite Spring yet.

2009-09-06T14:43:35.556+09:30

For most of Adelaide Spring is deemed to start on the 1st of September but here in the cool Adelaide Hills it does not really arrive till around the equinox. It is very noticeable from the winter solstice that the days are lengthening, the buds start swelling, chooks start their laying season after the moult, the geese and wild birds start nesting. All signs that Spring is approaching but not yet here. The soil is cold and the sound of ‘squish’ comes to mind as the valley struggles to take in anymore water. The plants are smiling as they know there will be enough moisture to get them comfortably through the coming Summer. Such waterlogging could be a problem but the berries are all planted on raised beds. The weeding needs to be delayed to the end of September early October so as not to damage the soil. With the tragic loss of little Hebe back in May we have finally found a replacement fox deterrent/poultry guard. .Late August saw the arrival of our new ‘family’ member Mika, a 9 month old kelpieX . Who is very keen and already progressing very well in her retraining. Frank is also enjoying having another dog to run and play with as well as sharing the guard duties.He is more than a little bemused at her passion for toys especially balls. The geese have been sitting for 3 weeks so next week we expect to see goslings. When the soil warms a little and the rain and excess water has soaked in it will be time to get stirring and put out the Spring biodynamic preparations. [...]

Winter and Rain.

2009-07-17T17:09:07.718+09:30

The last couple of weeks have seen nice steady rain, the valley has taken on its usual waterlogged squish squash which means the water is slowly being absorbed by the subsoil. Our first order creek which joins up with others to become Scott Creek is flowing again and the filter ponds are slowing down the flow and the flow forms are doing their job of aerating and energizing the water before it leaves Nirvana Farm on its way to Clarendon Weir. (It is then pumped back to the Heathfield water tanks to supply this area… but that’s another story!) Here are the flow forms in action in our creek. There is an abundance of wildlife around at present, maybe a sign of early spring! The kangaroos are enjoying the damp grass, while the bird’s colours seem to be brighter as they busily move around the bare trees. This cute ringtail possum has been around the garden for the past few weeks and managed to sneak into the kitchen when the door was left open. The passing of the Winter Solstice has seen the usual increase in egg production, the chooks all have lovely new feathers and look great. The geese also have responded to the increasing day length by pairing off and starting the mating squabbles. They will begin laying by the end of July or the beginning of August. Here is one of the roosters. [...]

Quality above all

2009-06-08T19:06:34.312+09:30

Isn’t it interesting that if you wait long enough what you do becomes trendy. For 26 years we have created a wholistic garden & farm, ‘Garden Quality Farming” in balance with its surroundings. Although it is a commercial orchard it is also a system that embraces the whole and provides opportunities to learn the many skills that have been lost through the generations. A successful example of such a lifestyle is rare let alone so close to a major city & costs the public purse nothing. Whether its educational farm tours that show the overall diversity & balances that can be achieved on any scale to the home orchard , vegetable & herb gardens or natural fibre gardens its all here. Here everything has its place under the cosmos and everything interacts with everything else creating a wholistic system. To achieve such a system takes planning, work and definitely does not happen overnight or in fact after several years. Once the quality environment starts to click into place you can then consider the quality food & lifestyle benefits. When you live a lifestyle in harmony with nature you can enjoy your surroundings. What for example is the value of watching a fledgling wattle bird learning to fly or finding a koala in a tree you planted as a 6 inch seedling or walk through the clouds of the common brown butterflies in summer or simply observing the seasons as they pass by. When it comes to food you can boast regular ‘meals that money can’t buy’ everything from the gardens including the wood to cook it. Just as a typical example we can start with goose liver pate- with homemade bread, roast goose or rooster stuffed with fruit and herbs depending on the season, mixed roasted vegetables including carrots, parsnips. salify, garlic, beetroot, onions fresh greens, chestnut puree (Speciality of the house) followed by a desert with berries, fruits nuts either fresh or preserved to choose from and the time and company to enjoy it. To create a lifestyle based on quality environment, food/flavour, lifestyle you need to first jump into the slow lane so you can enjoy it and then creatively take what ever bit of earth you have be it large or small and get it into balance and harmony because nowhere else in the world will food taste the same as it does from your soil, climate under your human care. Never forget agriculture (& therefore gardening) at its most basic level is the solar gift and work is love in action. [...]

