The young chicks provide an endless source of entertainment. Photo / Gianina Schwanecke, Country Life
By Gianina Schwanecke of RNZ
On 6.5ha in Poukawa, south of Hastings, once-bare paddocks have been transformed into a thriving interconnected place for growing.
Kahikatea Farm is a permaculture farm with an established food forest covering just over a hectare, as well as two hectares of silviculture and more recently what’s known as a paddock paradise horse track system.
At the heart of the farm, though, is the certified organic nursery growing more than 400 different types of permaculture plants.
“They all have at least one main function, and hopefully several other functions as well,” permaculture teacher and gardener Jo Duff explained.
“So they attract pollinating insects, they’re nitrogen-fixing, medicinal herbs, they’re edible leaves, they’re perennial vegetables. Yeah, they’ve got to have a use. We don’t grow what we call roundabout plants.”
Jo and her husband Aaron established Kahikatea Farm almost 20 years ago, taking its name from the kahikatea forest that would have stood at the site long ago, before it was converted to grazing farmland.
The Duff family had a vision of working with nature.
They created swales – water-harvesting ditches that follow the contour of the rolling hills – to plant the first fruit trees, which now form the upper canopy of their established food forest.
Near the start of summer when the surrounding farmland is already golden brown, this part of the farm was a green oasis, layered with fruit-bearing plants.
They established their own permaculture garden to feed themselves and the many helpers on the farm, including volunteers and those keen to learn from Jo about permaculture principles – earth care, fair share, and people care.
“The vegetable garden supports our family and anybody else who’s staying here at the time,” Jo told Country Life.
The organic nursery was their main business. She said the certification process was relatively straightforward, as they grew everything in a potting medium that was bought-in and pre-certified.
“The potting mix has got fertiliser to last it a good wee while. That’s based mostly on seaweed, compost, and then a trichoderma, which is a friendly micro-organism, which aids with root development and just the basic health of the plant.
“Most things are out the door before really we need to give them an extra feed, and if we do, that’s a seaweed fertiliser.”
Where the organic nursery really shone, though, was in its feathered friends, who helped with pest management, targeting larger snails and slugs that threatened the plants.
They had three different groups of chooks - Rhode Island Reds, Black Orpingtons, and bantams – and two different types of ducks – Indian Runner ducks and Cayugas – performing different functions in different parts of the farm.
Since they introduced the birds, Jo said it had “completely changed” the nursery.
“Everyone who works here really loves having them around. It makes you slow down, because you just stop and watch what they’re doing or have a laugh at some antics, and every spring comes around and you go ‘oh my God, those ducklings are so cute’ and the novelty never wears off.
“We’re so busy in spring, it’s so nice to have that lovely distraction and yeah, it does make you slow down.”