july 15 - 21 | 2015
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circulating in wangaratta, myrtleford, bright, mt beauty, beechworth, yackandandah, rutherglen, chiltern and districts
Natural goodness By KYLIE WILSON
FRESH FOOD:
Fay Robinson harvests some food from the productive garden she shares with husband Charlie. PHOTO: Wendy Stephens
GARDENING WITH
DEBBI
RSPCA
WITH
STELLA
FILM
WINE TALK WITH
ANT
MAN
ANITA
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FAY Robinson is all smiles digging into the earth, getting her hands dirty and pulling out some fresh vegetables for the night’s dinner. It is a way of life she loves on the 10 acre Beechworth property she and husband Charlie have called home for the past eight years, since leaving behind their civil servant positions in Canberra. The pair were inspired to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle when their Canberra garden fell victim to the ravages of drought, and they became increasingly more concerned about the effects of climate change. “We just weren’t being rewarded for our efforts,” Charlie said. Now, running an extensive fruit and vegetable garden for their own use when they are not working part time at a local apple and cherry orchard, growing a large percentage of their own food, all year round, has become second nature to them. Their fruit harvest ranges from peaches, apricots and plums to apples, pears, mulberries and figs, while their vegetable patch is bursting with cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, potato, onions and carrots. They even have beehives in order to help pollinate their trees. The couple spend several hours each day keeping their garden up to scratch throughout the year, which keeps it producing plenty of food, even in the dead of winter. And it saves them thousands of dollars at the supermarket annually. “Winter can still be a pretty productive time in the veggie garden,” Charlie said. “Our plan is to have food all year round.” continued page |
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