Meet the gardeners and their garden

As the son of Ukrainian immigrants, Peter grew up in Hernes Oak helping his parents grow vegetables for their dinner table.  At school, he was surprised to discover that some people actually bought vegetables from supermarkets!  After retiring from the restaurant business, Peter and Janni moved to the Albert Ruttle estate in Inverloch, an environmental subdivision that includes a wetlands reserve with extensive planting of Indigenous species, a bird hide and habitat for many native mammals, amphibians and reptiles.

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Come to see, learn and be inspired!

• Vegetables are grown in a large walled market garden, designed to keep out kangaroos, rabbits and bushrats, although not always successfully!  Peter works the vegetable plot with a tiller to weed and prepare the soil for each season’s crop and is keenly interested in succession planting and crop rotation

• Water is pumped up from the lake for the garden, with large water tanks supplying the home

• Check out the unusual partnership between a very tall bay tree (just in front of the walled garden) and a fig tree which is emerging from under the bay tree!

• Ask Peter about the orchard which has been sited to take advantage of sewage lines running through the property

• Fruit trees, nuts and berries include pomegranates, apples, chestnuts, walnuts, almonds, pears, feijoas, nectarines, cherries, kaffir lime, Japanese plums, lemonade lemons, kiwifruit, various citruses, olives, black figs, apricots, cherries, boysenberries and blueberries 

• Wander down to check out the lovely views over the lake and perhaps explore the wetlands that form part of the Albert Ruttle reserve

 

Parking and accessibility

Drive into the property and park along the grass edges at the front of the property.  Walk up the driveway about 100m to the vegetable garden.  The vegetable garden is flat and accessible.  This is a large semi-rural property and there may be uneven surfaces, wet areas and exposed tree roots. Please exercise caution around the unfenced dam. 

 

Address

158 Albert Ruttle Drive, Inverloch