Meet Amber and Josh from Freelove Farms at the Grow On Katikati Harvest Festival.
Meet Amber and Josh from Freelove Farms at the Grow On Katikati Harvest Festival.
"It looks like the Harvest Festival is going to be a fabulous day," says Diana Donker, event co-ordinator for the Grow On Katikati festival.
"I'm sure everyone will go home buzzing with new inspiration. The seats for the Long Lunch are filling up fast, but we still have a few spaces left.
"We're also still taking bookings from people that like to sell their own produce at the market."
Freelove Farms at Athenree will be a highlight at the festival. Diana says farm owners Amber and Josh have an enthusiasm and passion for growing their own food that is "utterly infectious."
"Reducing their carbon footprint on this planet is their mission in life, and they want to get as many people in New Zealand on board as possible."
New Zealand-born Amber met Canadian Josh on an organic vineyard in British Columbia where they worked together. They share the same powerful vision and soon discovered that, as a team, they could move mountains.
And that's what they did when they came back to New Zealand. Over two years they transformed a steep and unproductive sheep paddock into the haven of sheer bounty and beauty that is now Freelove Farms.
Everywhere you look vegetables, flowers and fruit are growing in abundance.
"We want to tread lightly on our planet," says Amber, "and live in harmony with nature to make sure that we can be more sustainable."
Everywhere you look vegetables, flowers and fruit are growing in abundance.
To do so, Freelove Farms applies principles at the heart of permaculture design.
"A key principle of permaculture is that nothing is wasted, as in nature. This not only includes water, vegetation and animal manure, but also building materials and even our own labour.
"Ultimately gardens designed according to permaculture principles are mostly self-sustaining and the need for tasks as digging and weeding can be reduced."
Josh says that it all starts with healthy soil.
"Having soil rich with micro-organisms is really important. It's the basis of everything," he says.
"When you fix your soil, you create a healthy environment for your plants. If you observe how natural ecosystems operate you can pick up clues on how to manage your garden more sustainably.
"We use truckloads of leaf litter, branches, and compost to mulch and fertilise our market garden, use companion planting to keep out unwanted bugs and encourage beneficial insects by planting wildflowers, dahlias and marigolds.
"In theory an organic garden is a closed-loop system."
The couple are full of ideas for the future.
"Ultimately we like to make this into an educational facility to share our experiences with the community, " says Amber.
Freelove Farms is opening its gate to the public on Sunday, March 21 from 3pm to celebrate the autumn equinox.
