Of course, Tasmanian readers know that our state is nationally known and for gourmands even internationally known for its fresh clean and ‘green’ produce from the land and the sea. We are celebrated for that food and our contribution towards a cuisine that favours ‘farm to plate’ and ‘farm to fork’. Previously in this blog I have shown you produce and preserves from the Huon Valley south of Hobart, a glorious garden to the west of Hobart in the Derwent Valley and today I am delighted to introduce you to a very productive garden on Tasmania’s east coast.
Friend H lives on the inside of the Freycinet peninsula in the Coles Bay area, overlooking Great Oyster Bay. Her property looks toward Swansea and the small spot of land in the distance of the following photo is Picnic Island. What a fabulous view!
This photo with it’s well laid out and well cared for garden plots was taken about 3 weeks ago. I noticed the waving ears of tall corn stalks. H told me ‘our corn is late this year. We are still picking and eating it from the garden’.
She went on to explain ‘we have 11/12 varieties of apples on our grafted trees. Mutzsu is a popular variety which is hard to get; almost impossible to buy. Many in the community enjoy them. My father, an orchardist in his youth, planted the trees and grafted the varieties. Grafting apple trees became a hobby. The apple trees seem to enjoy the location and are very healthy. Those in the photo below are Golden Delicious and Mutzsu varieties.’
H’s garden also grows a variety of other apples including New York Pippin, Cleo, Granny Smith, Coxes Orange, Lady in Snow, Fuji, and Gravensteins. ‘Fortunately they are totally organic.’ Thanks H for sharing.
Those apples are brimming with health and it was wonderful to see views other than those from my house! I look forward to the days post virus when travel is again possible. Seeing other vistas via your photos was most inspiring and reinvigorating.
Tasmanian Discoveries 
A beautiful garden! Thanks for the post.
It reminds me of a day I spent rambling around the Potager du Roi in Versailles… Constructed in 1678 for King Louis XIV by Jean-Baptiste La Quintinie, its nine hectares of walled gardens contain around 450 fruit tree varieties and 400 varieties of vegetables! Many of the fruit trees are espaliered into a myriad of different shapes. Since its inception it has been a centre for horticultural study, and today it is curated by the National School of Landscape Architecture and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Worth a visit if you ever get to travel to France…
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Thanks Marion. In recent days I have been contemplating the idea of spending 6 months in France – as if, under these circumstances! I have spent a day at Versailles but needed a week to even begin to get a handle on the extent of the place. Now realise I have only had a taste of that extraordinary place. I never found Potager du Roi, in the time I had. Whether I return, can return – who knows.
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