31 July 2017

A visit to Green Harvest

Last Friday morning we set off up the mountain to buy vegetable seeds at Green Harvest. After driving through Maleny we were surrounded by rolling hills and many small homesteads along the way.  So many of these homes are on large blocks where the owners take advantage of the space with chooks, goats or a house cow, as well as a thriving kitchen garden. It's a lovely drive. I've visited Green Harvest many times over the years when the shop was in Maleny, this was to be the first visit to their new store and garden at Witta.  What a treat it was. The garden is bigger than I expected it to be and we happily wandered the garden paths looking, touching and smelling a very wide range of plants. You would not see many of these plants in a regular nursery.

Gracie will lead you around the Green Harvest garden.  Hold on to your hat.

The garden wraps itself around the side of the shop.






Red/purple kale.

These are pigeon peas. We used to grow these up until a few years ago. They're a great addition to the backyard especially if you have chooks. They make a great feed for chickens and you can use the dried peas to make pea soup, in much the same way you use yellow split peas.

I loved that the garden was very much a productive kitchen and medicinal garden. I'm disappointed when I visit a garden that is manicured and clipped to within an inch of its life.  I want authenticity in the gardens I visit. A wild and thriving garden is much more interesting and satisfying to me than a neat and clipped one. As we walked around I saw plants I knew as well as many I didn't know. If you're new to gardening, I'm sure a visit to this garden would help you. The plants in the garden are named, the staff are keen to help and as well as the seeds, there are a number of seedings and cuttings on display that you can buy.

When you grow open pollinated or heirloom vegetables, you can collect the seeds to sow the following season.  Above and below are the basil seeds I collected from our plants last week. Not only is it a cheaper option to garden this way, but the plants you grow from open pollinated seeds from your own garden will be better adapted to your local conditions.   

When you visit the Green Harvest website, you'll see it's not just an online shop, it's a valuable resource built to help new and seasoned gardeners. Green Harvest is owned and run by Frances and Jeff Michaels and Frances has been writing and encouraging fellow gardeners with her vast horticultural knowledge since they opened in 1992. There is a wide range of information about vegetables, herbs, fruit and permaculture online and Frances has always maintained accurate and relevant information there for all to read.  But visiting the garden where many of the seeds come from is enlightening and a great encouragement to go home and start digging.  I have visited a few heirloom seed gardens in other states but none came close to the motivation I felt at this wonderful place.

These are the seeds I bought at Green Harvest, along with the Give Bees a Chance collection of flower seeds Jeff wanted me to try. They would be fabulous if you have a bee hive or two but also a valuable addition to the collection of local flowers bees visit near your home.

You can sign up for the annual Australian Organic Gardening Resource Guide here and find many of the answers you're searching for here in Green Garden Notes. Both of these invaluable guides are provided free by Green Harvest. The Green Harvest shop is located at 9 Gumland Drive Witta, which is on the western side of Maleny, and is open Monday to Friday from 9am - 5pm.  It would be a great day out if you drove up from Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast. Don't forget to pack a thermos and a sandwich because there are plenty of places along the way to pull off the road, but there is a coffee shop next door if you get caught short.

I am not affiliated with Green Harvest at all but have found Frances, Jeff and their staff to be generous and genuine with a fine community spirit.  I have bought goods from them online and in person and recommend them to you as a business that always provides excellent products and service.


SHARE:

20 comments

  1. Hi Rhonda
    I agree on the service and quality from Green Harvest. I am definitely going to drive up there soon after seeing your photos. It should be a nice day trip from Brisbane.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well I have learned something new today, Rhonda. When we went there last year we weren't aware we could wander around the garden as we thought there was only the garden out the front. We obviously should have asked if we could go for a walk. We just went inside and bought the seeds we wanted and left and I was surprised there wasn't more to see. Now I know. I might have to hire Miss Gracie to take me on a guided tour.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Rhonda, my first comment in a very long time. I went to Green Harvest late last year with my daughter. We spent a long time there and I even managed to buy my granddaughter's birthday present(a children's gardening set)

    The garden looks as if it has expanded since I was there. I agree with everything you say about Green Harvest and must make another trip there next time I am down in Caloundra.
    Cheers, Karen near Gympie.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just received my Green Harvest catalogue this morning, and browsed it with a cuppa. The Give Bees a Chance seeds were the first ones I earmarked. The catalogue is wonderful to read, so I can only imagine how good it was to browse the garden.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That garden is a wonderful resource :). I must discover if there is something like that available in my area.

