Pete's Patch

Anyone familiar with Gardening Australia would be familiar with Peter Cundells now famous Vegie
Patch.
SGAs Frances Saunders was fortunate enough to be able to check it out on a recent visit to
Tasmania, and was impressed by not only the Patch but the number of visitors that were enjoying it.
Petes Patch is nestled in a corner of the magnificent Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG)
and is maintained using organic gardening techniques, which includes companion planting, green
manures, no artificial sprays, chemicals or fertilisers, and, most importantly, using crop rotation.
Crop Rotation
The six main beds are designed on a six year crop rotation system. Crop rotation ensures that any
crop is not grown in the same spot each season, as this can increase the risk of pests and diseases.
By rotating crops to a different bed each year, the pest or disease is deprived of its favourite host or
food.
A common rotation method is to follow a leafy crop with a root crop, followed by a legume (beans
and peas for example) followed by a leafy crop.
Compost
Compost bins are an integral part of the organic gardening process. The contents of bins are turned
at regular intervals to ensure aeration, and the result is the healthy, sweet-smelling compost that
Peter Cundell is so fond of!
The Vegie Patch was established on the site of the old Tropical House and when it was first
established the soil was very poor. It had been under a large concrete slab for many years, so it was
heavily compacted and waterlogged. Sandy soil was introduced and enriched with organic matter,
including mushroom compost, blood and bone, sulphate of potash, chicken manure, fish emulsion
and seaweed concentrate.
The Patch is maintained primarily by RTBG staff, although ABC staff carpenters and local TAFE
students had a big role in its initial establishment.
Giant Pumpkins
On this visit, a couple of giant pumpkins were reaching maturity. These are Atlantic Giant
Pumpkins (Cucurbita maxima) and were bred specifically to be larger. They are really only good for
giant pumpkin competitions though, because the flesh is stringy and tasteless. They can often be
100kg or more at harvest. In fact, the 2007 winner at the Bean Creek Show weighed a whopping
170kgs!
More on the RTBG
You cant mention Petes Vegie Patch without mentioning the RTBG. It is certainly a majestic
Botanical Gardens by any standards, and well worth a visit while in Hobart.
Here are some images to entice you. More information on the RTBG and Petes Vegie Patch can be
found on the website: www.rtbg.tas.gov.au
Visitors to the RTBG are greeted by this breathtaking view.
The Japanese Garden was opened in 1987 and was part of a cultural exchange between Hobart and
its Japanese sister city, Yaizu.
A feature of Labillardieres Garden (Labillardiere was a French voyager and naturalist) at the RTBG
is this Huon Pine sculpture. It represents the bow and sails of a French Ship and is the only
sculpture ever represented on a stamp. It was created by Stephen Walker.
The RTBG is ablaze with colour at all times of the year, as this early autumn display shows.
All images by Frances Saunders, copyright SGA.