Pulling a carrot out of the ground can spark many emotions – hope, excitement, pride and perhaps even dismay (if you end up with a gnarled and broken one). What draws growers to try their hand at carrots is the nutritional profile and universal appeal of this root vegetable. Highly versatile, you can mash, purée, boil, roast, fry, steam, stew, pulp or juice carrots, or simply eat them raw.
The Plummery sounds like a sprawling countryside property. Its garden beds grow an abundance of vegetables, with surrounding fruit and nut trees underplanted with shrubs, herbs and flowers. Bubblegum grape shades the house and there’s a greenhouse with bananas and babaco. A quail aviary sits by the side of the house and on the southern side are avocados, feijoas and a cherry guava.
Growing garlic may not be too tricky, but growing farmers can be. To help young prospective farmers gain the skills and experience they need in the field, Farmer Incubator was established in Victoria in 2013 by Paul Miragliotta. Melbourne based landscape gardener Per Staurup soon joined the small group due to his interest in “making sure there are good farmers out there and that people who deserve the chance to do it can”.