Beechworth Urban Landcare and Sustainability

Fay and Charlie Robinson present the third workshop in the ‘Grow Your Own Food’ series which covers food production over the Summer months. Topics will include:

• Suitable vegetables to grow for our region;
• Succession planting;
• Organic pest control;
• Making a solar dehydrator;
• Mulching;
• Water conservation;
• Saving and using vegetable seeds.

A limited amount of free vegetable seeds will be available for participants. Contact Charlie via megamouth [AT] activ8.net.au for full details and directions.

The humble backyard vegie patch is back in vogue in the suburbs of Australia. But can growing spuds and greens in the cities really avert a coming food crisis?

Can our cities ever be self-sustaining? – Features – ABC Environment Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Great video on building a compost heap

ABC OPEN – Projects – Whadyaknow – Contributions – Composing Compost.

by Charlie Robinson

I can’t honestly say I’ve ever been really hungry, let alone starving.  Sure, there have been times when circumstances meant that I missed a couple of meals and I had that gnawing feeling which precipitates lurid culinary fantasies. But not starving.

During the sieges of Leningrad and Stalingrad following Germany’s ill-fated invasion of Russia during World War Two, some parents ate their children, some children ate their parents, and many other people were killed and eaten by the starving citizenry. This demonstrates of the extremes people will sink to, in response to starvation.  A citizen of Sydney or Melbourne is only four days from starvation if our transport infrastructure fails and people will resort to extreme behaviour to stay alive – read the book, “Alive”, about the Andean plane crash of thirty years ago if you want some graphic imagery!

An old mate of mine was a German POW after the battle of Crete and he told me of surviving by living on cockroaches for extended periods. I take it from these examples that real starvation, and not simply skipping morning tea, is not a condition that I wish to experience.

But that may change.

Starvation caused from climate change is already happening in northern Africa and could be a global reality within a decade.

Think it couldn’t happen here? Don’t be so sure. Consider these current scenarios:

Penny Wong is inviting farmers in the Sunraysia region to sell their permanent water entitlements to the Federal Government.  For many farmers, battling increasing aridity and decreasing water allocations, this offer is too good to refuse.  However, part of the condition of sale is that farmers must pull out their existing crops (usually wine grapes, table grapes, or oranges) and the accompanying irrigation infrastructure, at their own expense.  So where will our food come from?

Last month, a number of Victorian peach growers were left to ponder their future following SPC-Ardmona’s decision to slash its annual canning peach intake by up to a quarter. Like their Sunraysia cousins, they too have suffered from The Big Dry, not to mention hail and frosts (which, in October 2006, caused millions of dollars damage).  Those growers affected by the cannery’s decision will have no option but to bulldoze their trees.  So where will our food come from?

In January this year, potato growers in the Casterton region predicted that extreme temperatures caused by climate change would render this historic potato-growing region unviable for future production.  So where will our food come from?

In 2001, Australia produced 1.2 million tonnes of rice, in 2008 a meagre 19,300 tonnes (the lowest yield since 1928), and this year 75,000 tonnes.  This has led to mill closures and job shedding by SunRice, the most recent cuts in March of 36 staff at the Leeton mill. So where will our food come from?

Around the globe, and particularly in the U.S., our insatiable need for fuel has spawned a massive growth in the production of corn, soy, and other cereals – all to create ethanol to feed our cars.  Land devoted to producing corn alone in the U.S. is the most since 1941. So where will our food come from?

In our global economy we may be able to rely on imports to temporarily compensate for our national underproduction but, since food production has not kept pace with world population growth since 2005, how long can we depend on this avenue for salvation? For instance, Cuba announced this week that it was seeking urgent food aid from Russia to arrest diminishing food stocks.

I remember the truck blockade of the Hume Highway near Picton in 1979.  Supplies of food to all supermarkets in the ACT and NSW dried up and within four days all shelves were empty.  Being reasonably self-sufficient, even then, I had no real personal concerns about running out of food, but I was curious as to what effect the blockade was having, so I visited the local Woolworths supermarket in Dickson, ACT.  I was greeted with a chaotic scene of women fighting over the last few loaves of bread and a panic gripped the shoppers – an image I will never forget and a constant reminder of the fragility of our food supply system.

