A Welcome Bay couple are on a mission to revive sustainable traditions and make gardening accessible to everyone – no matter what size home they live in.

Andrea Lehmenn and Hone Moetara have lived as self-sufficiently as possible for more than 20 years on their 3000sq m property.

The lifestyle is known as “homesteading” and its principles of growing and preserving food, producing textiles and small-scale farming are growing in popularity.

“This property has allowed our children to explore, build huts and connect to nature around their home,” says Andrea. “They grew veges, saved their own sunflower seeds and learned about looking after their own goats and chickens.”

After completing teacher training, the couple launched workshops designed to restore eco-friendly traditions and teach crafting skills that are getting lost.

“Hone and I plan to get a yurt so that we can hold events at home. Rather than taking plant samples with us, our dream is to be able to show people what we’re talking about on-site,” says Andrea.

“Until then, going to people’s houses is my preferred option. You meet so many interesting people. It’s more than learning a craft, it’s simple community-building.”

Andrea Lehmenn in their Welcome Bay vegetable garden. Photo: John Borren.

Andrea grew up on a farm in Switzerland watching her parents and grandparents grow their own vegetables.

She’s surprised that traditional crafts are being forgotten. Her and Hone’s workshops include preserving and fermenting, composting, Māori healing and bushcraft, baking gluten-free sourdough, making blankets with crochet, and knitting socks and hot water bottle covers, as well as the basics in gardening.

“It gives our land more purpose; That’s the crux of it all,” says Andrea.

“Hone and I have a passion to utilise our land and there’s so much to learn. I don’t claim to be an expert, I’m just learning through trial and error and then passing on those lessons to others.”

Hone Moetara amongst the trees. Photo: John Borren.

She says even those living in small units, townhouses or apartments can grow their own food or do their own composting.

“Make a list of things you like eating fresh and go from there,” she advises.

“Some people only have space for a garden bag made from recycled plastic and they work phenomenally for things like saffron and celery. Everyone has a little space, even if it’s a tiny corner where they can grow silverbeet to stay healthy or a thyme plant to make tea if you have a cough. Even in a small two-by-two-metre patch you can have a lot of cool things.”

Getting neighbours involved is also a great way to make it work.

“Not everyone wants a compost so there may be other options for disposing of food waste,” says Andrea.

“People are always so happy when they realise there’s a neighbour with a chicken or that there’s a shared compost bin nearby. It’s possible to find options that work rather than everyone trying to figure it out alone.”

Andrea loves holding workshops at her home and admits that at first glance, her garden looks a little disorganised.

“We tend to like things to be nice and tidy, but I have self-feeding going on, so my vege patch appears messy at times. Letting things go to seed is my favourite method because when plants go to seed, they attract the bees and that’s great for the garden. It’s a matter of combining what’s traditionally worked well and what’s doable to make it work for you.”

Soil quality is also something the couple take great pride in preserving.

“We do biodynamics, which is a method of farming that requires putting nutrients back into the soil to enhance the natural organisms,” says Andrea.

“This property has been spray-free for over 40 years and the previous owners were one step away from being certified biodynamic.”

Andrea Lehmann works on veggies and herbs planted in felt grow bags that are made of recycled plastic bottles. Photo: Hone Moetara.

The couple are constantly changing and evolving along with their land, and love to inspire locals on their own journey towards self-sustainability.

“Today we have our six chickens in a homemade chicken tractor, rotating around the orchard, fertilising our land,” says Andrea.

“I was delighted to see chia seed plants, radishes and corn pop up everywhere on our hill. My dream of wildest dreams is to have a food forest everywhere.

“Hone runs some of his rongoā Māori workshops, sharing traditional Māori healing, and I get approached by groups and local people to run workshops on demand. It’s nice and it fits well with our lifestyle.”

For more information www.facebook.com/kiwihomesteaders/xt