Chris Manders farms the deep red, rich, volcanic soil at Wandin Yallock in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, where he specialises in growing heirloom tomatoes. Since he started in 2010, he has built a name for himself by growing over 20 varieties of heirloom cherry tomatoes and larger table tomatoes. He is a small grower with eight hectares under fruit and veg production and is critical of larger growers who have hijacked the term “heirloom”.
“We grow true old-fashioned varieties, some quite old, but full of flavour and aroma,” says Manders. “Some of the big seed breeders have bred lookalike varieties that are very colourful but lack the flavour and genetic diversity.”
Manders puts the success of his tomatoes down to the microclimate at Wandin Yallock. “The Wandin-Silvan area has always, since the area was cleared in the 1860s, been a food bowl,” he says. “We have a soft climate and beautiful soil. We don’t get frosts, we have high rainfall, we don’t get hugely scorching hot summers.”
Everything at Wandin Yallock Farms is grown in the rich soil, not hydroponically. Manders cares for his soil by keeping areas fallow and feeding the microecology with organic matter such as hay he cuts from his pastures. “Our worm population is staggering!” he says excitedly. All the fruit is naturally vine-ripened, which helps the deep flavours develop in his fruit. His crops include Cape gooseberries, tomatillos and fat red raspberries, which are grown exclusively for pick-your-own customers. Prime fruit is used to make a range of preserves, for which Wandin Yallock Farms has won a handful of awards.
Manders’ farm is surrounded by native forrest, which serves as habitat for birds that eat pest species. Manders also practises integrated pest management, which sees tiny wasps released onto the tomato vines to attack pest insects, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.
“I’m a proud fourth-generation farmer here at Wandin Yallock Farms,” says Manders. “I grow my plants from seed, raise my seedlings. It’s labour intensive but the flavour of my tomatoes makes it worth the effort.”
Products: Fresh heirloom tomatoes, tomatillos, Cape gooseberries and pick-your-own raspberries.