Setting up an organic farm

Annie Wilson was not a beginner when she bought what is now Miranda Orchards on the Hauraki Plains in 1999.

"I've had a long involvement in organic farming, both here and in the States, and so I knew what I was looking for before we bought this place," says Annie, pictured right.

But, as she readily admits, finding the right land and turning it into an organically certified property are two different things.

"For a start, it doesn't happen overnight. If you buy the right property and everything goes right it will take about three years."

What constitutes the right property in organic terms is not always apparent to the uneducated eye. While the city dweller might crave a pretty stream and well-established plantings, what seems an idyllic spot might never be suitable.

"It depends on what has happened to the land in the past. If it's heavily contaminated with DDT or heavy metals it will never get organic certification no matter what you do to it."

Often long-established orchards are the most problematic. "If they have had decades of spraying and this has leached into the soil, and they are planted with spray dependent varieties then you might as well start again on a new site - that soil can never be reclaimed."

On her 5ha block, Annie removed some established apples and pears because they were too spray-dependent. She also ringed it with a dense shelter belt of fast growing natives. "This has the dual function of protecting the plants from the weather, but also from spray drift from neighbouring farms."

Likewise that babbling brook will probably be no use as a water source no matter how pretty and clean it appears. Annie knows she is lucky to have a 110m deep bore which provides all the water she needs. "It's not as romantic as a pretty stretch of running water, but at that depth it is definitely clean."

Often overlooked in favour of the picturesque is the obvious such as the soil quality. "If your basic soil is not fertile, or suitable for the crop you want to grow, then you'll be working uphill forever."

Annie makes compost from material produced on her land and then extends its usefulness by making "compost tea" in a complicated process which multiplies the beneficial microbes going into the soil.

Now replanted in plums, citrus, apples, feijoas and tamarillos in disease resistant varieties, and with herbal leys to attract beneficial insects, the orchard is approaching financial viability after five years.

"But everything grows slower because it is growing at a natural speed".

Annie's crops sell through markets, organic wholesalers and retailers as well as at her roadside stall.

The guiding philosophy which underpins this often time-consuming and back-breaking labour is one that Annie wouldn't have any other way.

"None of us are in it for the big bucks - rather it's the immense satisfaction of knowing you are looking after a piece of land and producing good food from it. That's what it's all about."

Annie's checklist when looking for that perfect piece of dirt:

Do a soil test for DDT and heavy metals.

In an area dense with conventional orchards, spray drift may make certification impossible.

Check the water source. Is there a deep water bore? Do a test for purity.

An established shelter belt is a bonus.

Is the soil fertile and suitable for what you want to grow?

Establish a relationship with the Soil and Health Association - an invaluable source of support and advice, ph 09 419 4536; www.organicnz.org Another useful website is www.organicfarm.org.nz