Quality Harvest at Kudla in South Australia aims for top shelf for herbs, greens

Growing herbs and vegetables with the smallest carbon footprints and fewest food miles makes dollars and sense for farmer Damien Manno.

Producing “green” greens – herbs and vegetables that give carbon footprints the boot and pump the brakes on food miles – is the ultimate aim of South Australian Damien Manno.

The 40-year-old winemaker turned award-winning horticulture producer, who runs the Quality Harvest business on 6ha at Kudla on the northeast fringe of Adelaide, is about as passionate a farmer as you could hope to find.

In the space of just five years he has guided the business from zero to hero, with his protected production area growing almost seven-fold from 300sq m to 20,000sq m, churning out about 20,000 bunches of basil and 15,000 bunches of Asian vegetables a week.

Quality Harvest operates seven days a week, 52 weeks a year and employs 12 staff.

As well as basil, it grows coriander, sage, tarragon and mint while Asian vegetables include bok choy and trials of gai larn.

Always seeking out new opportunities, Damien has also introduced a range of native herbs and greens. It was the result of significant research and development, in consultation with members of the Indigenous community, as he sought to marry the range – native thyme, sea parsley, river mint and native basil – with growing consumer demand.

He has also developed a Herbalicious basil brand that provides basil to consumers with root stock intact for improved quality and longer shelf life and is on the cusp of introducing a prepacked range of traditional and native herbs.

For his vision, Damien took out the prestigious Young Grower of the Year title at this year’s AusVeg national awards in Brisbane.

Damien Manno of Quality Harvest at Kudla in South Australia. Picture: AusVeg

GROW FOR IT

Damien grew up on a farm and vineyard on the Adelaide Plains north of the South Australian capital. He studied to be a winemaker and worked on the family vineyard, and others, before taking an interest in edible plants and “the different ways of farming” – including the use of hydroponics and protected cropping – about a decade ago.

“The main reason for establishing a hydroponic growing operation was to produce a cleaner, better product,” Damien said.

“As consumer awareness on food production is growing, we wanted to bring a product that has fewer pesticides than other practices and to farm with minimal impact on the environment.”

Quality Harvest was born about five years ago. The herbs and vegetables are grown under protected cropping. Currently there is about 10,000sq m of greenhouse production with a similar area under shadecloth.

“If we were field production we’d probably need 10 times the amount of area,” said Damien, adding that by maintaining the desired balance of nutrients, water and oxygen to the plant roots, plants grew faster, plant density could be increased with a faster turnaround, which in turn produced greater yields per square metre.

Damien said the cost of protected cropping was significant, but margins were manageable with consistent output, despite “the cost of everything going up”. Labour costs have soared, Damien said, with fertiliser almost quadrupling in price.

“At the end of the day we’ve just got to look at smarter ways to try and save the consumer money,” Damien said.

Damien Manno aims to grow herbs and vegetables with the smallest carbon footprints and fewest food miles. Picture: AusVeg

SEED FOR SPEED

Quality Harvest plants new crops every day. Seedlings are sourced from Choice Seedlings at Werombi, just west of Sydney, which Damien rates as the best seedling producer in the nation. At Kudla, the seedlings are planted into a nutrient film technique system.

Conditions in the greenhouse are automatically controlled with temperatures hovering around 25C during winter. There’s high-pressure fogging, shade screens and vents on the roof to control the climate during the warmer summer months.

Irrigation is also automatic, with all water derived from mains system and recycled.

No chemicals are used on weeds or crops with Damien instead opting for an integrated pest management approach with beneficial insects sourced from Bugs for Bugs at Mundubbera in Queensland, which provided natural solutions for caterpillars, mealy bugs, spider mites and thrips.

Damien said during winter it took about eight weeks for the herbs and vegetables to grow to an ideal 125-150g bunch and five weeks during summer.

The delicate nature of the produce means most of the harvest process – from picking to packing – is done manually. Damien said consistency of work – operating seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year – meant a consistent workforce. Culture, he said, was key to the success of the team.

“Everyone gets along, they know each other and they come and do their work and do it well,” he said.

Damien Manno is in the running for The Weekly Times Coles 2022 Farmer of the Year Awards. To nominate a great farmer, fill out the form below. To learn more aboout the Farmer of the Year Awards click here.