    ReplyDelete
  6. their gardens look awesome! never been there myself but am always pleased with the online service.
    the Give Bees a Chance flower mix sounds good, my poor garden is a bit tired these days & hardly any of my flower seeds come up anymore, need to work it i think.
    Gracie is looking good & enjoys the outings too by the looks of it.
    thanx for sharing
    selina from kilkivan qld

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great place to visit. Really helpful to novice gardeners. Looking forward to my next visit.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a nice day trip. Beautiful seeds, and I love their packaging. It must have been a peaceful drive. I love it when the neighbors have chickens, a dairy cow, and goats. We have that on my street, too. It adds so much charm to the area.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I made my way up to Green Harvest for the first time not that long ago, Rhonda, and I LOVED it! I came home with two growing bags (which I'm growing potatoes in at present), a cardamon ginger plant, a cranberry hibiscus, strawberry plants and several seed packets. I like that I can find things there that I wouldn't be able to get at the typical nursery. I found they were really helpful too because I had lots of questions! Meg:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Glad for your comment about "wild and thriving gardens" being the best. My garden looks like a jungle right now, with the tomatoes and cucumbers growing together into a hedge. I was starting to feel a bit apologetic about it but now I think I will just enjoy it thriving. :-)
    --Ave

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Never apologise for doing your house and yard work to your own standards, Ave. If it's thriving, you're doing a lot right. Keep up the good work. xx

      Delete
  11. Thank you for the photos Rhonda. So lovely to put a face to a name. I have bought many seeds online and have read loads of their great gardening information but have never visited as its too far away (from Melbourne). I am trying to grow pigeon pea down here where its probably too cold but I'm going to give it a go, so really appreciated a real photo of it. kate x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kate, I'm the reverse of you,I try to grow some cold climate plants. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't but like you, I'll never die not knowing. It's always worth it to try. Great work, love. xx

      Delete
  12. Your photos just about settle the agenda for our next visit to Caloundra when next calling in to my father in law LOL.

    HOWEVER, you will get a laugh out of this. Being an avid collector of Country Style and Country Collections magazines and not wanting to give them away and TRYING to buy less of them I often pick a couple up and flick through them and dream! Imagine my surprise when I was just reading all about Tricia in her big and beautiful Blue Mountains home. It felt very comfortable reading the article and very moving.
    Hope Gracie is being good 🐶

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! That article was a few years ago now. She moved to her beautiful little 1920s cottage in Blackheath about 5 years ago now. But her old home was lovely. It was just too big for her when her husband died. I'll tell her you commented about it, Brigie. xx

      Delete
  13. That sounds like one of our next day trips Rhonda. We have just been living in our new house coming up to one year. Soon we will be ready to put in our permanent veggie beds and linked chook run, after observing the sun position etc in our backyard. We are thinking about a beehive too. I think a visit to Green Harvest will be most useful!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Rhonda, I too agree. I visited Green Harvest when they were still setting up their place at Witta, and the service was wonderful. My daughter in law sends for all her seeds, seed potatoes and garlic from Green Harvest and gets them mailed by post. She had found them very efficient with their postal orders.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh Gracie you are so beautiful your Mum takes you to the best places.

    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love seeing Miss Gracie sometime Diss Gracie reading about her adventures. She sure is Princess of the pack.
    Would love is if you could wirte an article on Grandparenting. We are to be grandparents for the first time at 55 and would love some tips for newbies if you have any.
    Thanks Donna:)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Just found your blog. We are just north of Gympie. Thanks for the Green Harvest links.

    ReplyDelete

Blogger Template by pipdig