We’ve been keeping chooks at our nursery for 7 years now. They are not only our pets, but also our composters, veggie patch fertilisers and a regular source of the most local, organic eggs. If you’re looking for a pet to tick all the boxes, a chicken is about the only one that can do that. It’s a symbiotic relationship that reduces waste, creates food and perhaps most importantly, provides companionship. 

Chooks typically live for between 5-8 years (yes ours are getting quite old…), and begin laying after about 6 to 12 months, typically when conditions are warmer in spring or summer. Like most things in a garden, laying is most prolific in the warmer months and will subside a little during autumn and winter. Once a chook begins to lay, most of the egg production is achieved in the first 3 years of its life, however if a bird is healthy there is the potential for it to lay an egg a day until it dies. 

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In early 2012, we referred new house owners (and young parents of 3 children) Tineke and Hamish to Lucas from Libertas Gardens. They had recently taken possession of a 900m2 property in inner Melbourne (Kew), with a house that was in need of a substantial renovation and garden calling out for a full makeover.

A couple of weeks ago Lucas and the owners invited us to the house to check out their work. We were blown away. So much so we asked Lucas to talk through the process, and the elements of the garden/house. We hope this will provide some inspiration for anyone looking to become more self sufficient while living a city lifestyle.

From Lucas, Libertas Gardens

At first look, the task of designing and building their dream outdoor space seemed monumental. Like most neglected blocks, theirs was a dense thicket of self-invited trees, very old and tired ornamental plants and lots of ‘weeds’.

The brief was clear and exciting. The garden was to be visually striking, highly productive, extremely child-friendly and relatively easy to maintain. It fitted the exact description of a dream project for me. This family wanted it all: fruit trees, veggie patches, chickens, aquaponics, a herb garden, a large lawn space and entertainment area, play space for the kids, artworks, water tanks and a swimming pool. Within just a few months of exchange and brainstorming, a plan had emerged. We devised a construction timeline that would tie in smoothly with the house renovation.

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To say that a strawberry is a fruit, is to call Jimmy Hendrix a guitar player. Sure, it’s true, but it also misses the point entirely. The strawberry is the ace of the garden and the king of the plate. It is an object of desire equally welcomed in Eros’ private bath house as it is a child’s lunch box. But it’s not just daiquiri makers that covet this sweet flesh- rats, slugs, birds and bats are similarly enamoured. Like looking at a camp fire, the strawberry stirs some primal longing within all of us.

Although we are all very familiar with the summer-bearing supermarket strawberry, few people realise that there are hundreds of weird and wonderful varieties that you can grow yourself. As is often the case, what we see on the shelves has been selected for commercial characteristics such as size, yield and disease resistance, often at the expensive to taste. There are red, white, blue, black, green and even purple strawberries. Consider the pineberry, a white strawberry with red seeds and a pineapple like taste. Hands up if you’d like to grow this? Thought so.

Once you have settled on a preferred variety, the best option is to start with a seedling (or a runner if you have access to existing plants). Find a site with well draining soil and feel free to add plenty of organic matter such as compost. Strawberries do best in full sun, so share your favourite sun baking spot.

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There is no better memory for a child than those created in a garden and we can say that with assertion. This is because we’re often reminded that we continue to behave like children, so perhaps these memories are closer and stronger than we realise. 

It's the smell of tomato foliage that stirs the strongest sense of nostalgia. It comes from the earliest years exploring towering tomato plants in our Nonna and Nonno's veggie patch. It feels like the first distinct memory, but then there's a few others tangled in there too, yet they all seem to revolve around the garden. This is why so many parents strive to lure the kids out.

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