Homage
to Esther DeansHomage
to Esther Deans
Esther Deans has travelled the world after the success of her
little but powerful book Growing without Digging.
In 1990, at 86 she was still actively promoting care for the earth
and people. Through her work she has helped establish gardens
for the handi-capable as she fondly calls her enthusiasts.
Her books are available free in Braille and on talking cassette.
She is holistic in her approach to gardening, appreciating the fragrances, sounds and texture of plants as well as their nutrition and vitality. She holds this zest for life and enjoys seeing others happy in the garden.
She has shown how something simple can be successful. Her no-dig gardening system has been proven valuable in all parts of the world, building humus and productivity in an era of depletion, erosion and loss (soil and human culture). Through simple tools such as hers people can once again become an active part of their natural environment.
Esther Deans developed her no dig method by covering lawn with newspaper and then wads of straw without weed seeds Inside a garden border(1) she recommends layers of newspaper(2) , lucerne hay(3), organic fertilizer(4), Loose straw(5), another sprinkle of organic fertilizer(6) compost(7). You can also use little pockets of good compost and seedlings in a top layer of loose straw (we use browned grass clippings and rotten straw which is fertilised by the ducks bathing water).
Contact Esther for her works for the Blind:
27 McQuoin Park,
McAuley Place
Waitara NSW 2077 Australia
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