After months of sloth resulting from a self-imposed hibernation (read: ‘no exercise’) after uni graduation, and overindulgence in all things comfort food related, it finally seemed appropriate welcome spring by getting out in the garden of my green to the extreme house (we have 100% natural power and compost all food scraps – we draw the line at removing the staples from tea bags).
Trawling through internet forums and staring blankly at my most recent obsession (Facebook), I came across the following quote from an ardent blogger/gardener/relic of the late 60’s, which only provided further inspiration:
‘The best part of being a gardener is it connects you to the Earth. It connects you with nature, and is spiritually enriching. Try giving your plants energy by beaming good thoughts and energy at them every time you visit them. I find this helps me as much as it helps them; my plants seem to respond to it favourably’ – Ray.
While I don’t discount the therapeutic nature of gardening, I have also discovered that being environmentally friendly can be expensive. At my eco-lovin’ house, there is ‘Planet Ark’ laundry detergent, ‘Earth’ dishwashing liquid, ‘Vitasoy’, and organic tea. However, some eco-measures prove to be rather cost effective. However, being green doesn’t always require buying a pricey, ‘packaged in recycle paper’ label. In fact, with a little thought and effort, you can have your own veggie garden and cut costs.
For instance, using our food scraps to make compost not only reduces landfill, it provides a never-ending supply of fertiliser, though so far all that fertiliser has yielded is a backyard forest of nasturtiums and geraniums, with token basil and parsley plants lurking off to the side. But with spring settling in, the time has come to set up for endless tomatoes in the summer.
Before we can harvest the veggies though, we have to conquer those garden pests. No matter how well you think you have protected your broccoli/cucumbers/watermelons, some insect always manages to hamper your altruistic desires for self-sufficiency. For a green household, there are few chemical-free options for dissuading those rampant feeders, and organic pesticides are ridiculously pricey.
The solution: create a balanced ecosystem and let nature control the pests. Planting natives, such as bottlebrushes, banksias and grevilleas, attracts birds, while mixing vegetables with daisies and marigolds attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies and ladybirds.
Of course, the whole point of a veggie garden is to be able to put it to use. And so after wandering home with a couple of scotch fillets from Mondo Markets in Inglewood – out the back of Mondo’s Butchers on Saturday mornings – I attempted to make a salad to celebrate the joys of organic produce – however the nasturtium content from my current garden stock made it all a little too flowery and tasteless. Pondering how to create an eco and gastronomically friendly backyard nirvana, I went searching for inspiration close to home….
Following my rather productive Sunday veggie raid on my venerable Italian neighbour’s garden, I reflected on some of the conversation. While hampered by some broken English – and my complete incompetence at Italian – I did manage to gain the secret to her luscious lettuces, ‘Always talk to the plants. They’re happy you speak to them.’
Back in my rather dejected yard, I lay out the first coat of compost and have a chat to my summer radishes. Perhaps Ray was on to something after all…
