Your Outside Space

‘When we are at home in the garden, tending and nurturing all its plants, animals and minerals, living with them through all the seasons and days, then healing comes upon us like a gift and makes us whole.’ 

~ Christopher Bamford. 

In 1854 Henry David Thoreau published his book Walden, or a Live in the Woods. Thoreau, a Unitarian and transcendentalist, spent two years two months and two days living alone in the woods near Concord in Massachusetts in a self-made wooden house, foraging for and growing his own food. The book has been influential, both as a pioneer work of self-sufficiency, but also as a work of literature. Critics of Thoreau will always point out that his experience was not quite as ‘back-to-earth’ as might be believed, Concord was no too far away from ‘civilization’ and he did ‘send home the washing’ to his mother each week, and he had a steady stream of literary and philosophical visitors, but criticisms aside it is a wonderfully documented experiment. Thoreau did simplify his life and did use the experience to shape a philosophy of self-sufficiency which helps those of us attempting the same thing today.

Few of us have the means to do as Thoreau did and go out into the woods and ‘do our own thing’, but any of us with some land can have a pretty good attempt at a degree of self-sufficiency. Growing food is not just a process of producing food to avoid having to buy it, growing your own food is a way of connecting yourself with the land and with the seasons, it is as much a spiritual thing as a practical exercise and the  fulfilment of harvest is a rich one even if your crop is small. Even those without land can share in this bounty (Simple Gathering)

"I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green" 

~ Henry David Thoreau 

How to Grow Food 

Growing food changed humans from nomadic hunter gatherers into agriculturalists, so you could argue that it was the very beginning of what we call civilization. As you start on the process of growing your own food you may think that the deciding factor in success is how much land you have, this is very far from the truth. Geography, climate, weather, sunlight, soil, water and luck all exert a powerful influence on what you can grow on your land, and how effectively you grow your food. My old house stood on one acre of land which is about 130metres above sea level on the border between Wales and England, on moving here from the Thames Valley my first growing year was an education in what I could no longer grow and it took me a couple of years to realize that, early first frost, and late last frost, combined with a wet and windy climate and a vast rabbit population, would dictate many of my crop choices. It will be the same for you, wherever you grow your food you must take into account the constraints offered by nature; gardening books and television gardening advice can give you the rough direction, but you need to travel the roads and byways of your land yourself. Whatever land you are blessed with, it will give you food and that food will be good, give it time. Since moving to Sweden the new challenges involved with growing food in a shorter growing season have been many.

Of course it could be that your land is greater than a garden, you may have a smallholding or even a farm. Again success is not won easily and having the land is only the first hurdle in feeding yourself and your family. 

What to Grow

The answer to this is simple, it just may take some time to uncover the answer. Firstly, look at your area and see what others are growing successfully. If your neighbour can grow asparagus well then it should be a crop that you can consider, if you can walk for miles before coming across a decent soft fruit crop, then perhaps it is just not the area. This should not stop you trying to grow what you want, but it should be considered.  

Your local climate may be difficult, late frosts, early frosts, dry summers wet summers, slugs, deer, rabbits! Climate change is adding to the unpredictability of the whole process of growing food. This is one good reason for growing a wide range of crops, whatever the weather some things will succeed, and other things fail, monoculture is never the right path to self-sufficiency. 

If you have limited land you may want to consider not growing crops because they are available to you at low cost elsewhere. If you live a potato growing area; I would be foolish to give over great areas of your vegetable plot to grow potatoes if the farmer down the road will sell them to me at minimal cost. Likewise, if you have the taste for an expensive crop, like asparagus or globe artichokes, then growing them in your plot might save you more money over the years than growing crops that can usually be obtained cheaply like carrots or swede. 

