땅으로 돌아가다

John and Stephanie Rudgard train others to be more self-sufficient Photo: MARTIN POPE

growing their own vegetables from seed Photo: gardenpicture.com

John Rudgard was leading a stressful life in the hospitality sector, working unholy hours at the office when his wife, Stephanie, sent him on a course — Permaculture for Busy People. It changed their lives. Now they lead a more sustainable existence, raising animals and growing food, and make a living teaching others how to follow in their footsteps, from their house, Rifleman Cottage, in Kent.

Stephanie Rudgard-Redsell comes from farming stock. She studied land economy at Cambridge and, although John’s mother was an enthusiastic gardener, he came from a household “where men mow”. How on Earth did they take that huge leap away from the rat race to reduce their footprint?

Stephanie says she stopped reading the Ecologist, with its messages of doom and gloom, and started reading The Land and Permaculture Magazine. Most of their tenets are familiar to all of us: use less, grow more, buy less. Their family may not holiday abroad or eat out in swanky restaurants any more, but they find their new life healthier, invigorating and affirmative.

No one can change overnight without spending a fortune but, by taking small steps, they’re moving in the right direction. They still have unfulfilled ambitions; to be even greener, to keep bees or goats and possibly offer camping holidays.

The downsides they battle are the wind – solution: to plant an edible shelter belt; rabbits – possibly lapin au moutarde for supper a bit more frequently; and summer water restrictions – a lot more water butts.

The philosophy of permaculture advocates creating a more sustainable way of living, using an ecologically harmonious system that can be adopted by anyone. John uses the landscape as well, growing a forest garden, mimicking the structure of natural woodland by planting productive plants in layers. Starting with canopy trees, including nut and fruit trees, to provide shelter, then underplanting with coppiced smaller trees such as hazel and lime (Tilia euchlora).

The system offers a highly productive, biologically sustainable, low-maintenance option that we can all adapt small scale for our own plots. It’s the most stable type of ecosystem for this climate. I’m planning a walnut, underplanted with hazel for nuts and sticks, then currants, then herbs, then bramble ground cover, interwoven with climbing vines and actinidia.

Most of John and Stephanie’s day is spent outside looking after their hens and pigs, working their no-dig garden and orchard, improving insulation, marshalling water butts and managing their pond sewage system. They also give courses promoting their way of life and rent out half of their cottage to visitors.

This year John and Stephanie are offering weekends in a self-contained cottage with home-grown food, combined with tuition – taking your own plot as a template – using permaculture and forest gardening techniques.

Sustainable gardening tips

1 Use peat-free compost, available now from most garden centres. Make your own compost, adding scrunched and shredded paper and cardboard.

2 Plant bee and butterfly-friendly plants. They prefer single-flowered forms of native plants. Even the most basic herb garden will encourage insects to your garden.

3 The best form of pest control is the gardener’s shadow — spotting problems before they get out of control. Encourage natural predators and get others from www.greengardener.co.uk. Sow flower seed among your vegetables.

4 Don’t garden too tidily. Leave plants till spring, providing habitats for overwintering wildlife. Leave patches of nettles, weeds and wildflowers. Mow less and let areas of grass grow long with mown paths through for access.

5 Save seed. Start with easy ones like runner beans and sunflowers. Buy non F1 seed from www.realseeds.co.uk and look out for seed and plant swaps.

6 Re-use and recycle resources. Use hazel and willow as plant supports, old bricks for paths, buckets as containers. Garden with nature rather than against.