Our dependency on oil is a huge concern in relation to food production.  Don’t be beguiled by the recent news of the availability of plug-in hybrid cars, they won’t solve our food supply issues.  Think about it – most of our food is produced using oil, whether it’s diesel for our farm machinery, production of pesticides and herbicides, chemical fertilisers, and then there’s the transportation of this food to storage and processing facilities and onto supermarkets where we drive our cars to shop.

A recent report by the UK Soil Association refers to the 2000 fuel protest that brought London to within three days of running out of food – the head of the Countryside Agency reported to Tony Blair that “the nation is just nine meals from anarchy”. August 2009 Earth Garden p9.

I can’t predict when the oil will run out, but it’s probably sooner than we realise, and I’m not prepared to play Russian roulette with the calendar.  The earlier we are prepared for the inevitability of food shortages, the better.  Each of us should be on the same footing as England was during World War Two when nearly every lawn, backyard, and empty space was devoted to the growing of food for the war effort.  Peak Oil and Climate Change will present even bigger challenges for us, and the rest of the world, than Hitler and the Luftwaffe did for England.

If you don’t know how to start, or what to do, I suggest you attend the numerous events being planned and conducted by Beechworth Sustainability over the next few months.  Anybody can afford to produce their own food and our last two harvests have cost virtually nothing as we have used seeds from the previous year’s crops or obtained from the annual seed swapping event. How easy is that?

Following the successful compost workshop on Sat May 9th, our resident Compostwoman, Donna, has provided these hints and tips for the perfect compost .

What ingredients go into a good compost?

A good compost, like a good cake, is a balance of different ingredients. All compost bins, or heaps, should lie on a soil base and need a balance of materials that:

• are high in nitrogen, such as blood & bone, Dynamic Lifter or chook manure
• contain carbon, such as dried leaves or shredded newspapers, and
• contain both carbon & nitrogen, such as kitchen scraps, pea straw and green garden prunings.

In addition, the compost heap/bin needs:

• water, but only enough so that the contents are moist but not wet
• oxygen, from air, added by regularly turning over the contents of the heap
• warmth, by putting it in a sunny place.

In the next section you will find further composting hints, tips, and solutions for common problems:

Contents:

Can I add……to my compost? Solving common compost problems The Lasagne method of composting

Can I add…..?

• meat scraps – yes, but best to avoid.
• fish bones – yes, but mix them through the heap, rather than leaving them on top.
• old jeans (cotton-based) or old cloth nappies – yes, though cut them up first.
• office paper – not if it has been bleached or is glossy.
• old tyres – not a good idea.
• weeds – yes, if they are without seed heads. No, if they are bulbous, such as oxalis, or spread by runners, such as couch grass.
• dog & cat faecal matter – a health risk, best avoided if you use your compost for veggie plots.
• wood ashes from open fires – yes, in small amounts, but be careful if you add your compost to heavy clay soils as the ash may compound the problem.
• tree branches – shredded before adding.
• eucalyptus leaves – may take a while to decompose so run them over with a lawn mower first.
• lawn clippings – yes, but not in large quantities unless some dry matter is added at the same time, such as dried leaves or shredded newspaper. This helps prevent the clippings becoming a putrid, slimy mess.
• oranges & lemons – these are highly acidic and may take a while to break down, unless they are chopped up before adding.
• kitchen sponges – yes if they are made from cellulosic fibres and will decompose. Check the wrapper for details.
• coffee grounds and tea bags – yes, and yes – and the tiny staple on the tea-bag will eventually add a bit of iron to your soil.
• take-away pizza round cardboard containers – tear them up first and they act as carbon matter for the heap.

Solving common compost problems Why is my compost:

• left with half decomposed big lumps? Adding smaller pieces to the bin should ensure that it all decomposes evenly. Avoid avocado seeds, pineapple tops, twigs and other woody items unless they can be crushed or chopped before adding. Always crush eggshells.

• smelly? Either : Too much nitrogen containing matter and not enough carbon i.e. add more dry materials such as dried leaves and newspaper. Or: Make sure you aid decomposition by using a garden fork and turning over the heap occasionally (maybe once a week) to introduce more air. This prevents anaerobic bacteria from taking over and producing the smells.