Keep careful notes, nothing is more fun than using an ‘appointment diary’ to keep a record of what you sow, you can also smile to yourself that you have no appointments to keep! In this way you can keep a record of your successes and failures over the years and eventually have a good selection of reliable varieties that do well for you, this will help prevent you from being seduced by the descriptions offered in seed catalogues that are, at best highly ‘imaginative’. Whatever you grow determine to try two of three new things each year, in this way you're growing will never lack interest nor will you miss out on exciting new crops. 

“The greatest change we need to make is from consumption to production, even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only ten percent of us do this, there is enough for everyone. Hence the futility of revolutionaries who have no gardens, who depend on the very system they attack, and who produce words and bullets, not food and shelter.” 

― Bill Mollison 

Vegetables 

Obviously the first thing that you will want to consider is growing vegetables, these are not the only crops that you will want to grow so don’t use all of your land up for them without some careful thought first. Summer vegetables are fine, but don’t fall into the trap of growing more than you can eat, preserve, or freeze. Give over a good proportion of your growing area to those crops that produce a harvest at other times of the year particularly winter and early spring. Unless you live in a very cold area you should be able to find varieties of sprouts, kale, cabbage, and leek that will ensure your plot is productive throughout the year. Digging and the correct use of manure and lime are important for your crops, so plan your year as well as your space carefully. Seed catalogues will frequently tell you that a new variety is better than all its predecessors, however, this is rarely true and, as far as I know only time will tell. 

Trees with edible fruit and nuts

Apples, pears, plums, damsons, cherries, hazelnuts and walnuts are all worth growing if you have the space. In addition to the food they may provide you with sticks for growing peas and beans and perhaps some firewood. Trees can also provide you with useful windbreaks which have a very important role in your growing area. While all of these trees take a few years to become productive the investment is worth it, an apple tree can repay you its original cost in its first two years of apple production. If you do not have fruit trees growing near you then you will have to plant more than one of each species to provide a pollination partner. If you live in an area where spring can come late, then choose late flowering varieties where possible. 

Soft Fruit 

One of the best things to grow in any garden is soft fruit like raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, red-currants, gooseberries, blueberries, wine berries, etc. Not only are they much less time consuming than vegetables, but they can be easily reserved, in a number of ways so overproduction is rarely a problem. Again the cost of the plants is soon covered by fruit production and careful planning will provide you with years of cropping. The different species of plant listed above all, have some special growing requirements so do your research well before planting. In almost every garden you will need to protect your crop from birds, I like to keep mine under netting and then, when I have harvested all I need I remove the net and let the wild birds move in for a feast! 

Herbs 

You can grow herbs in any sized garden and it proves to be very profitable indeed, not only do you have fresh herbs to cook with when you want them, but you can also grow some to treat minor ailments With a few notable exceptions (like bay for instance) dried herbs are very disappointing, so preserve them by freezing or making herb pesto’s which can be then be used in cooking throughout the year. Some herbs are perennial and need a sheltered spot in the garden, but others can be grown annually very easily. When I first moved to my current house I carefully planned an herb garden, but now I have planted herbs all over the place, in vegetable plots, containers and flower beds, you can find clumps of chives, sage and various mints in all kinds of corners. Plant some of your favourite herbs close to the house in pots so that you can pop out and harvest them while cooking (and find them in the dark). Pots can be moved into a polytunnel or conservatory in the winter to prolong the growing season and protect them from frosts. You should certainly consider chives, mint, sage, thyme, oregano/marjoram, parsley, rosemary, winter and summer savoury and, if you have the space and your winters are no too harsh, bay. 

Decorative Plants 

However large or small your growing area is, please don’t forget to grow flowers, shrubs and trees which are beautiful, but not necessarily edible. Flowers will do much to encourage valuable pollinators to your garden so please choose those that have open structures which allow for nectar and pollen to be taken. Flowers can make your garden more beautiful and can also provide you with cut flowers for the house and dried flowers for the winter months. Some flowers are very useful to grow in your vegetable plot because they either smell so strongly they put pests off the scent of your crops, or they act as a breeding ground for friendly predators, or they act as a decoy for predators. Pot marigolds and nasturtiums are very useful and, self-sown, germinating nasturtium seeds is a very good indicator that the soil is warm enough to sow many vegetables.  

