If you want to take responsibility for your health, grow your own food and grow it organically.
That’s the message that Possum Creek farmers Lyndel and Kieran Weston share with the community via their organic seeding business, One Organic, a fixture at markets and farmers markets around the Northern Rivers for the past seven years.
“When you grow your own food, you know where it’s come from and you know it’s a clean source of food. You know what’s gone into it,” said Lyndel.
“Also, when the vegetables are picked, they start to lose nutrients. Some varieties of vegetables, like leafy greens for example, lose fifty percent of their nutrients within half an hour of picking. So if you want nutritious fresh food and want to know when it’s been picked – grow your own food.”
For those who lack the confidence or think they don’t have the skills to grow their own, Lyndel and Kieran offer a wealth of information and know how, from preparing the soil to planting, feeding and controlling pests. They’ve also developed their own organic compost, plant food, soil conditioner and pest controls to help your garden thrive.
The seedlings themselves are grown from open pollinated, non-hybrid, non-treated seed stock. Unlike many commercial seedlings, which can be pushed with artificial fertilisers and lights, all of One Organic’s seedlings are grown outdoors in natural conditions in Kieran’s home made organic seed raising mix. This makes for stronger, more robust seedlings that are more likely to thrive in local conditions and resist disease down the track, says Lyndel.
Customers even receive a bag of compost with their seedlings to sprinkle on the garden before planting, making the transition from punnet to home garden soil a little gentler.
“When they leave their little home in the punnet and go into somebody else’s garden, it means they’ve got a soil that they’re familiar with and has the same PH, so that they don’t get that shock when they’re transplanted. Transplant shock can cause plants to go to seed too quickly and things like that, so the transplant is a very important part,” Lyndel said.
* Find One Organic at the New Brighton Farmers Market every Tuesday.
LYNDEL’S TOP TIPS FOR A HEALTHY ORGANIC GARDEN:
PREPARATION: Before you plant, dig some compost into the soil and water well with a soil conditioner like One Organic’s EM’s. This will help create life in your soil. Cover with mulch.
PLANTING: Water first so the roots aren’t going into hot soil. Separate the mulch, sprinkle in little compost then plant your seedling. Water in well.
FEEDING: Feed once a week with organic plant food (fish emulsion is good) and One Organic’s EMs. Lyndel describes the EM’s as a ‘probiotic for the soil’ which helps the plant uptake the nutrients they need.10ml of organic backstrap molasses diluted in your watering can will also help keep the plants sugar levels and nutrients up.
PESTS: Keeping your plants healthy should deter most bug attacks, but if you’re still having problems, try some organic solutions like dipel and neem oil (both available from One Organic).
