‘Farm Boys’ – Episode 1: Junk Wizards is now available to watch free, online at Patagonia.com.au/farmboys.
The six-part series follows earthly wizards Heath Joske and Addy Jones as they set about building a productive garden paradise in the dry Australian bush. Their materials: some old junk, a handful of seeds, and a lot of hard work.
The pair also catch up with a network of surfing friends who’ve all made a life out of growing their own food, in their own backyards, in their own way – from Tim Jones and Anna Taylor’s desert oasis to the productive garden of Lauren Hill and Dave Rastovich.
Presented by Patagonia and shot by Harry Triglone of Fun Boys Entertainment Systems, ‘Farm Boys’ features music by the Formidable Vegetable.
Offbeat, salty, dirty… it’s a cult classic in the making.
“It fills me with optimism and hope for the future of the planet to be honest,” told Heath Joske, following a premiere screening at Byron Bay Community Centre last week. “The first winter we were there, we planted a few hearty fruit trees – an olive, three figs and a mulberry tree – by the middle of the summer, they were all dead. We tried some veggies and failed miserably in those first years. We’ve had to resort to absolutely everything and anything we could to get things to grow. We’ve learned how to make my own compost, all our grey water if filtered through worm farms, and reused in our gardens. Everything has to go back into the soil, which is how I believe it should be. We can’t just take, take, take and throw it in the bin, because we’re going to exhaust all the resources. It you take and then put it back into your garden, reuse those resources, then the cycle can go on and on… it’s amazing to see that.”
“Tred lightly, waste nothin’, tend to your soil, grow food, go surfin’, and love your neighbours,” added Addy Jones.
All photos: SA Rips.
What’s in Ep1?
Heath and Addy stumble upon a junkyard in the South Australian bush and
begin their search to find a ladder for the outdoor toilet their building back on the farm. They find their ladder, along with a truckload of other useful rubbish they put to use, building a solar oven and baking a solar-powered chocolate cake.
How did the series come about?
Heath Joske and his family moved to rural South Australia back in 2017. When they found it difficult to get their hands on local fruit and veggies, they started learning to regenerate a barren property to grow their own. “I think everyone should give a shit about regenerative farming and ways of living, not just surfers, but surfers are very privileged in that we get to spend a lot of time in nature and you get to experience a lot of unspoiled places that experience that beauty quite often,” tells Heath. “Farming in a regenerative way brings you closer to that, that feeling we get out in the water all the time, and it also lessens your reliance on systems that are damaging nature constantly.”
Sharing that wisdom that’s been generously passed on to him, has been on Joske’s mind for a while. “’Farm Boys’ is all about just planting the seed of, you know, a different way of life, a simpler way of life of not having to go out and slave away five-days a week to pay off your big mortgages and lavish lifestyles. It’s about living off the land, having a deeper connection to nature and just trying to have a lighter impact.”
His aim is that those who tune into the episodes have a good laugh and feel a bit inspired to grow some food. “I hope it just inspires them to start that process and dive deeper into the awesome, crazy network of gardeners and all the information that’s out there. Just get amongst it!“
Watch Episode 1: Junk Wizards will be free to watch online on Patagonia’s Roaring Journals in August, with new episodes dropping weekly.
Sign up for alerts Patagonia.com.au/farmboys.
