The Canberra garden with 31 tomato varieties: Michael Radovanovic's kitchen garden

When working in the Canberra hair scene between 2005-2009, Jelena Radovanovic would tell me about her father, Michael's, vegetable garden in Belconnen, as she cut my hair. Since then, Jelena has married Peter Harrington, co-owner of Sage Dining Rooms and Akiba, and she now works at the Australian National University. So Pete contacted Food & Wine at The Canberra Times to suggest I visit "the ultimate backyard produce garden which is a great example of urban farming and its relationship to local restaurants, in this case, Sage."

Michael Radovanovic came to Australia in 1976 but returned to Serbia to marry Sue, in their country town 100km from Belgrade. Both their families were self-sustained by mixed farming with wheat, corn, peas and beans and large vegetable gardens. Fruit and vegetables were eaten according to the season but produce was preserved in autumn to last through the long, cold winters.

Michael and Sue Radovanovic have lived in Evatt since 1982. Their back garden is like a stage set with neat rows of capsicums, each of the 100 plants staked, and 31 varieties of heirloom tomatoes planted in the ground or individually grown in 35 litre GCP bags, purchased online. The entire area is fenced, entered by a gate, and covered with shade cloth which protects the plants from sun scorch and also from recent hail storms.

The Canberra Times photographer, and Michael and I lost each other as we explored this edible jungle getting down to ground level to read labels and examine fruit. Most of the heirloom tomatoes are from Diggers including the heavily ribbed Granny's Throwing tomato (Coeur de Boeuf​) featured in a cartoon by Michael Leunig​, salad tomatoes Jaune Flamme​ and Green Zebra, slicing tomatoes Black Krim​, Ananas Noire and beefsteak Brandywine Pink, cherry tomatoes Beam's Yellow pear, Violet Jasper and Black Plum, saucing and cooking tomatoes Amish Paste, Hungarian Heart, meaty old Italian Costoluto Genovese​ and pear-shaped Periforme Abruzzese​.

There are tomatoes for which seed was only available to members of Diggers, Artisan mix which includes Pink Bumble Bee, Black Cherry and antioxidant rich Red and Black (so special there are only five seeds to a packet). The intriguing Reisetomate​ is known in Germany as "the traveller" because the fruit is fused together like a bunch of grapes which can be broken off and eaten as they ripen. Produce is shared with Jelena and Peter and surplus is used in the Sage kitchen.

A Serbian heirloom tomato from neighbours weighs up to 1.2kgs when mature alongside Cherokee Purple and Indigo Rose, a tomato created in 2012 at Oregon State University for its anthocyanin punch. A Macedonian man gave Michael capsicums which are dark green with thick meaty flesh like bell peppers. Red peppers are turned into Ajvar, a sweet, tangy, smoky relish to serve as a dip with Turkish bread and Delfi or Dodoni feta, with grilled meat or as a marinade for fish or meat.

In a sunny corner is a triangular herb garden with borage, oregano, marjoram, tarragon, rosemary, garlic chives, curly parsley, Vietnamese mint, golden oregano, sage and a fig tree surrounded by flowers. A big silver tank, formerly a washing machine for pots with extra holes drilled in the bottom is filled with plants, including the scarlet hottest chilli in the world, the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T. Michael grows the mild Long John Cayenne and white fleshed banana sweet pepper. Wasabi lettuce, purchased at Bunnings in spring, bolted to seed which will be planted in autumn.

Behind the capsicum jungle are plantings of zucchini, rainbow chard, corn and blackberries along the back fence which Sue uses to make a wonderful fruity blackberry jam. Some of the vigorous crop is frozen for later use and mixed with wild blackberries collected on a property in the Bywong district.

All the plants are given Seasol fortnightly and there is a compost heap. Every couple of years four cubic metres of old cow manure from Sand & Gravel at Belconnen is tipped onto beds and the garden is left to rest for winter. The manure is spread by rotary hoe and turned in if the weather is not wet. Michael only grows garlic in winter but every few years he raises a green manure crop of field peas to enrich the soil. He practices crop rotation.

Sue's Serbian Ajvar

Roast capsicums on a barbecue or over a wood fire, peel the skins, drain them for one hour to remove moisture, add a bit of salt to taste and garlic then mince through a food processor or using a stick blender. Make a tomato puree or sauce: boil any variety of tomatoes, skin them and remove seeds, rub through a sieve. Add the tomato sauce to the capsicum sauce, add one cup of olive oil, and cook over a gas burner for up to an hour, stirring all the time so the relish does not stick (it spits so beware of burns). Add a bit of white vinegar and salt to taste.

- SUSAN PARSONS.