Shrubs, bushes and trees all have a use in providing hedging, windbreaks, hiding the unsightly and protecting your privacy. Most importantly a garden which finds room for beauty, as well as food production, will be a wonderful environment for you and your family to work and relax in. 

Protected Growing 

For most of us the biggest problem we have in growing food is the shortness of the growing season. This can be extended by a number of means, for instance starting seedling off on a windowsill indoors will have your plants off to a rapid start when the weather is warm enough for them to go outside. If you are lucky enough to have a conservatory, or greenhouse attached to your home, you can take full advantage of lighter and warmer conditions than outdoors environment for much of the year.  

Polythene is a cheap, easily recycled, and very useful material for making protected areas outside, either on its own over metal hoops, or shaped into a polytunnel. Polytunnels are not as effective as conventional greenhouses, but are very useful for protecting crops. The night time temperature in my tunnel is never less than four degrees above the outside temperature, so in spring and autumn you can extend the growing season by up to four weeks, and in summer you can raise crops, like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers which may not grow well outside in your area. 

Take care to choose your tunnel and its position carefully and be aware that in some areas they require planning permission, so please check with your local authority before you get building.  Every few years you will need to change the polythene on your tunnel so be sure to recycle the old cover and fit in with your obligation to recycle wherever possible. 

Organic or Not? 

Obviously a simple grower will want to use the soil in a way that does not contaminate it for future generations, and will want to protect animals that have as much right to the land as you do. On the other hand, if you do nothing all your crops will be lost and your work in vain. The answer is to select a form of growing that has minimum impact on the environment. For most of us organic gardening is the way, but before we fully accept the concept we might like to consider a few points. Firstly ‘the organic movement’ has had a tendency to go back in time to the agricultural methods of a time before World War II. If you read books on growing written before that time you will find it quite common to kill weeds with concentrated sulphuric acid and to spray fruit with terrible substances like arsenate of lead, because something used to be done doesn’t mean the environmental impact was not significant, it was just unmeasured. I have also seen organic gardeners widely accept volcanic ash as a fertilizer because it is ‘natural’ whereas in fact, it contains dangerous levels of selenium compounds, very toxic substances. Err on the side of caution before using a product just because it is labelled as ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ both words are widely used in advertising and seldom have much meaning.  The ‘real way’ of organic gardening is to use any way you can come up with without resorting to harmful chemicals. 

In my garden I apply the following rules to help conserve the environment and get a reasonable crop; 

• If crops seem to be doing fine then don’t use any pesticide on them at all! 
• If you have leaves attacked by insect pests like then try spraying with water to remove them, or a solution of soft-soap applied regularly. If you are driven to use something more powerful use a spray that is biodegradable and non-toxic to humans like pyrethrums of a suspension of rape oil in water. 
• Net, cover and protect your crops as effectively as you can. 
• Make a scarecrow, but be careful they can give you a terrible shock if you look up from your work to see them standing above you! 
• If slugs are a problem, then try trapping them in beer traps, or collecting them at night. You may have some success with biological controls like nematodes, but these can prove very expensive with a large area to treat. If you have to use other manufactured remedies ensure that you use well tested, biologically friendly, products and use them very sparingly. A pet duck, if you can tolerate the mess, will eat itself silly on slugs and happily spend the day finding them. 
• Encourage wildlife to your garden that feed on pests; hedgehogs, frogs and toads get looked after very well in my garden, it’s the least I can do! 
• Ginger cats are excellent at getting your garden free of rabbits, rats and mice; in my experience they are better than any other shade of cat at doing this. 
• Homemade compost is the best way to feed your plants. 
• Growing plants can benefit from regular spaying with a seaweed solution. 
• Proprietary organic fertilizers are, in my opinion, very useful on occasions and I do use them to boost growth on plants that will not succeed otherwise. 
• Weeds are kept under control by hand weeding and hoeing. Clearing grassland to convert into food growing areas is very difficult without the one-off use of a biodegradable weed killer, but success can be had if you cover the area with black polythene for about six months prior to digging. Perhaps the best approach to weeds is to find those that are good to eat, and those that chickens like to eat and tolerate them to some extent. Other weeds of the perennial kind need to be dug out. It is wrong to expect a weed free garden, but it is bad gardening to let the weeds take over. 
• The golden rule is that whatever substances you use on your garden, don’t use them more often than necessary, and store them safely. If you can avoid using them altogether, then that is the simple way. 

