Do lemons like to do the tang-o?
There are many good reasons for gardening. Fun - and free food - are way up there as things that motivate me to get my hands dirty and my brow sweaty on a regular basis, but I must say I had never thought of adding dancing to the fun mix until I came across The Dancing Gardener, aka John Stansfield. Watch him dancing across his Auckland deck here. Add John's sense of humour (dry Kiwi style, very reminiscent of the great John Clarke) to the song and dance routine, and you have the most entertaining gardening instruction video I have seen in a long while. It's also gardening instruction with a social conscience, because John's day job is Advocacy and Campaigns Director for Oxfam New Zealand, and in this capacity he directs Oxfam's GROW campaign “...for a future where everyone on the planet has enough to eat, always.”
John is acutely aware that quality food is beyond the financial reach of too many families, in New Zealand as well as abroad, but he is determined to make a difference wherever he can, and that includes at home. He has created a no-dig, no-weed home food garden using cheap or free resources, and in the video he shows how you can make plant pots for free by recycling supermarket fliers, and raise 100 lettuces from seed for the cost of one supermarket lettuce. This is really useful how-to information for both for beginner gardeners and for more experienced ones wanting to lift their game. Having it demonstrated in detail is very helpful.
John tells me he has another video underway, so watch this space...
Great link Christine, loved Johns clips and his sense of humour.
ReplyDeleteThe Dancing Gardener is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI just want to give an opinion about "...quality food is beyond the financial reach of too many families..." I definitely agree to that statement. But in most of the places I've visited, vegetables, herbs and spices are much cheaper than meat products - which, for me, is quite an advantage because we're more of vegetable-eaters than meat-eaters. After my mom had undergone a colonic irrigation, we've been eating more vegetables than ever, and the best part is that, we saved money while living healthy. Maybe everyone just needs to realise that 'quality food' are not always the expensive ones.
-Jean Raizel