A love of gardening was the inspiration for Rotorua resident Jenny Lux to start Lux Organics six months ago. And already the 1.1ha plot in Ngongotaha is producing plenty of produce and work to keep Jenny fully occupied.

Jenny, husband Richard Gillies and their two boys have also embraced the organic lifestyle. They started the certification process with OrganicFarmNZ just a couple of days after taking over the property and will follow organic management systems to ensure they become fully certified in the required three-year term.

Jenny, who has a master's degree in plant ecology, changed her lifestyle by leaving her job when her second child was born. Then she decided to use her experience and love of gardening to set up what will become a clever eco-friendly business.

'I've been a backyard gardener all my life and with this change in location from residential Rotorua I can live and learn, get to know my land.”

Jenny has taken all the help she can, attending courses, workshops and following organic principles from various schools of thought: the bio-intensive method, Rudolf Steiner's biodynamics and small-scale intensive market gardening as taught by Jean-Martin Fortier and Curtis Stone.

'I'm following examples of organic, small-scale gardens all around the world. There is plenty of information and people are very helpful with suggestions. I intend to do everything sustainably.

'One of the important reasons why we decided to move here and do this was to do something positive to address climate change.

'My husband and I are very concerned about the future of the world's atmosphere as we continue to burn fossil fuels. So growing food for a very local market and transporting it only a short distance is one way to improve the situation.

'We also don't use any fossil fuel-based fertilisers. In future, we would love to use an electric vehicle for deliveries, powered by our own solar panels. But at this stage it's just too costly because there are not many affordable electric vans in NZ.”

Currently, only a small part of the family's 1.1ha block is under cultivation but it's already producing plenty and Jenny is selling her produce at the Rotorua Farmer's Market and supplies Brown Owl Organic Club, a non-profit organic organisation.

Local food

'My aim is to supply good quality nutritious food. There is such a growing demand for it. There is also quite a good restaurant market I can tap into here
in Rotorua as well,” says Jenny, who is already supplying two local Rotorua cafes with salad, herbs and microgreens.

Along with the outdoor crops she has a greenhouse for germinating seeds, bringing on seedlings and for growing the increasing stock of microgreens.

The garden beds at Lux Organics are all 80cm wide and dug to double the depth of a normal spade. Jenny has an intriguing implement for aerating the soil – a broadfork. The width of the beds enable a walkway between – never stepping on the actual beds, which are wide enough to plant and reach to the other side without impacting the actual growing area.

Sharing knowledge

In the large shed on the property there is plenty of room to wash and prepare produce for market and a very large chiller, which ensures the produce is kept in perfect condition between picking and transporting to market or purchasers.

'The key to survival is to be a bit diverse. I'm already selling the food and seedlings and in future I will also run workshops to share the organic knowledge.”