"The garden acts like a stomach," Field & Fin owner Daryl Byrne tells Broadsheet, reaching into a raised bed at his outdoor garden restaurant and pulling out a ball of clay the size of a marble. His hand-built horticultural system catches water from the roof, which flows down to fish tanks, gathering oxygen on the way. After picking up nutrients, the water makes its way to the planters. If it's not clear, this isn't your average Marrickville venue.
The casual restaurant – in the inner west's industrial heart – is also an aquaponics farm, fitted with a collection of repurposed and found items: zig-zagging PVC pipes that direct rainwater from the roof; big tanks full of maturing bass and silver perch; a humidity-controlled shipping container doubling as a mushroom-growing room.
"It has no soil, just water and these clay balls full of tiny holes that create an environment for a microbiome. That takes the waste from the fish tanks and breaks it down one level to make nutrients for the plants." Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, herbs, cabbage, spring onions and garlic have been harvested, and there are pear, pistachio, plum, apple, cherry and citrus trees in pots. In the 18 months since he built the ecosystem, Byrne hasn't added chemicals or changed the water – or even topped it up.
Byrne isn't in business for money's sake. Field & Fin is dedicated to making a positive impact on the environment. "Food miles in Australia are massive: 70 per cent of the cost and pollution comes from trucking things in. Mushrooms are imported from China, herbs come from all over. We're not a big operation; I'm trying to fix my own pocket. It doesn't take one person doing everything perfectly. It takes everyone doing their tiny bit."
Source: broadsheet.com.au