In March 2021, we invited a community member from Gloucester to speak at MidCoast Council’s water resilience meeting. She shared the story of the community’s resilience to the 2019-20 drought. She talked about how people had even tried to capture the dew drops, hoping to save their much-loved garden. She reflected on the community’s adaptation to drought, including gardeners incorporating more water-friendly plants in their garden.  

During the drought, our primary water scheme, the Manning Scheme, which supplies drinking water to a population of 80,000, almost ran out of water. The Barrington River stopped running, and we carted water from Tea Gardens to Gloucester for 29 days during December 2019 and January 2020. We also fast-tracked the expansion of the Nabiac borefield, and planned for a temporary desalination plant to supplement the Manning Scheme. In the end, we did well to manage the drought. The 2021 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards highly commended our drought response.

Climate science indicates increasing variability in weather patterns. AdaptNSW’s climate mapping for our region (also discussed in Our Region: Climate Change and the Midcoast) suggests a decrease in rainfall in summer and winter and an increase during autumn and spring by 2030. The following table abstracted from AdaptNSW shows the projected climate changes.

These climatic changes make water planners think about options that are less dependent on rain. We cannot build ourselves out of a drought - this is one lesson that climate events across the globe have reinforced. In simpler words, engineering solutions alone cannot solve our water security issues. We need to think and act seriously about soft engineering solutions, including leak management and water use behavioural changes.

MidCoast Council’s Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy (IWCM), which is currently under review, is our water security plan for the next 30 years. It considers all the lessons learnt from the recent drought. The strategy is taking an ‘all options on the table’ approach, and will present a portfolio of futureproof water security options to the community. The Strategy also takes into account predicted changes, as illustrated:

Council has incorporated this principle in its approach to the urban water cycle.  We  shifted from being an emergency Drought Response Team into a Water Resilience Team that meets every month and coordinates our preparedness as a water-sensitive region. The story mentioned at the beginning of the article was shared at one of these meetings.

As we heard from Gloucester, the resilience of the community to adapt to the water pressures during the drought has been exceptional. In rain or shine, we need to save every drop we can. In summary, we need to carry forward the lessons learnt from the drought.

As of 10 February 2022, we have saved 120 million litres of water through leak management using our smart meter project, which commenced in March 2021. This is six days’ worth of water supply for our region. Imagine 48 Olympic-size pools -  that’s how much water it is.

​The recent drought and severe water restrictions in the Mid Coast region brought home to us gardeners the importance of selecting plants that are water wise. Here are just a few of my favourite perennial plants that while being drought and heat tolerant don’t become escapees to the bush, and provide much welcome colour and contrast throughout the year.

The Long-leaf Waxflower, Philotheca myoporoides, a native to south eastern Australia, is also on my list of favourites. While only flowering in winter and spring, it has a spectacular display of pink buds and starry white flowers and the leaves have a lovely fragrance.

​The summertime garden is all about abundance. Arms overflowing with flowers for bunching, and space cleared under the aircon to keep them cool!

​When I think about the summer garden, I think oversized, prehistoric grandeur. Flowers in a summer garden should be allowed to grow over our heads.

​If you want flowers in the spring time, plant in autumn. If you want flowers in the summer, plant now!

​We grow cut flowers and oranges at Caffreys Flat on Biripi land alongside the Nowendoc River. The Little Orange Farm is in a renowned orange growing area, with our nearest town of Mount George being once famous for its orchards. These have since unfortunately been removed. Alongside our flower garden is the orange orchard consisting of roughly 250 trees, some of which were planted back in the 1950s.

Our area gets frost in winter, gusty winds in the springtime, and a rising river in autumn. Our off-season for the flowers is in the winter time when the oranges come into their own, followed in the spring time by their blossoms. We are growing our flowers roughly on a third of an acre.

​I’ve fallen in love with the wild growing verbena and love using it in arrangements. The best part is that I don’t have to sow or plant a thing. Embrace what is growing wildly and try to start seeing a flower and not a 'weed'.

There is always a lot of forward planning to make sure we have plants ready to go in the ground at their ideal growing time. As they say, do something today that you will thank yourself for tomorrow! A Gardener’s List: Bed prep, sowing, transplanting, deadheading, mulching, planning. Smell the mint (especially if it’s apple mint!), make a bouquet to give to a friend, collect seed, take a photo, look closely, feel small.

My thanks to Ron, Stef and the team for inviting me to add a few words to this first edition of the MidCoast Growers Network website.  Since moving to the MidCoast region a few years ago, I have been on a fascinating journey of discovery about food and production in this beautiful region. In this time the region has been in a sway of drought, bushfires and flooding rains, to both survive, and to recover.  ​

​The 8th November 2019 was a day my husband and I will never forget. We were one of many properties affected by the bushfires of 2019, particularly the fire which spread at a rapid rate from Hillville, south-west of where we live. 

​We live at Rainbow Flat on 2.5 acres surrounded by native flora, many species endemic to our area, and also with a significant koala population. Our south eastern paddock was fringed by old growth native trees, shrubs, groundcovers and natural habitat. The remaining parts of the property consisted of fruit trees – nashi, mango, macadamia, mulberry, olive, apple, pear and avocado. Our vegetable patch grew an abundance of seasonal vegetables, a portion of which was preserved for the pantry.

