Utchee Creek Farm

Utchee Creek Farm We came to retire to a 10 acre papaya farm in the Wet Tropics Dec 2021. Join our journey of sweat, learning and friendships.

Weeds quickly became our biggest challenge, so we embarked on converting the farm to food production and rainforest regeneration.

I've recently purchased a half-decent food dehydrator and started experimenting with some of the fruit we're growing. I'...
18/06/2026

I've recently purchased a half-decent food dehydrator and started experimenting with some of the fruit we're growing. I'm particularly impressed with the cumquat, which has a very intense flavour. Perfect as a super healthy snack or garnish for gin and tonics 😋

Soon I'll have a crack at making jerky by drying marinated beef, from cattle raised locally by good friends we've made since moving here.

I want to build further on an informal network of local friends growing and exchanging or selling locally grown produce. Even thinking about starting a monthly market 🤔🤔

18/06/2026

I've seen (and felt !) plenty of green ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) in my time but this is the largest nest I've ever seen !

Green ants serve an important ecological role and have an overall beneficial effect on fruit trees. While they do farm' the honeydew of some pests like scale insects, they also prey on many more important pests, including fruit flies and sap-sapping bugs.

When disturbed, they bite (not sting) and can spray formic acid into the wound, letting you know you've encroached on their territory.

They're common and welcome here on the farm, even if they are cranky and mildly painful when closely encountered. And if you want to wreak revenge, their abdomens can be eaten, having a strong citrus flavour and being high in vitamin C 😋

30/05/2026

Collecting pit pit (duruka heads) for local friends. The stalk forms mulch for the recently w**ded row.

For a first attempt, the duruka or pit pit cooked with onion and coconut cream was quite tasty, so I'm going use it more...
28/05/2026

For a first attempt, the duruka or pit pit cooked with onion and coconut cream was quite tasty, so I'm going use it more and explore other recipes. Here I also added some chilli and tumeric. Low in calories, very high in fibre, with vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and iron - will make a great nutritional seasonal addition.

28/05/2026

I originally planted duruka, a relative of sugarcane, as a chop-and-drop mulch. Other names it goes by are pit pit and Fijian asparagus, with the immature flower heads being a high quality food source, prized in Fiji. So I thought I'd give it a try.

28/05/2026

A few weeks ago I posted a video after hand pulling w**ds from around recent plantings. The following day I sprayed the w**ds in between. 3 weeks on, this is the result - plantings with no competition, at least not for 2-3 months until more w**ds grow back from the substantial seedbank.

Well I'll be buggered. Nature never ceases to amaze me ! I saw this bizarre looking moth on one of my potted plants as I...
23/05/2026

Well I'll be buggered. Nature never ceases to amaze me !

I saw this bizarre looking moth on one of my potted plants as I was watering it today. I used the app Lens to research it and find out what species it is. Turns out it's a moth (possibly a hawk moth) that is infected by a parasitic 'zombie' fungus called Cordyceps or Akanthomyces.

Apparently these fungi are known to alter the behavior of their host, compelling them to climb to high locations or adhere to leaves before dying, which aids in the dispersal of fungal spores.

09/05/2026

I mentioned the other day that I maintain (i.e. keep slashed) the inter-rows of the far paddock for access. The rows themselves I leave fallow until I'm ready to plant them out. The w**ds there compete between themselves for ascendency, the large majority being sensitive w**d, Cinderella w**d, Billy goat w**d and a few grasses.

These seem to have reached an equilibrium with each other and they serve multiple benefits until it's time to reveg:
- they provide soil cover, preventing erosion
- they suppress the growth of other w**ds
- they provide habitat, shelter and food for some insects, birds and animals
- sensitive w**d is a legume so adds nitrogen to the soil
- by not needing to control them (yet), they're saving me time and herbicide costs, while contributing to soil health

All this raises the question why not just leave them there permanently ? The answer is, the rainforest that is going to replace them eventually will provide all of the above, plus so much more.

In the meantime though, the odd more serious w**d does pop up occasionally. These I hand pull where possible or treat on the spot.

By more serious w**ds I mean they're harder to kill and/or have a greater propensity for spread. These are typically sickle pod, Sida spp, wild guava, a fleabane, possibly Canadian fleabane, Giant sensitive plant and the occasional Siam w**d.

When it comes to w**ds, there's no more apt adage than the stitch in time, saving nine. Except it's probably more like ninety nine !

04/05/2026

I spent around 3 hours today hand pulling w**ds out from around 130+ recent plantings. Main w**ds are Cinderella w**d (Synedrella nodiflora), Billygoat w**d (Ageratum spp), sensitive w**d (Mimosa pudica), plus a few grasses.

It's a tedious job but necessary. Next step is to spray the remaining w**ds. In order to kill both grasses and broadleaf w**ds, and in particular the sensitive w**d, I'll combine glyphosate with a triclopyr and picloram mix. Might even add some metsulphuron methyl for a pre emergent effect on the seed bank. Will need to be careful to keep distance from the plantings though as the latter two can move through the soil and impact the roots.

Mucked out the chook pen today and replaced with fresh straw. Some goes into the compost bin, the rest into a raised gar...
04/05/2026

Mucked out the chook pen today and replaced with fresh straw. Some goes into the compost bin, the rest into a raised garden bed that's currently fallow. A square shovel is essential to get in to the corners easily and scrape backwards.

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Utchee Creek Road
Utchee Creek, QLD
4871

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