Dean and Carole Allerby, from Willowbrook Farm, have been market gardening for about 20 years. Photo / Jenny Ling
Making a living growing and selling your own vegetables and fruit is a dream for many. Reporter Jenny Ling talks to three Northland growers who dish the dirt on what it's really like.
Local farmers markets are a great way to while away a couple of hours, pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables and catch up with friends for a coffee.
Northland boasts plenty of great markets, where growers gather to stand at stalls overflowing with their produce.
It seems an ideal way of earning a crust while living the good life.
But market gardening isn't for the faint hearted.
The relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, which are sold directly to consumers, requires a fair bit of backbone and grit.
There are a myriad of things to consider to be successful these days, from farm design and infrastructure, to soil quality, weeding, irrigation and bed preparation.
There are different growing techniques to choose from, along with seeding, plant propagation, business planning, marketing and management of the day-to-day operation.
Murray and Nicola Burns have been growing a range of produce on their land in Kauri, near Whangārei, for decades.
Of their 7ha property, 2ha is dedicated to growing seasonal vegetables and herbs such as rocket, cucumber, tomato, capsicums, coriander, mint, basil and parsley.
In winter the couple focus on fennel, celery, silver beet, bok choy and spring onions, and they also make a few of "value-added products" like basil pesto and salad dressings.
The farm is hydroponic and spray free and they take the best basic principles of various growing systems and incorporate them into their own environment.
Murray started market gardening in 1973 at the age of 14 as a way of earning extra pocket money.
"I used to grow vegetables to pay for my motorbikes.
"I wanted pocket money, so I used to grow things like pumpkin and watermelon and sell them at the market."
Murray went on to study horticulture at Lincoln College (now university) in Christchurch, gaining diplomas in horticulture and management before getting a job at Turners and Walder (now Turners and Growers) as their produce auctioneer while market gardening on the side.
He and Nicola have been fulltime growers since 1995 and sell their produce at the Whangārei Growers Market, which Murray co-founded with Robert Bradley in 1998.
"It's who I am, it's what I do," Murray said.
"It's always appealed to me, you either are or aren't a grower.
"I've got three kids and none of them are interested. If you enjoy it you love it and if you don't, you hate it."
The job is physically demanding; there are early morning starts and hours which stretch to 100 a week between them.
But Murray likes the freedom of working for himself on the land.
"We're our own bosses. We're not that free in that we're tied to our business, but we enjoy our business. As long as you enjoy it, it's a great lifestyle."
However, Murray warns the lifestyle isn't for everyone.
His advice for budding horticulturists and dreamers is to "work for a grower first and see if you enjoy it".
"A lot of people think they'll like it and buy a lifestyle block and then six months later they hate it.
"On a winter's day when you're out in the rain it doesn't seem so appealing."
There are other challenges of market gardening, the biggest of all being climate change, Murray said.
"People in town probably don't realise how much of a difference climate change is making.
"Our creek dried up last year for the first time in 47 years of living on this place, and it dried up again this year.
"Climate change is very real. We have to change our planting dates on a yearly basis now."
And with two big supermarket chains to compete with, he's realistic about growing vegetables for a living.
"Nicola and I decided years ago we were never going to save the world but we like to grow the best that we can, and do it as environmentally friendly as we can.
"If people want to come along for the ride and buy our stuff that's great."
WHANGAREI RESIDENT Jackie Harding may be new to market gardening, but she's certainly no stranger to getting dirt under her fingernails.
The former nurse used to own an avocado orchard in Maungakaramea for five years before deciding to give growing vegetables a go.
Fifteen months ago, she and her husband bought a 4ha block in Maunu and are working towards creating an organic market garden.
"I found Maungakaramea too far away from town.
"We saw this property and we really loved it.
"I've always been interested in organics and it was an opportunity to start from scratch."
Harding moved to her new property in December 2019 and immediately rolled up her sleeves.
The first summer was spent setting up new infrastructure, including installing two large water tanks.
