Hello from Australia

Hi everyone - I'm originally a Mirfield lass, now living in the subtropics of Queensland. I found your site via the YP article, and love the whole concept.

I have three hens (called chooks here), and grow vegetables, fruit trees and herbs, some herbs such as aloe vera for medicinal purposes.

We are in severe drought here, and suffer greatly from the effects of climate change, which is why many of us are getting into organic gardening for food, water conservation, and permaculture. I'm a novice, but we already eat a lot of what we grow. I've tried a bit of guerrilla gardening, planting spare seedlings I've grown in waste land, but could not sustain it without rainfall. I re-use much of the kitchen and shower water in the garden - can't afford a grey water system so I use buckets. I'm saving up for a 5000 litre rain water tank.

I've just started writing a book on surviving hard times, and maintaining health by gardening, clever (local) shopping, and cooking good, uncomplicated meals from the garden produce, and/or basic unprocessed foods. Too many foods here contain unwanted additives. I don't intend to profit from the book, I just want to share what I'm learning.

Mum taught me an awful lot of things which we need nowadays. Wartime slogans such as 'make do and mend' and 'dig for Britain' are all relevant again, though they come under new headings such as recycling, sustainable development, and even, if you'll forgive me, 'Todgrow!!!

Of course, much of my veggie growing knowledge is not relevant in Yorkshire, and a lot of Yorkshire stuff won't work here. For instance, I've tried and tried again to grow rhubarb; it grew like weeds in Dad's Mirfield garden, but here - not a chance!! I have to make do with mangoes, paw paws and passion fruit. Poor me.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hello, and to promise to try to spread your ideas here at the other side of the world.

Joan

Hello Joan and very to our garden, how wonderful that you found us.
It sounds as though you are already doing some of the things we are striving towards.
Do please keep us posted on your progress and join in and share information.
Shame about the rhubarb, as you say it grows like crazy here, I am partial to passion fruit as well though .
Do please keep posting and feel fee to make a personal album in the gallery to show off what you are growing.

Hi Joan this is great an friend all the way over in OZ doing the same thing and finds us, how brilliant is that?

Thanks for the welcome folks....I look forward to sharing ideas.


There is quite an interesting forum here:-
http://forums.permaculture.org.au/index.php

As it is a forum that covers the whole of Australia, it also deals with temperate climate gardening.

We have a lovely Lancashire gardener in Tasmania, Peter Cundall. He's in his eighties, fit as a fiddle, and broadcasts on ABC TV (our BBC) in his broad Manchester accent. He advocates much of what you advocate, and swears by eating home-grown produce, and the health benefits of physically gardening: hoeing and digging etc is great exercise. He reckons he hasn't been ill since 1951, when he fell ill in action in Korea!

That is great the site is very interesting I think I may join and see if we can get an ideas exchange going on.

to our garden nazar, take a look around and tell us a little about yourself, are you growing anything at the moment?

welcome