The Large Plot 

If your plot is large the best way to manage it is by conventional growing using crop rotation. For instance divide you plot into four and use them as 1 Potatoes, 2 Brassica (cabbage family), 3 green leafy vegetable and beans, 4 roots. Every year you chance the order of plots that no crop grows in the same place for four years. You will need to also find space for fruit trees, soft fruit, and herbs, but these generally don’t get included in the rotation. You might also like to consider a polytunnel. Large plots do require a lot of work, especially if your locality has unpredictable weather and you find yourself with late frosts and summer droughts.  Larger plots do not allow the kind of micro-management that smaller plots allow so you have to space crops very generously to allow for hoeing, smaller plots allow for more hand weeding. If a large space is available to you, but your time or energy is limited, consider fencing a smaller area off for food production and leaving some of you

The Medium Sized Plot

For any medium sized plot of land the best and simplest way to use it is a traditional kitchen garden. Vegetable plots are positioned with some suitable paving, or gravel, paths to separate them. Crop rotation should be used and flowers and fruit bushes incorporated into the general design. Intensive cultivation is much more manageable than on a larger plot so plants can be spaced a little closer and crops can be raised by sequential cropping; as soon as one crop is harvested the next crop goes in (autumn/winter crops like leeks are quickly followed by summer cabbages, or sprouts followed by potatoes). If your soil is poor, or you are unable to dig easily, then you should consider the use of raised beds, these are expensive to set up, but are very effective ways of maximizing your food production. 

The Small Plot 

To my mind any realistic ideas of crop rotation are inappropriate for a small area, though you should still avoid growing things in exactly the same place as last year. A better way is to start a potager style garden. Here vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers are grown together in a way that both produces good crops and looks beautiful. This does mean that your garden does not need to have separate flower beds, the flowers are simply mixed in with the vegetables. Even large gardens can gainfully introduce a potager style for the area close to the hose with large scale vegetable production in the main plots. 

A potager needs to be looked after well and the gardener needs a lot of time on hands and knees, but such a beautiful result is possible in the first year. You can make your potager very ornate and geometric if you want, but keep in mind that it’s a simple life you want! 

A Wok Garden 

If the space for you to grow vegetables is very small consider starting a ‘wok garden’. Simply grow very small numbers of vegetable plants by successional sowings. Every evening, in the summer months just visit your garden and collect the small amounts of vegetables ready for eating; this might be just a few pea pods, half a handful of green beans, a pepper, spring onions, some spinach leaves and a few radishes, whatever is just right to eat. Back in the kitchen chop the vegetables and cook them, with rice or noodles in a wok. You simply don’t need large harvests to do this and you can carry on cropping all season. Salads can also be grown this way, everyday just take what is ready to crop and eat it. If you live alone, or as a couple, this method of gardening and eating will provide you with really fresh food for a good part of the year, in winter months you can grow many vegetables indoors in pots. It may not be self-sufficient, but it is a way of growing and eating your own food. 

