A stroll in very early Spring in the Bellinger River Valley.

Despite that it is still the first week of August it is very early Spring on the Coffs Coast. In the Fernmount Food Forest fruit trees are bursting into flower if they are receiving some northern sun.

Amaranth

 All through Winter self sown Amaranth have thrived in a sunny spot.

Dwarf White Peach

February 27, Late Summer, Garden Activity (in a time of some global heating)

Flowering, fruiting and leafing in a summer ending with a climate change induced heatwave.

November, more and more productive

Nectarine

 I massacred a Nectarine tree to reduce the size and the few fruit produced this season are now larger.

Cherry of the Rio Grande

Ornamentals in our Fernmount Food Forest

Ornamentals ensure the Fernmount Food Forest is not just an unattractive, utilitarian source of food.
Of course many food producing plants are also ornamental and many plants we consider only as ornamentals are also edible. Ornamentals also attract bees and other beneficial insects and of course many birds, especially small insect eaters. There is no reason that a food producing garden can't also be attractive and a delight to explore.

In our climate foliage provides much colour so gold, yellow, orange, copper, silver and bronze foliage plants feature. The advantage is that foliage colour is so easy to provide compared to the work and time required to grow annual flowers. Trees and bushes also contribute many flowers and contrasting leaf shapes also contribute to visual interest.

Large Bromeliad

This Bromeliad looks green now but will turn gold again once gradually exposed to more sun.

Annual Edibles, Mainly Vegetables

Giant Russian Cucumbers can be very productive in our climate.

 In this climate annual vegetables that flourish in a colder climate's Spring and Summer are often best planted in our cold season. Coriander and Brassicas prefer our cold season.