Garden

"If we were all in the garden, feeling the soil in our hands and feeling the connection to natures cycles we would not have our major environmental problems."

- Recently retired Gardening Australia Guru Peter Cundell

Magic places - connection to nature

Spike Milligan's children would write letters to the fairies and hide them in the garden and find replies the next morning. As children we hide, find dark places, climb, splash and dig tunnels in the garden. Babies love the movement of leaves in the wind and will follow a butterfly across the yard. This all adds to the connection we feel for nature, a connection that is very important for our understanding of the natural world and our place in it.

Gardens and Health 

Aside from being great exersize, gardening also has well understood mental health benefits.

‘People with access to nearby natural settings have been found to be healthier overall than other individuals. The longer-term, indirect impacts (of ‘nearby nature’) also include increased levels of satisfaction with one’s home, one’s job and with life in general’

Food Production

According to Sustainable Gardening Australia, growing our own food saves water, energy, land, chemicals and is healthier, more nutritious, saves money, brings the family together and reduces food greenhouse gases by 25%. Click here for more on food and shopping.

Habitat

If we create habitat local birds, insects and animals will come and live with us. There are many options: We can choose habitat plants, provide boxes, logs, rocks, water and damp dark places. We can link a wildlife coridoor: take a look at the horizon and plant the same native tree you can see in the bush. Build a frog pond and if there is a population within three kilometres they'll find you!

Gandhi said 'to forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves.'

This section contains information on composting/wormfarming and mulch, grey water and water harvesting (tanks).