kieranblakewriter

My garden is my teacher.

It will teach me lessons about gardening, permacultural farming techniques and growing fresh organic food.

It will also teach me about life and about myself, because effective organic farming requires dedication, perseverance, creativity, flexibility and patience.

Where is the garden?

The garden is at the back of a rental property on the south coast of New South Wales, about 2 hours south of Sydney, Australia.

The garden was very overgrown and full of weeds when I moved in at the beginning of August 2017, despite a dry winter in this part of the world.  The photo above was taken after the garden’s first haircut.

The garden attracts a lot of sun for most of the day, especially the section nearer the house, and it is overhung by large trees towards the back fence.

The climate is temperate with cold mornings and evenings during winter. The soil is generally fertile and this region has long been famous for dairy farming and viticulture, although the neglect and the dry winter have taken some of the goodness out of the soil in this garden.

The area is also famous for beaches surfing, which is great after a day of hard yakka in the garden.

What will be grown?

Food and some ornamental plants.

I will start with simple foods, such as cherry tomatoes, varieties of lettuce, pumpkin, potato and others.

The majority of foods will be fruit and vegetables but I would like to grow food which can comprise the substance of a meal, such as potatoes and corn, so that I can eat as much as possible from my own garden. The ultimate goal, one day, is to eat primarily what I have grown myself; one day.

Why grow organic food?

It tastes great, it’s healthy and it’s better for the natural environment, plus it’s cheaper (and Australia is very expensive these days).

Growing fresh organic food at home (or close to home) is also an effective way of ensuring the nutritional value of food at a time when more adjustments are being made to our basic food stuffs.

So, stay tuned for updates and trials during the journey of this garden.