- Esther Deans
Esther Deans, poet, writer, gardener, conservationist, became famous in the 1970-1980s for her books which developed a no dig method of gardening by covering her lifeless soil (you can also cover the lawn) with newspaper and then wads of weed-free straw. She did this inside a garden border.
She recommends layers of: (1) 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).
Esther is still alive in 2008 aged 97 in October. She lives in Waitara, a northern Sydney suburb in Australia. She influenced the work of Bill Mollison and A Sampson-Kelly in Permaculture.
Her original book has sold over 130,000 copies and is now reprinted in a soft cover as a composite of her three books. Titled Esther Deans No-Dig Gardening & Leaves of Life (2001)
References
* Deans, Esther (1977). Esther Deans Gardening Book: Growing Without Digging. Harper and Row.
* Deans, Esther (1994). No-Dig Gardening & Leaves of Life. HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 0-7322-7099-5.
* Gillbert, Allan (2003). No-Dig Gardening. ABC Books. ISBN 0-7333-0941-0.
* Deans, Esther (2003). Inspirations (no ISBN) - a collection of her words and poemsSee also
External links
* [http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s867068.htm Gardening Australia: Factsheet: Step-by-Step No Dig]
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