April 2019

34 MEREDITH and DISTRICT NEWS
A Way of Life
by KERRIE KRUGER
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO A MORE SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE
While pottering the kitchen garden, I watched the birds, the
sparrows, magpies, ravens, galahs, mudlarks & wrens as
they took their last flight before settling down for the night
and I wondered about the collective name for a group of
birds. They can’t all be a flock of birds? Can they?
In the mornings we watch a herd or chime of tiny Blue
Wrens hopping around the front garden looking for their
breakfast of insects.
We have a flight of Swallow, a host of Sparrows and a
murmuration or chattering of Starlings over by the old
wool shed and silos being busy flying here and there,
making their nests in all the wrong places.
If we had any water in our dam, we may see raft of Ducks,
glide past and on the same dam we may witness a siege of
Herons visit to catch some fish.
We could see a kettle of Hawks, a convocation of Eagles, a
parliament of Owls and a riot of Kookaburras but we have
yet to see more than 1 or 2 together of any of them at one
time.
We often have a gulp of Magpies bathing in the bird bath,
unkindness of Ravens hanging around the chook yard
(looking for eggs) and a crackle of Cockatoos eating our
sunflowers as they go to seed.
Now, as we live in the country we live alongside a skulk of
Foxes and a herd or a fluffle or a colony of Rabbits.
Unfortunately, we also have a mischief of Rats and a nest
of Mice to deal with. To round it all off we get to have an
intrusion of Cockroaches and a cluster of spiders….oh the
joy!
If we go for a bushwalk, we may see a troop of
Kangaroos, hear an army of Frogs and get out of the way
of a mob of Emus
We may hope to see a paddle of Platypus, a parade of
Echidnas, or a wisdom of Wombats but would be excited
to just see one.
And Yep, it’s true. There is no official collective noun for a
group of koalas!
It’s Autumn and the weather is finally cooling down, but
the soil will stay warm for a while so it's the perfect time to
get planting in the kitchen garden. Let’s hope we get some
sort of autumn break to hydrate our dry soils.
So, get inspired and on the path to garden bliss, to healthy
eating and relaxed slow living with some exercise thrown
in.
Remember only grow what you like to eat otherwise it is a
waste of your time and resources not to mention
frustrating, so a few things to grow now:
Baby spinach
Snow peas
Radishes - One of the all-time easiest and quickest
vegetables to grow, you'll get kick out of pulling
up these little guys after only 6 weeks.
Garlic- March to April is the time to plant
your garlic. No more Chinese garlic for you!
Broccoli and Cauliflower - I'm going to
remember to cover mine this year after the
cockatoos ate my gorgeous purple
cauliflower last year.
Beetroot
Carrots- You can never grow enough
carrots! Keep them damp till germinated and
established and don’t plant those tiny seeds
to thickly or you will spend ages thinning
out!
Lettuce -Keep up the moisture to prevent
plants from drying out and going bitter.
Silver beet - We grow Fordhook Giant and
Rainbow Chard. We tend to grow more than
we could ever eat – chooks love it and it’s a
great source of greens for them.
Onions
Coriander – fresh and then dry for use later.
Strawberries - you can never have too many.
Blueberries are also another option.
A lemon tree - Autumn is a great time to
plant citrus. How can you not have one in
your backyard? Such a versatile fruit used
for cooking, cleaning and medicine.
Flowers – I love to have flowers in the
kitchen garden to keep things in balance and
lure in beneficial insects, especially the
Bees. Small annual ground covers such as
alyssum, are a great option and I love to
have some Sweet Peas trailing up the
sunflower stalks.
Remember there are no mistakes just experiments in
gardening! Every year, every season is different, and
we learn patience and flexibility when we choose to
garden. Enjoy every challenge as gardening is as
much about the journey as the harvest. Celebrate that
we can live alongside our feathered friends, even if
they are eating our sunflowers, pooping on the
washing, scratching out our mulch and poking holes
in the silverbeet leaves.
So, blessings to you all, may you see the wonder and
joy in the kitchen garden, as a gulp of Magpies sing
their morning song as the sunrises on another day.