BART ACRES

FOUNDER OF ŌTEPOTI URBAN ORGANICS WHICH SUPPORTS BACKYARD FOOD GROWING IN DUNEDIN AND COASTAL OTAGO BIOREGION.

When Bart Acres went to start his first garden 15-odd years ago, he found a lot of the information available was tailored to a North Island climate. So he set about getting regionally relevant advice from successful local vege growers. He went on to found Ōtepoti Urban Organics which sells locally adapted seed for vegetables that grow well down south to gardeners in the lower half of the South Island.

STRAWBERRY POPPING CORN

Bart says that sweetcorn can be marginal over the relatively short Otago summer, but popping corn is a reliable crop each year for him. “Plus rather than having a large harvest all at once that needs to be eaten quickly, popping corn is able to be stored as dry cobs or kernels.” He grows ‘Strawberry South’, a hardy strain he has been selecting over the past decade or so. “Each plant yields two or three cobs, and one cob yields enough kernels to make a snacksized bowl of popcorn for two people.”

PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI

Bart says purple sprouting broccoli is “amazing”; cropping continuously for several months on end, including right through the winter, and it can be harvested from every few days. He uses the purple florets in any dish where broccoli is normally used. “As a bonus to that, the younger leaves are sweet and tender and can be used in the same way as kale.” For all winter long cropping, seed should be sown in January and seedlings planted into the ground in February.

‘TEMUCO SOUTH’ QUINOA

Bart has been growing quinoa for many years and over that time has continued to select plants that perform well in the Coastal Otago climate. “The starting stock was ‘Temuco’, which originates from a lower altitude, coastal area of Chile whereas most quinoa is adapted to high altitude mountainous environment.”

‘BETA’ CARROTS

‘Beta’ forms a medium-sized carrot which remains sweet and crunchy for a long time, Bart says, and performs well in southern conditions. He sows twice a season, once in spring for summer cropping, and again in January which mature just as the frosts start to hit. “The carrots can remain in place to be harvested whenever they are needed through the winter until about August. In areas with hard frosts, a layer of straw can be put on top of the dormant carrots to protect them from freezing.”

PICKLING CUCUMBERS

Bart grows these every year in his greenhouse, along with tomatoes, basil and chillies. Sown in the spring and trained up strings, they produce from about Christmas time onwards. “It is important to harvest the fruits before they become large and over mature. This not only keeps the plant producing, but also the skins become leathery and a bit bitter if left too long on the vine.” As a bonus, he says, pickling cucumbers are also perfectly edible raw as mini cucumbers, great in salads or sandwiches.