Farming for an everlasting future

Everlasting Farm is nestled in a peaceful corner of our family property in the rich volcanic soils of Hoddles Creek, Victoria.

My great grandfather purchased the land in the 1940s and my partner Bronte and I are now blessed to be the fourth generation in our family to care for this land we love. It is and always was a special place for me, and from my earliest childhood memories it has felt like home. The fertile land and abundance of water in the spring-fed dam brings an incredible diversity of wildlife. Every day it is bliss to hear the reed warblers in the evening, transitioning to the frog orchestra as the sun sets and the stars ascend.

The roots and green thumbs were developed for both of us as children, learning from our mothers in the garden. Bronte’s first seeds were giant sunflowers and beetroot; mine pumpkin and radish. In our early twenties we both started to reconnect with our food and made all efforts to search for organic produce whilst living in suburbia. We soon left the city for the Yarra Valley – our beginnings were a small vegetable garden on a rocky slope, brimming with radish, tomatoes and every herb imaginable.

Inspiration and learning

Things really began when I left my full-time work as an arborist, in pursuit of a new direction in my life for purpose over profit. That same evening I was invited to a gathering at Peace Farm, a sustainable community farm in Wesburn. I had never felt so inspired and supported, meeting four local market gardeners who have been my mentors ever since.

My passion to establish a larger scale garden and practise growing more of our own food, plus enough to share, was encouraged by my Grandma Eleanor who invited me to grow here on the family farm in Hoddles Creek. Before diving into farming, as a young couple with an urge to travel, we decided to kit out our ute as a camper and travel north to explore Australia. Fortuitously, we discovered Pandurunga Farm, a permaculture paradise in the Mackay region of Queensland, and spent six months learning sustainable techniques and practices.

Taking the big leap

After spending 18 months on the road, I was itching to return home and get growing. In spring 2019 our dreams of our own sustainable market garden began. We set up camp under the beautiful old oak tree on our farm and turned the first sod of our large vegetable garden. ‘Everlasting Farm’ was borne, inspired by our native cut flower rows and regenerative farming practices.

Faced with the investment costs needed to establish the market garden, we both needed full-time work. We lived under the oak tree for six months whilst renovating a little old building on the farm that is now our home. Many nights gardening under the moonlight made me realise I needed more time on the farm, so I transitioned to part-time work. The extra capacity to develop the farm soon led me to have so many plants in the soil that it was time to be all in, full time on the project that we loved.

The garden is a continuum, changing year on year, but always growing larger and larger. We are excited to embark on our next stage; expanding our market garden and planting perennials on two acres previously used for biodynamic berry production by my mentor, Uncle Andrew. Our key focus is to work with nature and to once again grow food as medicine, being nutritionally balanced through access to all essential minerals in the soil it is grown in

From the ground up

Our first step in preparing the earth is measuring our soil pH and making any adjustments to ensure all major nutrients and minerals are available.

Our first step in preparing the earth is measuring our soil pH and making any adjustments to ensure all major nutrients and minerals are available.

We trialled grazing these cover crops with our goats and chickens following behind, but this was not the most successful approach in the wet season. The goats are much happier clearing out blackberries in the bush and the chickens help compost the garden waste with woodchips into next year’s potting mix.

The vibrant health that is generated by these growing practices is such a joy to witness. To look out over the garden and see the matrix of flowers, herbs and vegetables flourishing is a life-affirming experience we look forward to sharing with our customers.

We currently sell our produce, flowers and seedlings at local farmers markets, organic produce stores and to many chefs in Melbourne, with our goal to extend this, fresh and direct, to local customers. We hope they too can come and experience seasonal harvest gatherings under the oak tree and the joy this farm brings every week.

We look forward to the seasons ahead when we hope to offer educational workshops on the farm to inspire more people to live closer to nature and grow their own food organically.