Because she had trouble finding an organic compost supplier, she created four big composting bays and began making her own.
When the country was plunged into the Covid level 4 lockdown, she used the extra time to research everything about market gardens.
"We bought heaps of seeds, planted different things to see what would happen, and everything grew pretty well.
"We planted so much of everything, and ended up giving most of it away to friends and neighbours and the local food library [pātaka kai]."
Since then, it's been all go, with corn, beans, tomatoes, kumara, pumpkin, courgettes, chilli's, capsicums and kohlrabi planted, along with lots of flowers to attract bees.
Harding also planted 150 avocado trees, two dozen banana and plum trees, and four fig trees.
If they grow well, she will add to her repertoire, and sell at local markets.
"We're keeping it small scale and seeing what will grow and learning from our mistakes.
"It's going to be a gradual increase in production, we will get more trees and more variety until we feel it's enough to have a market stall.
"It's been a real learning year, but it's been really rewarding."
Harding is a big believer in finding sustainable, healthy ways of growing food.
"It's important to try and grow things as naturally as possible that doesn't use a lot of chemicals in the process.
"It's really nice to grow all our own produce, there's not much we have to buy at the supermarket apart from things like bread and milk. That's really enjoyable.
"When family and friends come around it's really nice to be able to give some produce away."
KERIKERI RESIDENTS Dean and Carole Allerby have two tunnel houses packed with vibrant produce at their Willowbrook Farm on the outskirts of town.
The couple have been growing capsicums, tomatoes, Lebanese cucumbers, eggplants, courgettes and snow peas for about 20 years.
Though they started small, they're now fulltime growers and employ a worker in summer.
The couple are not interested in growing mass volumes of vegetables, preferring quality over quantity.
They would rather sell locally, and take their produce to Whangārei Grower's Market on Saturday, and the Bay of Islands Farmers markets in Paihia on Thursday and Kerikeri on Sunday.
"We're local, we're seasonal and we're growing for the health of the produce, the plant and the people," Carole said.
Before they became fulltime market gardeners, Dean was a beef farmer and Carole carried out office work.
They had a tunnel house at their former property where they used to grow vegetables on the side.
So when Carole was made redundant three times within four years, they expanded their hobby into a full-fledged business.
"I said to Dean we need to do something that we're in more control of so we decided to do this."
When they bought their current property on State Highway 10, they brought their tunnel house with them, then added another.
They grow hydroponically and use an integrated pest management system, which involves using natural spray to target specific areas.
They also leave the vegetable on the vine longer which adds more flavour.
"It keeps you fit and gives you a good workout," Dean said.
"It's a hard physical job and you have to really work to make money at it.
"Selling at the farmers' markets is the best way to sell your produce. People give you feedback all the time," Carole said.
"The first market we sold at in Kaitaia, a lady was raving about our capsicums. She took them home and later that day brought back a jar of capsicum relish.
"Customers bring us things they've made from our produce all the time."
Market value
Bay of Islands Farmers Market chairman Marty Robinson said farmers' markets have much to offer.
Produce is plucked from growers' fields and tunnel houses just hours before they're sold directly to the customer, making them super fresh.
"At a farmers' market you're paying the grower directly.
"You can be sure of where it comes from, you can talk with the grower about how they grow it.
"It's picked the same day or the day before, you can see it's fresh."
A recent survey undertaken by the organisation - which was established in 2004 and is a member of the Farmers' Markets Association of New Zealand - found produce from farmers markets was cheaper than the supermarkets too, Robinson said.
"It's cheaper and the grower gets all the income, and they're local.
"It's not an Aussie food chain which is taking the profit offshore.
"There's a community feeling at a market, it's an occasion. It sustains the community."
Farmers Markets New Zealand chairman Jono Walker said the link from farmer to consumer is vitally important, especially in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The farmers' market food chain is very short, meaning that food is seasonal, fresh and packed with nutrients."
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