Angelo Pinna from Wamuran Berries uses polytunnels to trick his precious plants into thinking that it’s always a sunny summer day. A polytunnel or hoop greenhouse allows the interior to heat up with incoming solar radiation, heating the plants and soil faster than the heat can escape the structure. Angelo is growing raspberries, dragon fruit and now figs in his polytunnels all year round. Raspberries are set for harvesting at the end of September or early October and dragon fruit during October, but using his polytunnels Angelo is already shipping his produce to the Nundah Farmers Markets, Red Hill Farmers Markets and Carseldine Farmers and Artisan Market.
With his strawberries, Angelo is using a new outdoor variety that extends the season by approximately ten weeks either side, so Wamuran Berries’ strawberries are likely to still be on market stall tables in November and beyond. Passionate about his fruit, Angelo will also bring the fruits of his neighbouring farms’ labour to his market stall including mangoes, lychees and cherries as the seasons permit.