Jason Ross did an amazing job conceptualising, drawing up and altogether “nutting out” our idea for a formalised raised vegetable bed area. He incorporated many biodynamic ideas while respecting the overall lay-out of our already established garden. The result is a beautifully integrated and functional edible gardening space which brings so much pleasure to us and is a year-round source of delicious and nutritious vegetables. Almost all our vegetable needs can be accomplished from a small space and the productivity benefits from the clever use of wind-block, sun-exposure and even hedgehog habitat afforded by the choice of place and lay-out of the garden. As soon as we finish some landscaping around it I’ll look forward to sharing photos with anyone who is interested. We highly recommend Jason Ross as a skilled edible garden planner and great guy to work with and know.
K. Davidson, Feb 2011.
I highly recommend to anyone planning to create an edible garden to consider contacting Jason Ross of Sutherland Nursery. Jason came to the property, listened to my aspirations for the section, accessed the property, looked at the soil quality and came back with a beautiful plan. This gave me the means and the confidence to move forward and dig into my section. Two years on and I continue to use the plan to guide me as I continue to develop my garden.
What a Difference!
About 18 months ago we contacted Jason Ross of Edible Garden Design and Consultancy Services to give us some advice on our coastal garden in Karitane.. We had been working with the garden for about 14 years. Each year we grew a bit more food for our household and each year we gained confidence with our understanding and experience in working with this lovely but challenging site. The clay soil, low rain fall and wind presented real tests!
We asked Jason for his professional help on our “work-in-progress” with the following brief:
To provide advice and a simple plan for our mixed edible and traditional garden that would allow us to
1. provide more food every year
2. increase our confidence in our gardening skills
3. give us a better understanding of planting cycles
4. make us better attuned to our garden’s needs
Jason spent time with us, listening to what our experience had been and to what our dream garden would be. We walked the property and talked. He pointed out patterns and plant responses we had never noticed. He asked good questions, made suggestions and learned what we had in mind and how the garden had come to be over the years. His ability to explain what we were seeing was impressive. His understanding of the challenges of the site was reassuring. He had a very realistic and practical way of working with us.
After our time in the garden Jason went away with a simple sketch we had provided. He returned for a second visit with a great practical advice and a plan to address the brief we had set.
Over the last 18 months we have used that plan and advice to transform our garden into one that is probably 80% more productive in fruit and vegetables. We’ve used his advice to enhance the health and productivity of our soil, drain a problem zone we had dubbed “Lake Vanderburg” over the years (a very large puddle of ankle deep water in the wettest part of the year), opened up and rejigged existing areas of the garden that are now productive and pretty food production sites. Our improved understanding of planting cycles means we are getting it right more often than not on taking advantage of warmth, moisture and maturation times for different vegetables. None of these changes have been onerous or expensive. They have been easy, fun and very satisfying to incorporate into the way we work.
Our garden looks more attractive. I’m proud to take friends through our “work in progress” and love harvesting food from it almost every day of the year. Thanks to Jason!
Patti & Joel Vanderburg Karitane, November 2011
“Jason Ross and Sutherland Nursery has been a great help establishing a sustainable fruit orchard at our new block.
He has worked closely with us from initial planning through to purchase and establishment of the plants and the trees. Jason’s expertise in horticulture, sustainability and permaculture design is complimented by his holistic approach to long term planning and communication for the entire process. We are confident our newly established orchard will be something truly remarkable in years to come.
We are extremely grateful for Jason’s advice and guidance and look forward to working with him on other future projects.”
M. Hoyt, Managing Director, Gravity NZ Ltd, Waitati, October 2011.
“Thanks very much for the trees! They’re all in the ground and they
look great, we’re really thrilled 
”
A. Kann, Brighton, August 2011.
“Thanks for the trees. Your other trees planted a few years ago are doing really well, another very happy customer – thank you ”
T. Mclean, Waitati, July 2011.
“Jason visited our property and provided spot on advice on how to get our orchard started. We had lots of ideas about the produce we wanted to grow, but no idea where to start. Now we have a detailed plan of where individual trees will be planted, how to establish and maintain the trees, a design for the chicken run and knowledge on the best companion plants to complement both the trees and the chooks. Our session was completely inspiring, as we soaked up lots of new ideas and tips we would never have thought about. His knowledge of all aspects of gardening and permaculture is astounding. The consultancy session was an excellent investment and we have no doubt it has saved us from making silly decisions which would cost time and money. We can’t recommend working with Jason highly enough!”
A. Kann, Brighton, Oct 2010.