Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens
Producers: Hugh and Katie Finlay
0409 706 784
Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens is a certified organic orchard in Harcourt. We use biological farming techniques to grow more than 80 varieties of delicious fruit including cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, apples and pears. Growing so many types of fruit spreads our season from November right through until April; it also helps to spread the risk of damage to the crops. We attend Castlemaine Farmers Market each month during our season. You can also buy our fruit direct from the farm during the pick-your-own cherry season (mid-November until the end of December), by mail-order via our website, and at other Farmers Markets (see our website for details).
We aim to provide our fruit ready to eat or close to it, and give advice at market about correct storage and handling of fruit. We are interested in heritage varieties, and gather information about them from our experience and customer feedback. We issue regular email bulletins during the season advising which varieties are available or coming up, and also take orders for specific varieties. You can join the mailing list for our email bulletin from the front page of our website, and this is the best way to stay in touch with what is happening week-to-week at the farm. We are committed to being carbon neutral, and have a Sustainability Plan in place to guide our progress towards this goal. We have already made significant steps including installing solar panels & insulation, stopping the use of artificial fertilizers, and increasing soil carbon levels through the use of compost and compost teas. This has many benefits including greater water capacity of soil, increasing resilience to harsh conditions, and healthier trees with a higher resistance to pests and diseases.