Green thumb: Geelong Organic Gardeners member Bill Nicholson tends his backyard crop.
By John Van Klaveren
THE TERM organic has become something of a divisive issue.
But not for the 100 or so members of Geelong Organic Gardeners.
Perhaps a better description of what the club pursues is natural gardening, with the absence of articifial inducements.
Club president Steve Findlay said the club members gardened “as organically as possible”.
“Basically, we grow free of chemicals and articifial fertilisers in our food and soil preparation,” Steve explained.
“There is certainly an interest in the community in having more control over food and whats going into it.
“Our membership is swelling and it’s become a really diverse group with varying degrees of knowledge.
“We are what we eat but we have to get our soils healthy again, for instance by introducing good compost and mulch. Healthy soils mean healthy plants.
“We reinforce the message about the degradation we have done to the land over the years and how it can affect our health through the foods we produce.
“People are looking for alternative farming practices and going back to buy from farmers markets or from the farm gate.”
Steve said the group aimed to cater for the wide range of interests, mainly by increasing garden knowledge.
“We have some people who are very experienced who are happy to share their knowledge but it’s up to each individual to use it as they see fit.”
The club has a seed bank to supply members at discounted prices, enabling them to grow a range of plants.
“We collect seed from members who have excess seed available or purchase it in bulk from commercial suppliers,” Steve said.
“We encourage seed collection and selection among members. I suppose we carry a bit of a torch for an unadulterated seed base.”
Steve said the group also featured a trading table at its regular bi-monthly meetings.
“People bring produce in from their gardens and members can purchase it. I suppose it’s cutting out the middleman and giving people a greater degree of confidence in the food product.”
The group holds regular field trips, recently visiting a local olive producer. Other visits have been to community gardens, Greening Australia, harvest festivals and bio-dynamic farms.
Steve said more information was available at gog.org.au.
