Hey! I’m Kym.

My goal is to share forgotten skills that I've stumbled into knowing and return them from “uncommon sense” to common sense life skills.

Over time, as new technologies have taken over and convenience has made our lives easier, we as a society are starting to lose skills that were once passed down from generation to generation. Things like growing your own food and knowing how to use that food seem to be a distant memory of a grandmother who knew how to do those things.

I personally believe that action and change within communities starts from the grassroots and the DIY movement.

I’m super passionate about:

Where food comes from.
Growing good-quality plants without unnecessary synthetic fertilisers, fungicides or pesticides.
Helping people and communities grow their own food.
Running open, easy and fun workshops for all.
Inspiring kids to garden and get creative with nature play.
Punk, ska and folk punk music (as you probably can tell by now).
Just having fun in what I do.

Kym’s story

The road to becoming a food plant nursery specialist, workshop facilitator and banjo-ukulele playing music guy wasn’t necessarily the most straightforward, but it’s certainly been rewarding and fun!

My journey into food began in commercial kitchens after studying commercial cookery at Le Cordon Bleu in Adelaide.

After spending many years cooking away, I started to lose interest in the stainless steel world and wanted to step outside into the market gardening and plant-growing world.

In 2016, I discovered permaculture while volunteering on a property in Derby, Western Australia, which profoundly changed my life.

Since then, I've studied Certificate III and IV in Permaculture, worked on farms, helped start three community gardens, founded two edible plant nurseries (Port Adelaide Food Gardening in 2019, then Nomad Nursery in 2024), run countless workshops and helped hundreds of people grow their own food.

I’ve also made lots of friends along the way and been fortunate to tour some of the most beautiful gardens grown by absolute legends, which I'm most grateful for.

Let's workshop together

How I got here

2011-2015

In 2011 I studied a joint certificate/cuisine in commercial cookery with Le Cordon Bleu and TAFE. Then I worked in various kitchens.
2016

In 2016 I took a break from hospitality, travelled around Australia and volunteered on farms, where I eventually discovered permaculture.
2016-2018

I relocated to the Northern Rivers in New South Wales to study Certificate III and IV in Permaculture at the Byron Community College.
2019

In September 2019, my edible plant nursery named Port Adelaide Food Gardening became official, operating until January 2023.
2023

Worked as the nursery production and market garden manager for 18 months for Kitchen Farm Adelaide Hills.
2024

Ran the most amount of sustainability workshops ever, launched Nomad Nursery, started recording my debut album and finally got a website made up.

My values

Unity and community

Ska music, my favourite music genre by the way, has deep roots in bringing people of different backgrounds together. This also created the greatest genre music of all time, see what genius happens when people collaborate?

DIY and independent

Folk punk, my other favourite music genre by the way, has always carried the ethos of doing everything themselves. From recording, organising tours, self-made merch and anything else. The DO IT YOURSELF mentality shows you that anything is possible when you give it a go.

Individualism and authenticity

Punk music, my first favourite music genre by the way, has always strived to show that you can be yourself and not care what other people say. Ultimately, that makes a more authentic version of yourself and that’s what I encourage.