Alstonville is about 10 kilometres up the hill from our farm, a 15 minute run from the Teven valley to the top of the plateau. We grow the tea tree, cut it, mulch it and cart it in our own truck. The load tipped on your driveway was standing in a paddock just down the road.
And the plateau grows serious gardens: camellias under old trees, clipped hedges, native borders, and macadamia orchards running out from the edge of town.
Red Soil Gardens on the Alstonville Plateau
Alstonville's red soil is krasnozem, weathered down from basalt and some of the most fertile ground in the country. It's why the Big Scrub rainforest stood here, why the macadamias and avocados followed, and why plateau gardens grow almost anything. It also grows weeds just as fast, bakes to a crust in summer, and splashes red mud over paths and pavers in a downpour.
At around 140 metres up, the plateau runs cooler than Ballina and catches upwards of 1,700 millimetres of rain a year, much of it in bursts. That suits the gardens the town is known for: camellias and azaleas in the older streets, grevilleas and lillypillies in native borders, and fruit trees on the rural blocks.
Why tea tree mulch suits Alstonville
Tea tree mulch is full of fine fibres that knit into a mat and stay put, and up here that matters. A storm that floats bark chips off a bed leaves tea tree right where you spread it. At 75mm deep it stops weeds, keeps the red soil moist instead of crusted, and stops the mud splash.
It suits what Alstonville grows too. At pH 6.0 to 6.6 your camellias and azaleas are happy, and it's low in nutrients, just what grevilleas and banksias want. A layer lasts 12 to 18 months. Keep it under 100mm and leave a 10 to 15cm gap around stems and trunks.
New to the product? Start with the mulch itself or the benefits guide.
Delivery to Alstonville
We tip the load where you want to work from: a driveway, a lawn edge, a sheet of ply beside the beds, or a paddock gateway. Tight gate, low branches or a steep drive? Tell us when you call. We've been getting trucks into awkward Northern Rivers blocks for more than 20 years.
Orders are by phone on 0402 294 776, seven days, 8:30am to 5pm. Have a rough idea of your bed sizes and access, and we'll sort the load size and a price on the call.
We also cover
- Wollongbar
- Tintenbar
- Cumbalum
- Dalwood
- Coraki
Alstonville delivery questions
Do you deliver tea tree mulch to Wollongbar and Tintenbar?
Yes. Wollongbar, Tintenbar, Cumbalum, Dalwood and Coraki are all on our regular runs, plus the rural blocks between them. The farm is at Teven, just below the plateau, so these are some of our shortest trips. Call 0402 294 776.
How much mulch do I need for a typical Alstonville garden?
Add up your beds in square metres. One cubic metre covers 13.3 square metres at the recommended 75mm depth, or 10 square metres at the 100mm maximum. So 40 square metres of beds needs about 3 cubic metres. We can do the sums on the phone.
Is tea tree mulch good for Alstonville's red soil?
Yes. Bare red soil crusts in the sun and splashes mud in heavy rain. A 75mm layer shades the surface, holds moisture and knits into a mat that stays put through plateau downpours. As it breaks down over 12 to 18 months it feeds the soil.
How much does mulch delivery to Alstonville cost?
Call us on 0402 294 776 for a price. It depends on how many cubic metres you need, and Alstonville is one of our shortest runs from the farm, which helps. Phones are on seven days, 8:30am to 5pm.
Not sure how much to order? The mulch calculator works it out in under a minute.
Mulch on its way to Alstonville
Talk to the people who grew it. We will work out how much you need, quote it delivered, and book the truck.
Mon to Sun, 8:30am to 5:00pm. Delivery only, across the Northern Rivers.