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 <strong>April</strong> 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.
MEREDITH and DISTRICT NEWS 35