As a gardener, I love to create spaces that transform the mind and soul. Coming from Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains, I longed for the beautiful deciduous trees for their colour, form, and free leaf mulch. The front south-easterly facing garden was just that - my mountain garden. The garden consisted of various types of bulbs, flowering trees and shrubs such as claret ash, flowering cherry, flowering pears, maples, camellias, and azaleas, along with a mix of annuals and perennials for our bees and beautiful bird life. 

Another garden room we created was the tropical garden. This garden's primary role was to shade the house from the westerly sun and create a cool environment away from the burning heat of the late afternoon. It also created a sanctuary for our large frog and bird population. 

Unfortunately, these gardens are now a memory due to the bushfires destroying 80 percent of our gardens. Fires are incredibly destructive, taking native bush, habitat and fauna species along with the microscopic populations such as insects, which form a valuable link in our ecosystems.

Our koala visits lifted our spirits and gave us a new perspective on the work ahead of rebuilding our gardens. Although daunting, we observed how incredibly resilient the natural environment can be. Our first task was to assess the more dangerous trees of which the root bulbs continued to burn for days later. We then engaged an arborist to assess which trees needed to be removed. Only those assessed to be dangerous were removed and chipped for much needed mulch. 

We then decided to work on replacing infrastructure such as fencing and setting up a compost system. The next phase was to monitor nature’s recovery. Given the timing of the summer rains we were able to watch as the old growth trees came back and seeds distributed by the bushfires germinate. We left logs where they fell and this provided much needed habitat for creatures when they returned.

​Most importantly we didn’t touch the ground for 12 months. By doing this we were able to see which trees were going to survive - thankfully most did. Unfortunately, weeds tend to germinate just as quickly after a fire with quick succession of rains. This can be used as an advantage in the stabilisation of the ground, as fire ash can make soils resistant to becoming wet, and can cause run off, hence land degradation. 

Once our natives started to reshoot, we laid discarded cardboard to control the weeds, and laid a layer of mulch over the top ensuring not to smothering saplings coming through. This was the commencement of the revegetating of our native borders. ​

Our insect population took 12 months to come back. We missed our beloved bees, but they too came back. Our resident kookaburra family were back after a week. 

During the last year and a half, our focus has been on mulching and pruning. We have drawn up plans for the gardens based on permaculture principles. Plant selection is ongoing, along with propagation and seed germination. These are cheaper options when starting over for a garden of this size. 

We know a garden is never complete; it just evolves and is forever changing. A valuable lesson after such a devastating event is to observe the natural environment and be patient. ​

The site demonstrates multiple uses for most things in the garden. The bana grass, for example, which is used as fodder for the animals, also acts as a privacy screen and a great windbreak. On the day of the tour it was very windy so we could see for ourselves how effective the bana grass and other plants like the lilly pillies were as windbreaks across the site. ​

​The most inspiring part of the tour was hearing Brett talk about solutions rather than problems, whether managing water on the site or coming up with clever storage ideas for equipment and produce. In response to the increasing number of hot days in summer, it was great to see innovative approaches for creating shade to protect plants.

Although our gardens are all different, the principles apply at different scales. Even the smallest backyard can grow a vibrant kitchen garden full of salad greens. The garden bed in the photo was planted out with a variety of greens (and garlic) in autumn, and through selective harvesting, continues to produce abundantly through the winter months. ​

​In this post I will share a few things that I’ve learned about soils in the process of building a garden in Copeland, where I moved to in 2014. Like so many new property owners who are keen to build a garden, my question was where to start? Informed by my horticultural studies, organic gardening magazines and books, and experiences with previous gardens, I formed a view of my ideal garden.  It was a garden with a large variety of fruit, vegetables and flowering plants that looked beautiful together and were grown in a way that reduced the need for weeding, watering, and fertilisers. It was a garden that was designed with nature in mind, and provided a home for birds and other wildlife.

My approach was to create a series of terraces, starting close to the house and working down the hill over time. The raised terrace beds helped improve drainage while also keeping water on site. Hiring an excavator to create the main terraces on contour was a great investment. The earthworks included a network of paths in between the terraces for easy access and reducing soil compaction in the beds. Forming terraces around the existing fruit trees,  - citrus, olives, figs, apples and pears made a big difference to their growth and productivity. ​

To give new (and existing) plants the best chance to thrive I then turned my attention to improving the soils. Every source of gardening advice about soil improvement has a common message - organic matter is the key! Even with a number of compost bins and compost bays, and a ready source of animal manure and grass clippings, making enough compost to go around my various garden beds proved to be an ongoing challenge. ​

Plant selection, while another whole topic, is very relevant to maintaining healthy soil. I grow plants such as comfrey, arrowroot, lemongrass and bana grass for a ready source of mulch. Groundcovers around the fruit trees also help protect the soils from drying out, so long as I choose plants such as herbs, strawberries and greens that don’t compete with the root systems of the fruit trees. ​

I’m pleased to say that by maintaining these practices year in and out, through the changing seasons and climatic conditions, I have created my ideal garden. ​