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You are here: Home / Blog / Four Inspiring Mountain-Hugging Veggie Gardens in Hobart

Four Inspiring Mountain-Hugging Veggie Gardens in Hobart

By Sarah Coleman 2 Comments

Almost vertical mountain slopes, crazy weather and abundant wildlife – these are just some of the factors that make establishing a productive garden in nipaluna | Hobart challenging. We visited four gardens, thriving in their mountainous homes and providing an abundance of food for their creators and communities.


The gardens were opened as part of the Home Harvest tour, curated by permaculture designer and educator Hannah Maloney of Good Life Permaculture.

Meika’s garden ~ Mountain Nest

Meike is a keen gardener, she is wearing a sun hat, standing next to an impressive stand of corn.
Meike in her veggie patch.

Mieke established her garden at the base of kunanyi | Mount Wellington eight years ago. Her creativity and hard work have brought into being a bountiful sanctuary that nourishes her family. The overflow of produce feeds her community through a roadside stall.

Mountain Nest is a sprawling garden. Meika admits “it just keeps growing” – encompassing vegetable beds, a poly-covered greenhouse, open and covered orchards. The sheer variety of fruit and vegetables is mind-boggling. All are grown using organic principles, mostly by Meike with some help from a semi-regular garden group.

Medicinal herbs punctuate the garden, providing Mieke with teas. There are plenty of cosy nooks to enjoy a cuppa and take in spectacular views of the mountain on one side and the Derwent on the other.

Twenty beehives are dotted around the property’s boundary – Meika’s son’s project. A small scale honey business called Natures Nectar. On the day we are there, untreated bush and leatherwood varieties are on offer.

A table laden with colourful fruits and vegetables from Meika's garden.
A small sample of produce from Meika’s garden.

Meika’s garden is about variety, health and abundance. Sunny spots and sheltered retreats offer space for rest, reflection and play. Mountain Nest is a garden with heart, and it gives generously.

The stall Meike sells her produce from, on a lush green roadside with Mount Wellington looming behind.
Meika’s roadside stall.

Rob’s garden

Rob’s garden is only five months old. It is perfectly situated on a north-facing slope in the foothills of kunanyi | Mount Wellington. Productivity, sustenance and profit are the driving forces of this garden.

Rob sits behind his veggie bed with a big grin on his face and wearing a floppy hat. There is large expanse of healthy looking basil plants in front of him.
Rob beaming in front of his basil.

The beds’ construction is super simple – stakes hold one sheet of iron in place on the slope’s low side. Then Rob lays spent plants into the beds and then smothers the mounds with organic compost sourced from the tip.

On the day we are there, the beds are bursting with summer vegetables and herbs, including tall stands of corn, tomatoes and masses of bright, healthy basil.

Rob has paid for the garden’s start-up cost in the five short months it has been in existence through the sale of his produce to local providores.

The garden occupies cleared ground surrounded by bush. Rob is a practical gardener, and he acknowledges fire risk. He believes he could bring the garden back to life quickly after a fire event.

The simplicity and thoughtful construction of this garden made a real impression on us. It is a spare garden that truly responds to its location and Rob’s needs. 

Outside The Box

Close to Mount Nelson’s summit is a garden established by Outside the Box | Earth Arts Rights. A not for profit organisation seeking to “connect, amplify, nurture and support people working at the intersection of environmental protection, the arts and social justice”. 

A pathway divides two rows of wicking beds. Each bed is topped with a cage. The beds are surrounded by bushland.
Wicking beds topped with protective cages.

With wildlife at every turn, the design of this very productive garden serves to protect against intrusion. Water-wise wicking beds are topped with cages, fenced and netted areas protect fruits and vegetables.

Berry canes in long beds with removable netting.

Glasshouses also keep food plants safe from wildlife and also serve to extend the growing season into the colder months. This water-wise garden works on closing the loop at every turn with efficient composting and worm farming.

Glass house with waist height planter boxes. The garden beds ar full of summer vegetables and herbs.

Goodlife Permaculture

Many of you will be familiar with the Goodlife Permaculture garden via Gardening Australia and social media. Hannah and her family’s garden is a practical and soulful response to living on a dramatic slope.

Cold frames are nestled into the mountain side with salvias spilling from above. In front a long veggie bed bears plenty of produce.
Cold frames nestled into the slope. Salvias spill from above and a productive veggie bed sits at the front.

Innovative terracing provides sturdy footholds, places for plants and housing for animals. Long terraced veggie beds form the perfect route for a chook tractor to renovate and fertilise spent beds. Cold frames nestle into the banks, as do the compost bays.

Long veggie beds full of leafy green veggies and tall stands of corn. The edges of the beds provide a "track" for the chook tractor.
Long veggie beds provide a track for the chook tractor.

On vertical surfaces you find climbers such as hops and espaliered fruit trees. Essentially, every inch of the property is super productive, showcasing permaculture principles. A dynamic, holistic garden that provides for its creators and serves to educate the community.

A goat stands atop a two tiered goat enclosure. It is eating a fresh branches of leaves, behind is a magnificent view of The Derwent.
Goat enclosure with a view!

The upside of mountainside living is spectacular views of Hobart city and The Derwent. A bonus for the human inhabitants and the other animals!

Hats off to Hannah and co, who practice what they preach. Thank you for organising Home Harvest – it is generating plenty of food for thought!

Hannah from Goodlife Permaculture holds a sign saying "Home Harvest" - she has a wide smile. Behind her you can glimpse her bountiful green veggie garden and the blue of The Derwent.
What a massive effort. Thanks Hannah! (Photo: Goodlife Permaculture | Instagram)

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  1. Suzanne King

    at

    Hi Kitchen Apothecary – I am wondering if Mieka, Rob or Hannah would like to do an interview for my Healing and Wellbeing quarterly magazine? The October issue relates predominately to wellness opportunities on and around kunanyi. As well as the interviews I already have with wellness operators and guides, I would love to write an article on the flourishing organic veggie garden in Spring. The magazine is available to all police officers and paramedics and also goes to my reiki clients, reiki tribe, and many holistic therapists including acupuncturists, qigong masters, herbalists, yoga teachers and students (the list goes on). I would really love to showcase your fantastic thriving veggie gardens and promote your site if you would be amenable. Noting this is a free of charge interview – I coordinate my quarterly magazine as an educational tool and community resource. Best wishes to you and look forward to hearing from you, Kind regards, Suzanne (Reiki Energy for Life, Battery Point).

    Reply
    • Sarah Coleman

      at

      Hi Suzanne, I wrote this post in response to my experience of the Home Harvest tour set up by Hannah Maloney at goodlifepermaculture.com.au – you should get in contact with her to secure the contact details of the owners of the featured gardens

      Reply

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Sarah Coleman, naturopath and freelance health writer

Naturopath, writer, grower, maker. Umami huntress. Sharing traditional wisdom, backed by science. More …

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