Step 1: Make a mess

A new food garden at our farm stay is taking shape. The bigger timber posts are all in and this photo offers you a sneak peek of your humble entrance facing to the west. I have envisaged guests having the opportunity to self cater from the garden as well as offering the opportunity to buy produce to take away. Importantly it is the joy of having edible plants and flowers to sit or walk amongst, I enjoy and cherish that in my own garden and now it is time to bring that wisdom to our guests.

 Jono has utilised some fence posts removed from a farm not far from us and as soon as we are finished with the star pickets and fencing materials (again recycled) I can really get to work on the shape of the beds without the help of the chooks. I had begun planting beetroot seedlings that I seeded too close together in my main garden and the leaves looked a little droopy after the transplanting, thank goodness the chooks picked all the dull leaves away and they look as though they will do just fine. Having said that, the chooks were apparently not so happy with the shape of some of the beds and promptly scratched them away so I will hold on the digging for now.

 We have a 20000-gallon water tank that supplies water to the farm stay and immediate gardens and we are also able to water from the nearby dam. It seems surreal to be talking about this with all the water surrounding us but I firmly believe water is one of the first and most important considerations to take when planning a new garden.

For me, gardening is an intuitive process that offers a time of reflection and meditation. I enjoy what thoughts come up and when I feel those thoughts are not serving my highest good I remind myself to stop, observe my surroundings and act only on the task at hand, it works a treat. Throw in a good heaping of trial and error with your organic compost matter and you have the workings of a magnificent garden.