Some food plants in my garden - late September

My peas look gorgeous in this container -
the white flowers which will soon produce peas
are most satisfying

I have quite a few broad bean plants in the ground

This mint - the plain old mint - is in a pot.
But I also have some in the ground in a place
where I hope it takes over and chases the weeds away.
Ditto for some After Dinner Mint.

Sustainable Gardening Australia - possibilities when communities grow their own food - urban agriculture

Sustainable Gardening Australia 

invites you to join an informal gathering where participants will engage in discussion regarding:

What are the possibilities when modern communities

grow more of their own food?

 The evening will conclude with questions 

addressed by a panel including: 

Natasha Kuperman (Founder of My Home Harvest)

Cam Walker (Friends of the Earth)

Peter Huff (Urban Agriculture Facilitator, City of Yarra)

When:

Monday June 17^th 2013 from 7:00-9:00 pm

Where:

Function Room, The Courthouse Hotel, 615 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

Transport:  

Tram, Train (Anstey Station), 

Car (Sydney Rd meter free after 6pm)

You can purchase meals and drinks at The Courthouse 

and there are lots of great eateries on Sydney Road.

  

To Register for this event go to:http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=50481

Places for this free event are limited so book early, 

and please let us know if you are then unable to attend 

so we can give someone else your place. 

A kindred spirit: Vegetable Vagabond

Tucker Lovers, isn't it a lovely feeling when we meet a kindred spirit - someone whom you want to ask home to play, have a cuppa, pull up a chair for a chat.  Thanks to my dear friend Belinda, of Belinda's Place, I have discovered Kate living at Cygnet, in Tasmania.  Her most recent post is called A Brief History of the World - and it is brilliant. Of course, Miss Eagle is a sucker for anyone who loves and lives community and works at it - as clearly Kate does as her blog links attest.  So please pop over and say hello and say that Miss Eagle sent you.

Heritage, Food and the Future

Picture from here

Isn't this the most gorgeous vegie patch you ever did see?

I love to wander over to Casaubon's Book, the blog belonging to Sharon Astyk.  She has fled the farm and is off to this vegie patch at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello to do something useful -  like low-energy food preservation, complete with tastings.  She will also be speaking about Jefferson's idea of a nation of farmers under the title of A Nation of Farmers: coming home to our land.  Here follows an abstract of her talk.  Her abstract and that of others can be found here.

Our present agricultural system depends on heavy inputs of increasingly expensive and scarce fossil fuels, and is exacerbating our current world food crisis. It warms the planet and depletes soil and water and contributes to every major problem we face. Meanwhile, 100 million people have joined the starving and one in every 10 Americans requires food stamps to sustain them. But that doesn’t have to be the case – agriculture could help us regenerate our society. We explore the possibility – and urgent necessity of creating a truly sustainable food system.

Now I'm sure the patch is not maintained by part-time gardeners.  It displays investment of labour, knowledge and dollars.  In many ways, it is a garden that is not easily replicated.

 And I have to confess.

I love the lushness of the jumble of things growing together -

be it ever such a humble and ill-informed project.

Grow your own heirlooms, organically and simply - with Belinda's help

I first posted the words and picture below nearly six weeks ago. I decided to do a 'reprint' because Belinda has to-day done a marvellous post on Community Supported Agriculture. Community Supported Agriculture in the form of 'food in boxes' operates in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne.  In addition to these links, The Organic Food Directory tries to cover a fair bit of Australia.  Now I am certain to have omitted other 'food in boxes' schemes and organisations - so please email me at misseaglesnetwork(at)gmail(dot)com if you want to get linked from this blog.

What Belinda is writing so refreshingly of is how extensive the Community Supported Agriculture project can be. She says that "every single product traditionally sold at a farm gate or farmers market has the potential for adaptation to a Community Supported Agriculture model."  

Certainly, Belinda is working her darnedest to carve out her own niche within this growing economy - as you will see below.

That friend of mine Belinda from Belinda's Place is something.  This organised, organising, methodical woman  is in the category of Urban Homesteader.  She does it all from the Mud Palace at Ferny Creek in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia.  You can follow her doings and don't-ings in the aforesaid blog.  So for all you need to know, the contact details are above.  For the rest follow her on her blog.

Permaculture Revolution Design Course at Magpie House, Upwey, Victoria

Belinda and Andrew came to visit on Sunday afternoon.

They brought gifts - a tomato plant and a tomatillo.

How prescient were they!

Because of the move to Home Beautiful, did not have either of these.

There is little space in the garden at HB. It is almost all spoken for.

But dear B and A,

they have been planted in the furthest corner of The Secret Garden.

They have been watered and Charlie Carp'd.

And they brought this book below.

I had never heard of Transition Towns until recently.

Now with Carol, Belinda, and The Book

just maybe I'll become an armchair expert!

Permaculture in Castlemaine

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing

On 28 November, I was in Castlemaine. I was there for a meeting on water organised by Carol McDonough who provided me with the Cook's Tour prior to the meeting.

