Three Hawke's Bay gardeners keep careful watch over precious crops that are central to a range of natural remedies.IN MOST GARDENS they are considered weeds but, in the Weleda gardens in Hawke's Bay, three gardeners tend their stinging nettle and St John's wort with as much care as they do the pretty echinacea and camomile. They grow these and more than 60 other plants needed to produce Weleda's ranges of skincare and natural medicines, such as cough syrups and eczema creams, which are sold here and in Australia. In the busy summer months, extra staff are hired to hand-pick the crops, but throughout the year WarrenPearce, Ahere Scott and student Sooae Jang make up the main team tending just under a hectare of crops on the 10ha property. All are cared for and harvested by hand. This is a biodynamic farm, so no pesticides or chemicals are used. "Our hands and eyes are the chemicals. It's a labour-intensive style of gardening, but it produces high yields of plants that are safe and ready to be used in the products," says Warren.
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