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Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens, Company in Hartwell | Online-store Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens, Company Hartwell (Australia)

Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens, Company

+61 (03) 547-428-08
Contacts

Address

Australia,  Victoria ,  Hartwell,  3453,  69 Danns Rd

Director

Katie & Hugh Finlay

Phones of enterprise

management
+61
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About enterprise

Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens, Company

Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens is run by Katie & Hugh Finlay. Katie is a third-generation Harcourt orchardist. She and her husband Hugh run the orchard. Katie's dad Merv still lives and works part time on the farm, growing all the trees Katie & Hugh plant on the farm. Katie and Hugh have been running the orchard since 1998, both coming to it from non-farming careers, though Katie grew up on the orchard and Hugh worked for some time on farms in Western Australia and the Middle East. Before returning to the farm Katie owned her own business in Melbourne. Prior to his life as a fruit grower, Hugh had spent the previous sixteen years roaming the globe as a travel writer. As insurance against bad years - climate change and drought are very real - Hugh now also works part time as a consultant editor for a development organisation. They took to farming like the proverbial ducks, enjoying the physical side of their work as well as the many challenges it presents. They enjoy learning from the wisdom and experience Merv shares with them, and combining this with organic farming practices. Farming organically has led to a greater interest in biological farming, and their core practice is to feed the soil by using compost and compost tea. The biology in healthy soil (good fungi and bacteria) make it possible for the trees to gain all their nutrients from the earth rather than from artificial fertilisers. They take the stewardship of the land seriously, and have started a revegetation project that creates a wildlife corridor from the Mt Alexander Regional Park, which borders the property on the eastern side, through to remnant vegetation on the western side of the farm. Katie and Hugh decided to keep the farm to a manageable size by planting small amounts of a large number of varieties. Moving away from a monoculture (where a large amount of one crop is grown) to widely diversified plantings has many advantages: it spreads the harvest more evenly over a longer period, no one variety ever poses too big a job; it spreads the risk; it reduces disease pressure across the whole property; and it means that most varieties can be picked, sold, and eaten when they are at their peak. Hugh and Katie recently discovered via the Harcourt Historical Society that in diversifying the plantings they have unwittingly returned the property to a very similar state to its original plantings, over 100 years ago. The property was owned by WL Williams and sons, who began planting orchard in the 1880s. By 1909 they had an orchard or ‘garden’ of 60 acres, making them Harcourt’s largest fruit growers. They grew peaches, nectarines, apples and cherries, with a great deal of success.
Products and services
Apricots
In stock 
We have three apricot blocks, one of large vase-shaped trees, the main block planted on the 'open V' trellis system, and three rows in our new mixed block planted in 2010. In the trellis block we have used a system called 'horizontal-vertical cordon' to train the trees to fill the trellis space...
Group: Fresh fruits
Moorpark Apricots
In stock 
Heritage variety (UK, 1668). Late season, medium orange skin, can be soft at the tip. Can ripen unevenly (and from the inside out) making harvesting difficult. Soft orange flesh, beautiful rich apricot flavour, sweet even when only lightly coloured. Freestone, an old favourite for jam but not the...
Group: Apricot
Golden Delicious Apples
In stock 
An old American variety dating from the late 1800's. A pale green apple that turns to yellow when ripe, and bright yellow when overripe. Very long stems makes picking difficult. Absolutely delicious when eaten in season, very sweet with light acid. Goldens should not be stored too long as they have...
Group: Apples
T204 Peaches
In stock 
One of a series of clingstones developed at Tatura in Victoria in the 1980s. Medium to large, golden yellow skin with firm, juicy, sweet flesh. Excellent for bottling because retains shape well (and sweet enough to bottle with little or no sugar!).
Group: Peaches
Burgsdorf  Cherries
In stock 
Red, tend to be small, medium firm. Not a really strongly flavoured cherry but they're the first of the season, so we forgive them! They hang extremely well and continue to ripen and intensify in flavour for a few weeks.
Group: Cherry
Corella Pears
In stock 
A small to medium sized Australian variety, Corella is an attractive piece of fruit having a red blush over a green background. It is much more in demand than the older varieties. Flesh is of good texture and has good fragrance and flavour.
Group: Pears
President Plums
In stock 
European heritage variety dating from early 1900s. Large oval fruit with deep purple skin covered with a heavy bloom. Colours before ripe. Yellow flesh, soft when ripe. High acid, but sweet when fully ripe. Freestone with a large cavity - very versatile plum, good for jam, sauce, bottling, and...
Group: Plums
Goldmine Nectarines
In stock 
Mid season heritage white flesh nectarine. Pinky red skin with white background. These nectarines taste magnificent but are not robust, having thin skin and easily bruised flesh which is why they are virtually unknown as a commercial variety these days. Ideally suited to pick-your-own as they are...
Group: Nectarine
Williams (Bartlett) Pears
In stock 
Developed in England about 200 years ago. A medium to large pear. Pale green skin lightens to yellow on ripening. Very sweet flavour with a firm, fine-grained flesh. One of the most widely grown pears, used for both eating fresh and canning.
Group: Fresh fruits
Bramley's Seedling Apples
In stock 
Large, flat to intermediate shape, can be rectangular or irregular. They have greenish yellow skin with a red flush and stripes. Firm yellowish flesh, very acid. A well known Heritage English apple known as an excellent cooker due to its tartness and propensity to fluff up when cooked.
Group: Fresh fruits
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