Part of the tour was to the headquarters of the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group (MASG).  Mount Alexander is the name of the shire of which Castlemaine is part.  The album above is of the marvellous permaculture garden that is part of MASG's historic premises.  Thank you Carol for a marvellous day.

The Sustainable Renter

This is my galvanised iron washtub full of oregano.

Oregano has been growing in this tub - outdoors in Melbourne - for four years.

Winter sees it die back somewhat but it comes to life in Spring.

This year it went to seed.  I cut it back to the dirt.

And it has come back beautifully to this.

This houshold of next-of-kin independent adults are renters. We have just moved house from one rented property to another. I am into growing my own herbs and vegetables and when moving into an established garden which is all roses and camellias everywhere there are difficulties.

What's the solution? Pots, pots and more pots. We were in situ in our previous property for four years and half-way through that time I decided I would dig up some ground for the stuff that was not best in pots - the broad beans, the silver beet, the cabbages, the caulies and the pumpkin. But we have had to move house in spring and leave much behind - but some has been able to come with me. All the herbs - and some vegies: leeks, schallots, choko, kipfler potatoes - because it was all in pots.

Back in spring I also revitalised my hanging baskets - renewing, replacing and adding pansies, petunias, and alyssum - which was a good idea because the courtyard at the back of the new house as well as the front verandah are just the thing for hanging baskets.

So it is quite clear that thoughtful and determined renters can grow food and flowers - and take them when they go. Water is a major consideration and a lot of the water saving and harvesting methods used by those who own their own homes are not so available to renters. However, help is on the way from the people of Sustainable Gardening Australia. They have published a whole section on water in The Renters Guide to Sustainable Gardening.

Thanks SGA for leading the way.

Now if the Victorian Government made tanks compulsory -

renters could save even more water.

Gardening at Home Beautiful 1

Home Beautiful

(click to enlarge and see more detail)

Here is Home Beautiful. Unlike The Trad Pad, HB comes complete with gardener. At least that is what the real estate agent said. Not untrue - but, when reality arrived, it turned out that the gardener is the mother of the owner who is overseas.

The garden is spoken for - for the most part - except that we are responsible for turning on the watering system. Even signed a clause on the lease owning up to this onerous responsibility. The garden only has a fig tree, a lemon tree, and a nectarine tree in the way of food plants. Not really any space for veges - but, aside from my herbs, I did bring some in pots (kipfler potatoes, leeks, shallots) leaving behind broadbeans, cauliflowers, beetroot, and sugarloaf cabbages.

The back yard is paved and, such garden as there is, is mostly spoken for. There is a small area that is unplanted and I have placed a miscellany of pots there including Herself's succulent collection.

When the plants were unloaded in the removal, the wheelbarrows were placed on the footpath for the time being - but we loved the cottage-y look with the gum tree so left them there. I have added other herbs and plants plus the red toadstool with Aboriginal dot-style frogs and the cute little gnome.

Now Herself thinks I have gone too far and that all this shows that The Mad People live here. She promises to sort it out herself. We shall see what happens.

For me, I hope to get to know the neighbours well enough to ask them to bring their scissors and help themselves - my very own Community Garden on my doorstep!

In the Winter Garden

I want to take you for a wander through my Winter Garden.

It is a garden of small patches; nooks and crannies;

odd spots and plants in pots.

I am amazed because I haven't gardened in winter before.

I usually hide indoors.

But there are bits and pieces that have survived,

there have been things to be tended,

and there are things that keep on keeping on.

This is the rosemary bush which is really a small tree.

It is blooming profusely and somewhere in there are bees

busy doing what bees do.

But just as there are plants in bloom,

there are others that are dormant.

The fruit trees have been pruned and

now the prunings have to be managed and disposed of.

In Melbourne, we get our rain in winter.

And we have been getting plenty.

The last week however has been like spring - and it's July! The Broad Beans are growing so they are now much higher than in this photo.

The curly parsley was planted last summer and just keeps on.

And this silver beet is huge and spectacular and quite an ornament -

so I haven't touched a leaf!

There are others though which I have used -

and fresh leaves keep coming.

The flat-leaved Italian parsley is branching and spreading.

And the lemons are productive -

and the possums have a taste and leave a half-eaten lemon on the tree

This is the golden marjoram - a relative of the oregano

which I have growing everywhere.

This one below is in a pot but rooted into the ground

right near this lot of garlic

The capsicums of summer struggle

near the wild violets

And this sweet little sugar loaf cabbage is setting a heart

This beetroot is the only survivor planted in summer in a spot that was too shady.

Rocket regrowth.

What we didn't eat or give away was left to bolt and self-seed.

Now we have a winter crop of young greens.

The sage always looks sad in winter but survives. These plants are three seasons old and will come back beautifully.

Lemon balm in a barrow

The Lemon Thyme braves the winter elements (above)

while the common Thyme (below) is undercover.

And FootFoot eyes off the nasturtiums.

Almost no flowers but the leaves are the size of saucers.

So with all this, more seeds have been ordered

as The Trad Pad prepares for Spring.

Tony Burke, we know more than you think about food

Dear Reader, I don't think they get it yet. I don't think the Prime Minister gets it. I don't think the farmers and their organisations get it. And it has become patently obvious that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Tony Burke, certainly doesn't get it.

