Inspirational 100-year-old Gardener

Whether you garden to grow your own food, get involved in your local community, plant for wildlife or just love ornamentals, gardening has been proved to have a positive effect on our physical and mental health. Tino meets Kathleen Golder, a keen gardener who is living proof of the life long benefits of gardening – she is about to turn 100, and still gets into the patch every day!

Kathleen comes from a long line of veggie gardeners “my grandfathers on both sides were gardeners. I grew up on the best fruit and vegetables. One of my grandfathers was head gardener at Peckforton Castle estate where he managed 22 gardens including the large vegetable gardens, orchards and extensive glasshouses. I was born in the gardener’s cottage in the middle of the garden”.

Kathleen and her late husband Peter migrated to Australia from Manchester in 1953. The family started their new Australian life in outback QLD but moved regularly, developing gardens to feed their growing brood wherever they settled. Given Kathleen and Peter had ten children all together, feeding a family from home grown produce was no small feat. We had meal after meal, dinner after dinner from the garden.” “Peter and I were both vegetarians and I’ve been a vegetarian since before the war. I brought up all my children vegetarian! The kids went to school with not cornflakes in their stomachs but a cabbage salad and a baked potato.”

Kathleen and her late husband Peter moved to Tasmania in the 80’s to help their son and young family start a vineyard in the North of the state. In her early 70’s Kathleen was responsible for propagating thousands of vine cuttings and helping to start the large veggie garden. After 10 years on the vineyard, Kathleen and Peter bought their home and garden in South Hobart. The block is just under a quarter of an acre and although they were both in their 80’s, they set to work digging up lawn and planting out the veggie garden that Kathleen has been tending to ever since.

Kathleen now “As you know I’m not very young…I can’t do the work I use to do. A young lad comes and keeps the paths clean, so I can still get around the garden and Jane comes over a lot”. Her daughter Jane recently set up raised garden beds, so her mum can get back into doing some of her own planting but over the years Jane has been slowly taking over most of the physical work under Kathleen’s strict guidance.

With Jane’s help Kathleen still grows an impressive amount of food. “I have lots of herbs, broccoli, leeks, lettuce the odd bit of asparagus that pops up. The apple and plum trees are also doing really well. The satsuma plum was just pruned by one of my sons. There are also two pears, one nectarine, a fig and an apricot tree. I have a bit of fruit coming on at the moment”.

Kathleen is big on herbs “The parsley I always let go to seed. It grows everywhere so I’m never without parsley. I also just planted some lemongrass in a pot that I hope survives!” Kathleen notes “I’ve been very successful with odd things too. I planted wasabi a few years ago under some small bushes at the front of the house. I thought if it lives, it lives and if it dies it dies. When we harvested it a couple of weeks ago we got 6 inches (15cm) of stalk! Previously I tried to nurture the plant it didn’t like it. I think it liked being neglected. Even at my age I keep on learning.”

Kathleen believes that a lifetime of gardening is the key to her long healthy life because it keeps her physically and mentally active. “To keep the mind going is essential. It helps me enormously to go into the patio, plan the next seasons crops and see the plants being planted out. I read a lot of Gardening books. At my age I keep my mind working and open to new ideas. I’m still thinking about the future. I’m aging in my bones but not in my mind.”

Kathleen has a special recipe she uses when planting seedlings which she shares with Tino.

Kathleen’s Fetiliser Recipe

10 parts blood & bone
1 part magnesium sulphate
1 part dolomite
1 part sulphate of potash


Mix with a bit of soil, and when planting, add half a handful into the soil with each seedling.


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Gardening Australia is an ABC TV program providing gardening know-how and inspiration. Presented by Australia's leading horticultural experts, Gardening Australia is a valuable resource to all gardeners through the television program, the magazine, books, DVDs and extensive online content.

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