Today we spent the morning split up into groups of two or three, helping out people and families in the Crystal Waters community. Danielle, Tabitha, and I worked with Jen and Paul. Their house overlooks the biggest dam, with beautiful views of the water and mountains from the veranda where we took morning tea. Danielle and I spent the first part of the morning working in a newly developed garden on the side of the property. Paul and Jen already have salad and herb gardens close to the front of the house, as most lettuces can be picked every day, but they are just starting a veggie garden on a heavily sloped, very sunny piece of land. Here they hope to plant vegetables in need of little to no maintenance, so they can be occasionally watered and let be. The weeds had already been cleaned away and the pattern laid for the garden. It is four rows, laid like stairs down the slope, each one about a foot and a half lower than the first. We started by laying a thin layer of cow manure mulch and chook shit, then covering that with wet newspaper and hay. This was all to prevent the weeds from coming up again and prepare the ground for the new plants, which will be put in after the newspaper has had time to sit and decompose a little. The only challenge of this job was the jumping ant nest in the corner of the garden, a hazard we luckily avoided for the time being, probably because the ants are slowing down and getting ready for hibernation.
After a long morning tea, during which Paul pulled out a map and showed me a great route to take on my travels after the program, we switched jobs. Danielle and I worked in the shade nursery with Paul, while Tabitha and Jen went back out to the garden. The netting over shade nursery cuts out 50% of the sunlight, keeping the lettuce from drying out and providing a perfect place for a ton of baby veggies, including onion, cauliflower, parsley, and mushroom plants. We replanted some baby veggies into trays of six and eight to be sold at the market this weekend.
While working Paul said this job was easily the best because “farming will never go out of fashion.” I don’t know if I agree, in that I would never consider farming a very fashionable or sexy job, but it will certainly never go out of necessity. There will never be a time when people don’t need or want food. I got to thinking about this and also thinking about how fun and simple this work was. Each day you get to do something different if you please and you can clearly see the fruits (literally) of your labor. Most of the work is done outside, which is great in a climate like here on the Sunshine Coast. Paul originally started potting new plants just for a friend, but then the demand grew and now he brings his plants to various markets almost every weekend. Paul and Jen’s life at Crystal Waters is peaceful and satisfying. They have taken an enjoyable hobby and turned it into a productive way of life. I wish more people took advantage of growing vegetables and fruits, rather than just flowers around their homes. Paul and Jen’s home and gardens are beautiful, and they keep them up through hard work and respect for the land and everything it can give. After seeing how Paul and Jen blend work with spending time outside, planning projects, and doing what they love, I can’t wait to try out some gardens of my own back home.