What don't they get? They do not understand, do not comprehend the interest ordinary, everyday Australians are taking in their food - its nutrition value, the way it is grown, who are the people who grow it, the impact of climate change upon it, and the impact of major domestic and international corporations on it.

It seems to me that the Australian government sees only major corporate entities: the farmers, their organisations; food distributors and manufacturers and their organisations; agribusiness and its organisations. Then their is that strange entity called "the consumer".

Now "the consumer" does not hold weighty conferences attended by all those listed in the previous paragraph plus agricultural researchers and economists. But, last time I looked, the consumer still had a brain, was still a sentient being, and is capable of making reasonable and clear decisions.

We see farmers organisations and their supporters drumming up the so-called "city/country divide". What is not recognised is the large numbers of Australians - who qualify only for the title of consumer - who have moved to the country to establish their own small holdings; who have built relationships with farmers - particularly through Farmers Markets; who are concerned with ethical eating and who are so supportive of the agricultural enterprise that they support drought appeals and angst together with rural residents over the mental health of the farming community.

Australia, with its mild climate across most of the continent, has always been home to keen growers of edible gardens. And most of these gardeners are trying to be organic. Many of them are keen students of permaculture and biodynamics. Lots of them could imagine puttingMonsanto and Dupont on trial for agricultural and economic terrorism but instead support seed savers groups and heritage varieties of fruits and vegetables. They are learning not to damage Australia's fragile soils with excessive tilling and their no-dig gardens are multiplying day by day. Primary Schools are teaching children about food from seed to souffle in their own kitchens and kitchen gardens - often aided and abetted by celebrity chefs.

The Minister seems to be entirely ignorant of this movement that votes with its green and dirty thumbs. Why else would he have come out with these statements? (Please take time to read the comments!) ABARE Outlook 2008 has been on in Canberra. The Minister made his views clear in a doorstop interview there:

REPORTER:

[Inaudible] campaigns against food miles, etc. Are you going to invest in advertising or is this something that you’re making comment about?

BURKE: Certainly, with respect to the animal welfare campaigns, there’s been ongoing investment – and I referred to some of it today – in trying to make sure that we are not just at world’s best practice, but leading world’s best practice in overseas abattoirs and the destination points of some of our live exports.

With respect to food miles, I think we have to take, as I’ve said today, every opportunity to let people know and to let the consumers, both in Australia and internationally know – and I took the advantage today when we had international press here – to make it clear that food miles is a system deliberately designed to deceive. It does not provide quality consumer information and preys on the fact that a lot of consumers – and good on them – want to make sure that they’re doing their bit in trying to reduce carbon emissions.

The problem with food miles is that it takes one tiny [inaudible] of an equation and that’s their entire answer.

So clearly the Minister has a limited understanding of the concept of "food miles": of being near enough to your food to shake hands with the farmer; of caring about freshness and nutrition and value-for-money goodness; and of cruelty free animal lives.

Miss Eagle's solution to these sort of things is - organise. After all, that is what the major corporations and their hangers-on have done. But Miss Eagle looks around and sees organisation: the organisations devoted to permaculture and biodynamics and organics; the increase in retail outlets distributing these types of food products; the countless books, blogs, journals and websites promoting the good, simple, healthy and sustainable life.

Such a mind-set takes one beyond the suburban picket fence mentality and the four walls of a boxy apartment. It takes one into a wider world where nature is valued, treasured, and studied with a view to greater understanding.

Perhaps one day this understanding will reach as far as the board table in the Cabinet Room of Federal Parliament (who will water a Prime Minister's and Minister's edible garden?) and find a forum at ABARE.

Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry

Minister's Web Site

The Hon Tony Burke MP Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

PO Box 6022

House of Representatives

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600

Tel: (02) 6277 7520 Fax: (02) 6273 4120

Email: Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au

Permaculture - the way to go

Cabin in Lee's Harmony Garden, Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria

I want to take you for a stroll through the Harmony Gardon of my friend Lee here in Upper Gully. It seems timely. My long-time blogging friend from San Diego, California, Woofnanny has left a comment on my previous post. She is about to start her first garden! Her very first! Isn't that exciting? You can see my comments in reply. Lee is a believer in permaculture as am I. But Lee is a qualified permaculture designer - whereas my knowledge is picked up from Permaculture 1 and 2, hearing Bill Mollison speak in the long, long ago, and visiting various websites - not least of which is David Holmgren's.

Lee's garden is on a suburban block not far off the highway as you travel up into the Dandeong Ranges.

She has a large backyard - a few times bigger than mine.

Her front and backyards are intensively planted - and even her footpath has a garden.

Lee's garden is eclectic and highly individual - and, in some ways, quirky. She is generous in showing her garden to the public and has raised a lot of money for charity. Ran into her the other day taking some plants home to put in the boot! Lee has two laundry tubs (short that sit in a cabinet in the laundry) full of worms! Sam (above) walking the plank. So Woofnanny - I hope you have as much fun as Lee and I do, each of us with ours. In a garden there is always change and always something to be done and something to be discovered.