A Day at Duck Duck Pig — Truffles, Proteas & Honest Farming
Mr G’s Lane and I recently had the absolute pleasure of taking a private tour of a stunning farm owned by our new friends at Duck Duck Pig — a beautiful truffle and protea property nestled in the rolling hills of Glenmore, Victoria, Australia.
Just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne and a short trip from the charming town of Bacchus Marsh, this farm is a slice of rural paradise. The immediate landscape is dotted with rows of flowering proteas and oak trees hiding the treasures beneath — fragrant truffles, sniffed out by the adorable truffle dog, Gravy. Oh those doggie eyes are just so adorable.
One of the things we loved most was how open and down-to-earth Sam and the team were. As Sam said — they’re not claiming to be experts, just passionate people giving it their all. And honestly, that resonated with us. Passion, after all, often beats perfection.
Success on the farm hasn’t come easy. There have been plenty of failures and tough lessons along the way — but that’s farming, isn’t it? Sam emphasized the importance of keeping good records, and we couldn't agree more. Beyond simply tracking which plants didn’t make it, good records tell a story — of what’s been tried, what hasn’t worked, and when it’s time to move on. They also give you valuable insights into flowering times in your specific area, and help you monitor how your plants are progressing year to year. Whether it’s identifying patterns, improving harvest timing, or learning from past mistakes, a notebook full of scribbles can become one of your most powerful tools.
We chatted about flower cutting techniques and how stem length can be make-or-break when it comes to what florists are looking for. Longer, straighter stems are often preferred for professional arrangements, but the shorter ones are far from wasted. They’re perfect for jar posies and smaller, rustic-style bouquets — something Sam, Nikki, and Toni have really embraced. They sell a beautiful range of both at their farm gate stall, offering everything from compact posies to stunning arrangements with florist-quality stems. It's a great example of making the most of every cut and meeting a variety of customer preferences.
It was also reassuring to hear about their approach to plant size and maintenance. Some of our older proteas here at G’s Lane are on the larger side too, but with consistent pruning, we’re hopeful we can bring them down to a more manageable picking height while increasing our flower yield over time and stem length.
One of my biggest ongoing questions has been around watering practices — and I’ll admit, I’ve often second-guessed myself. But talking with Sam brought a bit of peace of mind. Like us, Duck Duck Pig doesn’t rely heavily on irrigation. At G’s Lane, we water new plants once a week for the first 12–16 weeks, then move to once a fortnight for a few months to get them through their first summer. After that, it’s once a month, and eventually, they’re left to grow with just what nature provides — as the next generation of baby plants takes their place.
It’s easy to feel uncertain when you see other farms with irrigation lines running to every plant, but it’s comforting to know we’re not alone in our more natural approach. As Sam mentioned — they barely use theirs either.
This visit was more than just a tour. It was a chance to share stories, laugh, and connect with people who are walking a similar path (but a quite a few steps ahead of us) — learning, adapting, and growing something special.
We left feeling inspired and a little more confident in our own journey. After all, farming is as much about community and conversation as it is about soil and sun. Reading and research have their place — and they’re valuable — but there’s also a lot of misleading or irrelevant information out there that you need to sort through. Sometimes, nothing beats simply talking to people who are out there doing the work, learning as they go, and generously sharing what they’ve discovered.
"As Sam wisely put it, “If it doesn’t feel right to you, don’t do it — and sometimes, plants just die.” It’s simple advice, but one that really stuck with us. Trust your instincts, learn from what doesn’t work, and keep going."
