Jo's hidden food forest
Secret Coromandel garden feature in new book The garden was born out of the Covid lockdowns
Asmall urban Coromandel Food Forrest rooted in permaculture that grew out of the Covid lockdown stars in a new book that highlights New Zealand’s secret gardens.
A labour of love for local woman Jo Sanderson , Secret Gardens of Aotearoa, written by Jane Mahoney and Sophie Bannan features Jo’s Greenhills Paradise
Jo and her husband Sandy moved to Coromandel Town in 2019 and purchased an 850-square-metre new build.
“We retired up here to be near family and wanted a newish lowmaintenance home, so brought in the new subdivision here in Coromandel.”
The property which contained a simple garden containing four fruit trees, a hedge and a “lot of lawn” said Jo.
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, Jo discovered a Facebook page called Grow Food Not Lawns, and enthusiastically set about absorbing as much information about permaculture, which refers to growing agricultural ecosystems sustainably and self-sufficiently-and without the use of pesticides.
“I have always strived to be as selfsustaining as possible, and wanted to create a food forest but just didn’t know how to start,” said Jo.
“Even when we owned a small lifestyle block, it seemed too daunting and I never got there. Now I am on the smallest section I have ever owned, and have an amazing food forest growing! If only I had had this knowledge many years ago.”
A circular patch of bare soil was considered the perfect spot to try building the hu¨ gelkultur (mound bed) patches paramount to the principles of the seven layers of a food forest.
The seven layers of the food forest, built on the mounds, are canopy trees, a lower tree layer, a shrub layer, a herb layer, the soil surface, roots and a vertical layer
Jo’s hu¨ gelkultur experiments multiplied and she began planting fruit trees. All the time she was learning everything she could about growing a food forrest.
“I have just about every fruit tree imaginable including bananas and pineapples growing. Also the normal veges and a huge variety of berries!” said Jo.
Jo has never had a garden plan, but a guiding set of principles — organic gardening, sustainability, feeding themselves, feeding the birds and insects.
The three pillars of permaculture have been enthusiastically adopted by many around the world. When asked why she thought foraging your own grown produce is so popular now, Jo believes that “people are so aware of nutrient-dense, unsprayed, healthy and unprocessed food”.
“That we are actually what we eat. Also, I think with the price of fresh fruit and veges - it is a no-brainer to me to grow what you can yourself.”
Like much other agriculture on the Peninsula, Jo’s forest did not escape the ravages of last summer’s cyclones.
“Cyclone Gabrielle has had a huge impact on the garden, and the other cyclones to a lesser extent. The continual rain has killed my avocado tree which has really upset me! The wind has blown over many young trees which have since died.
“We are going to have to learn to garden differently as these are the weather patterns to come in the future.”
Jo has no plans to grow commercially, preferring to keep the fruits of her labour close to home:
“I only grow for me, my family the birds and bees.”