Hilltop Farm in Budgeree, Victoria, Australia | Kitchen/Cooking

Hilltop Farm

Locality: Budgeree, Victoria, Australia

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• Kitchen/Cooking

25.01.2022 Crop rotation at Hilltop Farm Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. It reduces reliance on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, and the probability of developing resistant pest and weeds. Many mono cropping commercial operations that produce the food that we buy in the supermarkets, do not use crop rotation methods but rather rely on chemical pesticides and fungicides alon...gside heavy doses of fertilizer to shortcut prop up the soil and reduce weeds and pests. This not only gets passed onto your food, washed into waterways and bushland but it slowly desecrates the soil which in turn then requires more and more chemicals to keep it producing. At Hilltop Farm, crop rotation is an important part of looking after the nutrient content of our soil and reducing soil borne bugs and diseases as well as making sure that every type of crop gets exactly what it needs nutrient wise. Some crops will also enhance the soil for the next crop to go in. It doesn’t matter what size your plot is, crop rotation is beneficial for all gardens and a great habit to get into. I try to run my rotation scheme for at least three or four years, as this is the number of years it takes for most soil-borne pests and diseases to decline to harmless levels. I divide my crops into four groups, this means that members of each plant family won’t occupy the same spot more than once in a four-year period. I also run several types of compost bins that produce ‘magic dirt’ to build and enhance my soil. Perennial vegetables such as soft fruit, rhubarb, asparagus and globe artichoke aren't replanted each year, so they need their own dedicated bed. Here is a basic run down of my crop rotation succession Take into consideration the requirements of your plant groups- Heavy Feeders Tomatoes Eggplant Potato Pumpkin Squash Sweet corn Lettuce Garlic Brassicas Light Feeders- Root vegies Spring Onions / Leeks/ Onions Soil Feeders ( plants that give back to the soil ) Legumes Green Manure Crop Buy mixed green manure varieties as a plant over crop My rotation is simple 1st Year Heavy Feeder 2nd Year Light Feeder 3rd Year Legume 4th Year Green Manure Crop A few extra things I do Check PH levels of soil before sowing every crop Spread Lime every 2 years Water or foliage spray with Seasol or manure tea every 3-4 weeks Use a little wood ash in soil before planting tomatoes Bury banana peels for extra potassium Manure / organic matter on beds not being used and cover

21.01.2022 Strong healthy greenhouse reared seedlings ready to be planted out ! Oxheart Tomatoes Roma Tomatoes Vietnamese mint ... Pak Choy Spring onions Bush butter beans Button squash Lebanese Zucchini Golden Zucchini Jarradale pumkins See more

21.01.2022 Some lovely feedback ! Some of our tomatoes babies being planted at their new home. Happy growing !

19.01.2022 Some Roma tomato babies getting ready to go to a new home today ! More stock going outside onto the ‘harden up’ shelf to prepare for being planted out !

19.01.2022 It’s so wonderful to have a great selection of birds now calling Hilltop their home and they certainly enjoy all of our fruit trees! This season we’re endeavouring to harvest our share along with the birds by creating hoop systems to fit over some of the different trees and bushes that produce our food. Some will also be left for the birds because they are an important part of our ecosystem. We will fit fine mesh netting over the hoops, being careful to seal it all the way... to the ground so not to be any danger to curious birds. These hoops were fitted over some of our blueberries and were a simple solution using some old conduit pipe we had lying around.

16.01.2022 Paddock to plate. It doesn’t get any better than this. No chemicals, no food miles, no stress

14.01.2022 Want to grown your own food but don’t have a lot of room ? No problem ! Even the smallest of apartments has a balcony, courtyard or sunny window. There are so many clever solutions for small space food growing. ... Even though we have plenty of space here at Hilltop Farm, I wanted to try out some pot and vertical garden growing solutions for food production. Hopefully to inspire others to start growing. This is how it went ...

13.01.2022 ...the inventors of a no-risk world ... ...free screening tomorrow tues, don't miss it ! .... Virtual Cinema Indigenous American Building Heritage Restoration and Construction Month... Free Screening of: Gather Monday, November 23, 7:00 PM PST == 10:00 PM ESTget free ticket here: [https://story-spaces.com/.../native-american-heritage](https://story-spaces.com/.../native-american-heritage)... Trailer: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfSGB-aSo6A](https://www.youtube.com/watch)

12.01.2022 A rainy day on the hill but there is always something to do. Whilst I’m inside studying for my propagation certificate course, Chris takes advantage of a break in the weather to do some weeding. Graham and moggy watch on through the window.

07.01.2022 Some might think that you have to do without when taking the plunge to eat sustainably and as self sufficient as possible .... but with a bit of forward planning and some seasonal menu changes, abundance is possible ! Tonight - Veggie Green Curry Almost everything you see here was grown at Hilltop Farm. It is possible to store pumpkin, garlic and potatoes all year long. We freeze chilli’s out of season. The rest is in season and picked fresh. Even the yoghurt is homemade. ... Grow your own !!

05.01.2022 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3401069493346265/

03.01.2022 If you really want to do something that will have a positive impact on Mother Nature - plant a tree or a plant. Pick something you’d normally buy in the supermarket and plant it in your backyard or on your patio, veranda or balcony.