The Guyra resident has been growing organic produce from his backyard for the past two years.

And now he wants to go even bigger.

But he’s not completely new to the business.

“I’ve been selling bait worms to fishermen for 10 years and I guess it sort of took off from there,” he said.

It’s not just Greg who is interested in backyard produce.

Greg’s mother Meg has been making tomato and onion relishes for decades.

“It’s her great-grandmother’s recipe and she’s not too keen to tell anyone,” he said.

“A lot of people have asked her but she never tells.

“She’s always been doing it and I always go for the big bottles in the cupboard and spread it on toast.

“Dad always had a veggie garden too.”

Greg currently has four hot houses where he grows tomatoes, silver beet and beans. 

And in his back paddock, hundreds of rows of potatoes are nearing harvest. 

But growing organic produce isn’t easy.

“I had plastic [over the hot houses] for the first year but it only lasted 12 months and I had to re-plastic it all,” he said.

“Then we had a couple of white igloos a few years ago but nothing was growing in them.

“You’ve also got to have something you can keep re-picking in the hot houses.

“Onions you only get one pick so you need to be growing beans or things that keep reproducing.”

Winter can also be tough in Guyra – especially on plants and produce.

“Frost can kill things in winter time but this year we’re going to try putting shade cloth over the top of the hot houses to keep the frost off,” he said.

But the born and bred Guyra resident is used to cold winters.

“I’ve lived here all my life,” he said.

“I was about the last kid born in the hospital here before they started sending them down to hospital.

“But I’ve lived in a few different places as well ... I’ve been to Darwin.”

Greg said he also recently visited Super Strawberry owner Cecily Tarrant who opened up to him about her successful business in Glen Innes.

“She was really helpful and showed me how it all worked there,” he said.

“But really I’m still learning all the time … I just thought ‘why not put a couple of hot houses up and see what happens?’.

You can find Greg’s produce at Full of Goodness in Armidale or at the Guyra Emporium.