Growing native Mountain Pepper

Tino spices it up and heads an hour south of Hobart to explore a farm cultivating a Tasmanian berry that really packs a punch.
The Tasmanian Pepper or Mountain Pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata) occurs naturally in the cool, temperate highland forests and shrublands across south-eastern Australia. Although this plant has been used by Tasmanian and mainland Indigenous people for thousands of years the rest of the world is only just cottoning onto their unique flavour. The leaves have a strong, earthy and spicy flavour whereas the berries are often sweet at first taste and transition into a complex fiery flavour.
We are at the farm of former horticultural researcher Dr Chris Read. The coastal property in Birch’s Bay is home to an eclectic mix of horticultural enterprises. The 100 - hectare property includes a productive community garden, a market garden growing seasonal produce for the onsite cafe, a 1.2km long public sculpture trail and forest walk, a newly established vineyard, a Dutch Iris farm, a potato farm and a Mountain Pepper orchard!
Chris became interested in growing the plant in the early 1990’s while researching the leaves for essential oil extraction. “There was a very small interest from a handful of restaurants in 1993 but there was no industry as such.”
Chris has spent a lot of time traipsing in the country side checking out wild native pepper trees. Because they are dioecious, meaning they have separate male & female plants, all pollination must occur from a different individual. This means they are all genetic hybrids, which can result in a huge range of traits.
He looks for individuals with high quality fruit, high yields, resistance to temperature variations and disease immunity, and collects propagating material from them. Testing these wild varieties, Chris has narrowed his orchard down to half a dozen ‘varieties’ planted into an experimental orchard. The traits he has selected for include:
• EASY PICKING - He has selected for easy picking, plants an upright form and moderately reliable fruiting, with the fruit clustered on the end of the stems.
• HEAT TOLERANCE - Another row has demonstrated heat tolerance, but the berries are distributed up and down the stems that makes it hard to pick!
• LOTS OF FRUIT - He has a variety that produces a huge amount of fruit every year but because of this is a very slow grower. Dedicates a huge amount of energy to fruit production. Squat plant with a very different form. Covered in easy to pick berries.
HOW TO DO IT AT HOME?
This Aussie berry makes a great local alternative to black pepper (Piper nigrum) which is native to southwest India. They are frost hardy so great for cooler climates, and Chris has a few tips for anyone wanting to try growing them at home.
PLANTING NATIVE PEPPER
• They like a cool spot protected from winds - shelter from warm summer winds and afternoon sun
• They don’t like wet feet so make sure the soil has good drainage or mound it up.
• They like fertile soil so add compost
• They are drought sensitive so if you aren’t in a high rainfall area make sure to water them over summer
• They are not great competitors so weed control is essential. Chris recommends hand weeding before planting and mulch after.
• They are hungry, so give them a regular feed in spring
• If you’re growing for the berries plant a male and female next to each other - remember they require both to set fruit!
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[@liquidbrickle]

Absolutely brilliant, going to try and get some for my garden! Love the native content!

[@GardeningAustralia]

Let us know how you go!