Can a suburban block sustain an entire family without a supermarket?
In short: For ten years, Meg and Patrick haven't stepped foot in a supermarket. By transforming their suburban land into a bio-intensive food forest, they have moved beyond simple self-reliance toward a model of community-reliance, trading preserved goods for local produce and managing a complex ecosystem on a single block.
Living sustainably on a suburban lot requires more than just a vegetable patch; it requires a sophisticated system of resource management. For Meg and Patrick, this means utilizing every inch of their land, from vertical surfaces to specialized structures like a glasshouse for propagation and drying produce. Their approach relies on bio-intensive annual beds organized into ten-row plots within swales—channels with sloping sides designed to capture and retain rainwater. This allows them to use their own water for the garden for most of the year, reducing reliance on town water.
Soil health is the engine of this productivity. To prepare new beds, they plant comfrey for two seasons, utilizing a 'chop and drop' method before aerating the earth with a broadfork. They continually charge the soil using compost made from manure and scraps collected from local cafés. This intensive management supports a diverse ecosystem including food forests, bee hives, chickens, and ducks.
The lifestyle demands significant labor and a shift in social habits. Meg estimates spending three to four hours daily on food preservation to fill her cellar with fermented, stewed, and brewed goods. This abundance often leads to seasonal shifts in social behavior; during autumn, the heavy workload of preserving food can make the family feel 'anti-social.' However, this surplus serves a vital community function, as they trade their excess for other local produce and host volunteers, creating a web of community-reliance rather than isolated self-sufficiency.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Living sustainably on a suburban block | Urban Farming | Gardening Australia
- Also: Urbavore: An Urban Farm - The Australian Museum
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