Biodynamic Autumn

2009-05-12T21:04:14.592+09:30

Tonight I sat on the veranda and celebrated the completion of putting out the autumn bio dynamic preparations. After a long hot and dry summer it was wonderful that autumn arrived and delivered some much needed rain, although the springs have not started running or the creek flowing yet it’s a good start. If the ants are any indication the serious rains are on the way as they have built up their nests at least 4inches. While walking through the orchard the other morning I noticed the most amazing aroma, an aroma I had never experienced before, an aroma that eclipsed that of rain on dust! Up to that moment my most favourite smell. But the earthy, damp, sweet, like humus rich compost aroma filled the air.It felt like the soil had become light and moved into the air. I thought may be being morning it was rising from the earth and the dew had contributed to the aroma and feel so I returned latter in the morning then early afternoon and again at sunset it was the same lingering aroma each time –just magic, in fact I just need to keep coming back for more. For about a week now it’s been the same and I feel it's a result of the intense program of bio dynamic preparations I have been applying. As we had endured a long dry and very hot summer I thought a concentrated effort of bio dynamic preps would be the ideal way for the orchard to celebrate autumn. A mix of yarrow tea and barrel compost was used 3x on consecutive days followed by 500 on the fourth day. .Although our property is only small (4.5ha) this has taken 12 days of stirring and putting out as I always dived into 3 sections based on crop and soil type. It’s been a wonderful experience if not tiring on the knees. I also made sure all the terrace banks had a good dose of barrel compost by putting out most areas by hand. Rain is expected for the next few days so I’ll be interested to see if the aroma persists. Rudolf Steiner said each occupation had a sense to develop and for farmers it was smell. Such experiences make farming worthwhile and enduring such a harsh summer helps see deeper into nature’s processes.. [...]

It's Chestnut Season

2009-04-21T20:29:56.924+09:30

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(image) Hot roasted Chestnuts available on weekends in Stirling main street from 26th April.

See you soon

Chook House Makeover

2009-02-20T18:41:36.090+10:30

A couple of days before the heat wave really set in the large twisted willow that shaded the ‘west wing’ poultry house broke in two halves and fell down . Wind and the WillowThere was an urgent need for shade and cooling as it housed some new pullets, a mum with 8 chicks (1 week old) plus a broody hen that where not yet ready to free range and keep cool under the trees.I fitted a mister in each pen and a mini wobbler sprinkler on the roof. All these put out very low volumes of water and cooled the area very efficiently.The morning sun was very fierce as it shone directly on the pens so I fixed some hession and shade cloth around the pens while I designed some simple awnings that would provide shade and ventilation.Here’s my simple awning. It is lightweight yet strong and has not moved in strong winds.Using 15mm PVC water pipe and elbows make a frame to fit the area required to cover.Sew on shade cloth. Strong thread or fishing line is best.Attach a length of timber using a small bolt to the inside of the frame. Make a hole at the other end of the timber. This will allow you to adjust the awning.Attach the awning at the top of the areas to be covered. I used 2 cup hooks. Adjust the angle using the timber struts and wire onto frame. It can be easily readjusted or removed when not required.In really hot weather (lets hope it never gets that hot again) hession or similar can be clipped onto the awning to increase the shade while allowing ventilation. The hession can be kept damp for extra cooling. When the sun sets the hession can be easily removed.The finished awnings – I added some flaps and a picture made out of black shade cloth. The wormwood on the left was growing at an angle so I have fenced it off until it grows along the front on the pen. It can be hedged down in winter and allowed to grow tall over summer. I have added a few hardy well established pots to add some greenery maybe they will survive until the willow regrows now the rotten parts have been removed .Its always been a challenge to grow ground level plants around our pens as they adjoin the gravel driveway. All the pens on the opposite side of the road have lots of shade via glory vine, plum, nectarine and 100 year oak trees.[...]

MIRICAL CHICKS

2009-02-07T10:29:47.321+10:30

When Cool Green turns to Brown Crunchy

2009-02-02T15:10:27.367+10:30

It’s just heartbreaking the devastation of the current heatwave. While the home vegie garden has faired well, the valley which is normally cool, lush green, filled with crops such as raspberries, kiwifruits, currants, gooseberries, hazel nuts, grapes plus a few apples and plums which have all flo(image) urished over the last 20+ years without irrigation, today the leaves and fruit are sunburnt, they look tired and in need of some cool weather and life giving rain other wise they may perish. The irrigated chestnuts have suffered some losses and like last year reduced yields, size and quality would be likely if the crop can last til harvest. The walnuts ,well what can I say what nuts where there are now on the ground along with shredded leaves, thanks to the black cockatoos ,sulphur crested cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets.
The temperature range has been frightening, looking back at our temperature records of days 40 or over, all where single events except 2006 where there where 2 connective days. So far the recordings 34, 42, 45, 43, 43, 42, 39 and today it are already 37 and what of the next few days? I suppose on the positive side we have had relatively still conditions and been spared the wind and therefore bushfires unlike the Victorians. News of crop losses are increasing daily apples, grapes the latest causalities.
Global warming is here to stay and I don’t see any political will to slow down the effects, they are too busy worrying about a global recession and bailing out greedy businesses- for what purpose soon the planet earth won’t be inhabitable so where will the mighty dollar be then?

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