1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

and plenty of air. I don’t have much shadow
in my garden.”
Farouk uses no chemicals or pest control.
“There’s nothing wrong with pests,” he says.
“Keep in harmony with pests by conditioning
your compost around your fruit trees and
they’ll leave your fruit alone.
“Use a brush or piece of cardboard to
sweep aphids away from roses. I don’t believe
in killing insects. They are there for a reason.”
Keeping it simple
Though retired now, Farouk has had a variety
of jobs. He has worked as a salesman, had
a job at Wittenoom asbestos mine and then
followed his love of the outdoors to study
horticulture at Collingwood TAFE for twoand-a-half
years.
After that he worked at Melbourne Zoo
for five years ... “and loved it. I cleaned
pathways, removed weeds, spread mulch on
garden beds, dug up beds, planted hundreds
of punnets of flowers and native grasses and
drove a little vehicle around 350 species of
plants on the 55-acre site. I’ll never forget
my time there.”
If working in horticulture has taught him
anything it’s to keep things “simple and
uncomplicated”, says Farouk. “I don’t buy any
of that stuff people spend a fortune on — you
know, those chemical sprays people use on
plants. I say don’t kill bugs. They are friendly,
they are useful, they are needed. Just keep
conditioning the soil and stay away from
those chemicals. They’ll end up killing
you in time.
“You must compost,” he adds. “It’s the only
way to condition the soil and keep the right
bugs in line. If you’ve got good soil you’ve
got a good tree that will produce good fruit.
At Melbourne Zoo I’d compost all day long
to ensure that all plants were given the right
start in life.”
To hear Farouk tell it, gardening is as
easy as it gets. “Have a plan to plant a tree?
Dig a hole, put plenty of compost soup in it,
water it well at the start and don’t fuss over
the fruit tree. Allow it to grow freely, train it
when it grows a little wild, and make sure
the soil doesn’t dry out. If you fuss over a
plant it will get used to it and then you’ve
created a lot of hard work for yourself.
Keep it simple.”
Farouk doesn’t see the need for a worm
farm as “there are plenty of worms in the
compost soup and they love their life there”.
Another way he keeps things simple is by
using a manual lawn mower. “I toss some of
the clippings in the compost bin and allow
the rest to sit on the lawn itself to decompose
without smothering the lawn. Don’t you think
that’s a good idea?”
Farouk & Magda Khaled | GARDENING FOLK
“I don’t buy any of that stuff people spend a fortune on — you know, those
chemical sprays people use on plants. I say don’t kill bugs. They
are friendly, they are useful, they are needed.”
Enjoying the
produce
Farouk believes in storing water, which he
keeps in barrels in his shed. “When I need it
I simply scoop water using a watering can
and water difficult access points in my
Mediterranean
Tabouli Salad
Ingredients
2 bunches fresh parsley, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled, diced & seeded
5 leaves fresh peppermint, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 onion, chopped
½ cup bulgur
Juice 1 lemon
Dash olive oil
Allspice & sea salt, to taste
Method
In a bowl, mix finely chopped onion with
allspice and sea salt.
Soak bulgur for 20 minutes in warm water.
Squeeze out excess water and add to onions.
Chop or dice remaining ingredients and
add to the first mixing bowl. Add dash of
olive oil.
Serve with pita bread or lettuce leaves.