1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016
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1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016 1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

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GARDENING FOLK | Sandra & Mick Nanka Herbal happiness Sandra and Mick Nanka of Mudbrick Cottage Herb Farm A passion for herb growing and a desire for self-sufficiency are the driving forces behind this productive garden and business Words & photos Claire Bickle FThere are people who like herbs and then there are people who are passionate about herbs — who live herbs. Sandra and Mick Nanka are such people. They grow one of the largest ranges of herbs in Queensland, if not Australia. Self-sufficiency is the backbone of their lives, home and business and what better location for it all than the Gold Coast hinterland in a delightful spot called Mudgeeraba? Sandra and Mick have lived there since 1982; they’ve raised their four sons there. Their home is their haven, filled with love, memories and a garden to soothe the soul and bring joy to their lives every day. The Nankas have created a garden paradise on their half-hectare block and, with a subtropical climate on their side, there’s gardening going on all year round. They run a small business there as well, called Mudbrick Cottage, open to the public Monday and Tuesday each week and the third weekend of every month. They also sell online herb plants, dried herbs and related products. When asked what else they enjoy doing, Sandra and Mick agree that fishing and travelling are next on their list of preferred pastimes. Sandra also loves running wonderful workshops on all things herbal to share her immense knowledge and passion, and also to give people the confidence to have a go themselves. Asked where their passion for gardening came from, Mick offers, “My dad always had a vegetable garden, with chickens as part A handcrafted birdbath serves as both a water source for birds and an artwork 34 | Good Organic Gardening

Sandra & Mick Nanka | GARDENING FOLK of the mix.” He says his father was in turn influenced by his family in Croatia, who were also self-sufficient. They grew much of their fruit and veg and raised livestock for meat and eggs. As for Sandra, “It was my great-uncle Ossie and great-aunt Maud, who lived in Chinchilla not far from my grandmother’s place.” She says they had everything growing you could possibly imagine and in such a challenging climate that was no mean feat. There were mulberries, grapes, passionfruit, chokos and trellises of sweet peas, figs and flowers everywhere. Days would be spent playing hide and seek in this magical garden, always followed by Auntie Maud’s tea, cakes, biscuits, scones and homemade grape and fig jam. Sandra says she always loved the thought of turning produce from the garden into something that would taste wonderful and keep the memory alive when the fresh fruit was long gone. The patch The first thing Sandra and Mick did when they moved in together was create a vegetable and herb garden. These days, there are still vegetables and herbs but also fruiting trees, though the most abundant harvests are from the never-ending supply of herbs. Sandra says their jaboticaba (also called Brazilian grape tree) is very productive, too — so much so that they often have to freeze a lot of the fruit. The garden beds are all slightly raised because of the shale and clay-based soil and to improve drainage, which have been the greatest challenges. They’ve continually added compost to improve soil structure. Medicinal, culinary, aromatic, pest-repellent ... they’ve got it all “Sandra always loved the thought of turning produce from the garden into something that would taste wonderful and keep the memory alive when the fresh fruit was long gone.” Large gum trees also make things difficult, throwing shade over the garden during winter, not to mention the water and nutrients they draw from the soil. The feature vegetable garden is in the mandala style with bamboo used for edging. There are also tank beds and an area that’s a mix of vegies grown in rows with fruit trees dotted in between. This particular section is watered by the run-off from the nursery. The Nankas harvest their own water via their large dam and 7500-gallon tank. Other measures they have in place to save and recycle water are the nursery’s water-saving sprinklers and the use of grey water to irrigate the fruit trees. Keeping it organic Asked why they think growing organically is important, they state the obvious: it’s the right thing to do. “If you’re going to eat the plants you’re growing, you don’t want The Nankas’ herb nursery is vast Good Organic Gardening | 35

GARDENING FOLK | Sandra & Mick Nanka<br />

Herbal<br />

happiness<br />

Sandra and Mick Nanka of Mudbrick Cottage Herb Farm<br />

A passion for herb growing and a desire for self-sufficiency are the driving<br />

forces behind this productive garden and business<br />

Words & photos Claire Bickle<br />

FThere are people who like herbs<br />

and then there are people who<br />

are passionate about herbs — who<br />

live herbs. Sandra and Mick Nanka<br />

are such people. They grow one of the<br />

largest ranges of herbs in Queensland,<br />

if not Australia.<br />

Self-sufficiency is the backbone of<br />

their lives, home and business and what<br />

better location for it all than the Gold<br />

Coast hinterland in a delightful spot<br />

called Mudgeeraba?<br />

Sandra and Mick have lived there since<br />

1982; they’ve raised their four sons there.<br />

Their home is their haven, filled with love,<br />

memories and a garden to soothe the soul<br />

and bring joy to their lives every day.<br />

The Nankas have created a garden<br />

paradise on their half-hectare block and, with<br />

a subtropical climate on their side, there’s<br />

gardening going on all year round.<br />

They run a small business there as<br />

well, called Mudbrick Cottage, open to the<br />

public Monday and Tuesday each week<br />

and the third weekend of every month.<br />

They also sell online herb plants, dried<br />

herbs and related products.<br />

When asked what else they enjoy<br />

doing, Sandra and Mick agree that fishing<br />

and travelling are next on their list of<br />

preferred pastimes.<br />

Sandra also loves running wonderful<br />

workshops on all things herbal to share<br />

her immense knowledge and passion, and<br />

also to give people the confidence to have<br />

a go themselves.<br />

Asked where their passion for gardening<br />

came from, Mick offers, “My dad always had<br />

a vegetable garden, with chickens as part<br />

A handcrafted birdbath serves as both<br />

a water source for birds and an artwork<br />

34 | <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Organic</strong> <strong>Gardening</strong>

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