As a household, we’re slowly moving towards sustainability.
First it was two chooks in the front yard, their bounty of eggs almost offset by their destruction of our garden! Next it was a plot of herbs, spinach, capsicum and tomatoes growing down one side of the house. Self sufficient for one meal a day, we’re becoming adventurous… Why not add some fruit trees? Our 600sq.m. block was a drawback, we thought, until we learned about dwarf fruit trees. Growing to a maximum height of 3 metres, they sounded ideal, our planting guided by the local knowledge provided by a good nursery.
So we took a trip to Daley’s Fruit Tree Nursery near Kyogle, a pleasant country drive taking just over 90 minutes. We had afternoon tea on the verandah of the Cawongla General Store: Mulberry and Chocolate tart served with coffee, before a ‘viewing only’ stop at Nimbin where an alternative lifestyle was blatantly on display. Yes, we scored: finger limes from the General Store, and very well-priced plants for our garden from a pavement stall.
You could easily make a full day of the trip, visiting craft shops at Uki and Stoker’s Siding on the way, Tweed Art Gallery to view an exhibition accompanied by lunch or a coffee overlooking the valley.
Our haul from Daley’s Nursery? Dwarf mulberry, Tahitian lime, Finger lime (sensational), Dwarf Meyer lemon, Kaffir lime, Mandarin, Dwarf Fig, Dwarf mango and several Passionfruit vines, all ready to be planted.
We’ll add new life to an old yard, and food for our home table.