Phillip Island Community Orchard, Wimbledon Heights
An orchard showcasing a diverse range of fruit and nut trees
Veggies 🥦 Berries 🍓 Fruits 🍋 Nuts 🌰 Bees 🐝
Meet the gardeners and their garden
In October 2023 PICO proudly celebrated its tenth anniversary, doing what it does best – hosting seminars by gardening experts to share skills, and enjoying good food and music with family and friends. With land and recycled water courtesy of Westernport Water, the local community has witnessed PICO get bigger and better each year. Complementing the more than 100 species of fruit trees and about 30 individual vegetable garden plots, improvements in the past year have included new asparagus beds, the installation of new compost bays, a weed tumbler and worm farm.
Come to see, learn and be inspired!
-
Regular mulching, together with underplanting, is a great way to care for the base of fruit trees; it stops them getting too wet in rainy seasons or too dry in summer
-
Planting established asparagus crowns means fewer years to wait for a harvest; check out the carob tree which produces pods that are a healthy alternative to chocolate
-
Fruit trees, nut and berries include peaches, nectarines pomegranates, loquats, feijoas, limes, quince, kiwifruit, apricots, cherries, Chilean guava, apples, pears, oranges (navel, Washington, blood), mandarins, lemons, macadamias, walnuts, avocadoes, hazelnuts, blackberries, mulberries and loganberries
-
PICO currently has about 60 members and welcomes new members; you can visit during their monthly working bees, 4th Saturday of the month, see: https://www.facebook.com/islandorchard
-
Visitors to PICO over the Edible Gardens weekend will be able to buy a range of gardening related goods such as fresh produce, preserves and plants; if you’re lucky, there might even be some of their refreshing rhubarb champagne!
Parking and accessibility
Drive up the gravel driveway and park on the grassed edges. The garden is flat and easily accessible. Please exercise caution around the bee hives.
Address
Corner Hoad Street and Hallway Drive, Wimbledon Heights