• crawling with ants and slaters? The heap is too dry. Add a sprinkling of water or less dry matter. Ants and slaters are not harmful at all but they do indicate that your compost will not decompose rapidly enough.

• developing into biological warfare? If you get attacked by tiny flies (Drosophila) every time you open the lid, rest assured that they are there because they enjoy the contents of your bin, especially if you have been adding fruit peelings, such as apples or kiwi or pineapples. Add a blanket cover to the contents of your bin, such as hessian sacking, carpet felt underlay or the Saturday Age.

• plagued with rats/mice/blowflies or maggots? Meat scraps or fish bones can be added to the bin but only if it is working efficiently and quickly. They are best avoided since they do encourage vermin, especially over summer. Rats and mice enter the bin by digging underneath, so fasten a piece of chicken wire under the bin before commencing.

• taking so long to do anything?!!! The carbon/nitrogen ratio needs to be altered. Remember: too wet, add dry matter, such as newspaper. Too dry, add water along with some high in nitrogen compost activator, such as blood & bone or Dynamic Lifter pellets, or chook poo. And don’t forget to regularly turn the heap over!

The Lasagne method

Materials

• Green mulch- weeds, lawn clippings frit and veggie waste
• Dry materials- hay pea straw raked leaves woody weeds
• Manure – any herbivorous animal manure or plant material that is high in nitrogen eg comfrey or legumes)

Method

• Lay a base of dry material about 1-1.5 m across and 15 cms high.
• Cover it with a layer about 3 cm thick od manure and fluff this into the dry mulch.
• Wet the pile down until quite damp.
• Cover with about 10 cm of green mulch. You could pour over a bucket of seaweed brew or compost tea at this point.
• Repeat these steps finishing with a layer of dry material.

Turning the pile

• 1st turning: 5 to 7 days – white thread like fungus present – the compost starter
• 2nd turning:10- 12 days – humus brown colour fungus has been overtaken by bacteria
• 3rd turning: 15-17 days pile almost all brown and beginning to develop crumbly texture
• 21 days  earthworths and beetles present- nearly ready!

When turning break up any large clods, incorporate as much air as possible, sprinkle with water as necessary to keep it as wet as a sponge and move the outside to the inside as much as you can.

Harvesting Seed Only save seed from the most vigorous plants with the best fruit and avoid using seed from weak or unusual looking plants. In this way you will be naturally selecting the traits you wish to encourage in your crops.

• Tomato seeds: Allow the fruits to fully ripen on the plant and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Place in a jar of water and leave for a few days, swirling them in the water daily. After a few days, the seeds should have come free from the pulp and sunk to the bottom. Pour the liquid away and rinse the seeds. Leave them to dry on a paper towel and, when fully dry, store in an envelope in a cool, dry place.
• Pepper seeds: Harvest seeds from peppers after the fruit has fully ripened on the plant and started to wrinkle. Remove the seeds from the peppers and spread them out on paper towels to dry. When fully dry, store in an envelope in a cool, dry place.  You can also use this method for chillies.
• Peas and Beans: Allow the pods to ripen on the plant until they are dry and start to turn brown. Remove the pods from the plant and spread them out on a tray indoors, to dry. Leave them for at least two weeks before shelling the pods or wait until you are ready to sow the seeds the following spring.
• Eggplants:  Choose the first fruits of the most vigorous and healthy plants and leave them until they are about to fall off the plant. Pick and hang the mature fruits in a shed until their colour dulls. You can get to the eggplant seeds by cutting off the top and grating, or blending the bottom which contains the greater density of seeds. If you use a blender cut the eggplant into cubes and whiz them up with water at a slow speed. Pour out the mass and collect the seeds from the bottom. Wash and spread the seeds thinly on a sieve, leaving them to dry for a day or so. Place in a paper bag and hang for a further couple of weeks ,before storing.

Storing seeds Seeds should be stored in individual envelopes, in an airtight container and in a dry place above ground level. This prevents moisture from spoiling the seeds or animals such as mice eating their way through your supply.

It is equally important to label your seeds correctly, including the name, variety, and date you collected them. Not only does this ensure that you know which seeds you are sowing but you can also evaluate how successful each seed-saving project was.