Stocking your Plot 

You can buy seeds for your garden or you can buy young plants, but both of these are increasingly expensive. If you are in a community of growers then the sharing of plants can work wonderfully well, you simply sow a tray of cabbage, transplant as many as you need to your neighbour. Don’t ask for or expect, anything back in return, but after a while a community of ‘plant passers’ will be established. Saving your own seed it an excellent way of saving money, just leave a plant or two go to seed, collect and dry them for sowing next year. You can save seeds from most plants, but be warned, you will not get what you expect by saving the seeds of F1 plants, and even if your plants are not F1 you can expect the occasional surprise. Beans, peas, sweet peas, all members of the onion family and beetroot are especially easy to collect seeds from. I leave parsnips to seed themselves in the garden and look for self-sown plants the next year. 

As an experienced grower, you will find that it gets easier to spot self-sown plants in your garden. To the inexperienced eye, these are weeds, but once you can recognize them simply transplant them to a more convenient spot, you will be surprised how effective the collection of these free plants can be. 

Compost 

Whatever the size of your garden you will need to make a compost heap. Ideally, your compost will be a wonderful and nutritious supplement to your soil, but in reality it will vary in composition and quality. This is not a terrible problem, whatever the quality of your compost as long as it is well decomposed and fibrous it will be of use to you in the garden. Uses weeds, animal manure, grass-clippings and biodegradable waste from your kitchen, try to layer the heap carefully and don’t include large items without chopping them first. In summer your heap will be useable quite quickly, but in cold weather it may take some months. If you are unhappy with the quality of your finished product then layer it with fresh material in a new heap. You can add wood ashes, but not ashes from coal fires, if you add too much of one thing, then mixing the heap up will help material to decompose. You may need to cover your compost heap in very wet weather. 

(C) Ray Lovegrove 2016 2022

Simple Dressing

Clothing serves a number of functions for humans. Clothes keep us warm, protect us from rain and sun, hide our bodies from embarrassment, help confirm our social status, attract a partner, may signify our job or even help us get a job, allow us to identify with others, but also give us the chance to demonstrate our individualism. Given all these reasons for wearing clothing, it is not surprising that most of us spend a considerable amount of time and money on deciding how to dress.


When discussing clothing I will be using three terms; “simple dressing”, which means applying the same principles of simplicity to our clothing as we might to decorating our houses or developing our gardens; and “plain dressing”, defined as dressing simply but avoiding certain forms of dress or patterns of material and generally dressing in a restricted form of design and colours. I also use the term “Plain dress” with an upper case ‘P’, this is used to describe the distinctive form of dress used mainly by religious groups such as Amish, conservative Mennonites, some conservative Quakers and Hassidic Jews. As well as relating to any simple lifestyle we might also like to consider that any of the above may be adopted to preserve ‘modesty’ as a religous obligation, such as for those in holy orders or many ordinary Muslims, Jews and Christians.

Practical Dressing


Before we look at more controversial ideas about simple dress, we need to remind ourselves of some basics about keeping warm and using clothing as sun protection. The best way to keep warm is not to invest in some very expensive polar expedition wear, but rather to use the old idea of wearing layers of clothing. In winter, just dress yourself in as many layers as you need to prepare yourself for what you have to do. In the spring and autumn, days often start cold yet soon warm up, so the outer layers of clothing can simply be removed to allow you to remain comfortable. The same is true of working outside in very cold weather; start off with many layers and then, as the work warms you up, take off the outer layers. In both cases, as you cool down, put back the outer layers and you will continue to stay comfortable.


Sunlight is a gift, especially to those of us in northern Europe and North America. However, the powerful ultraviolet component of sunlight is very damaging to skin; at best it will give you sunburn, or result in premature ageing of skin, and at worst it can cause skin cancer. Those of us with pale skins are most susceptible to damage, but all skin types can suffer harm. The simple solution to this is to stay covered and wear long sleeves and leg coverings when working in the sun. Likewise, the damaging effects of sun on the eyes becomes apparent as we get older, particularly for those with pale blue eyes, so wear a broad brimmed hat outside when the sun shines, whatever the time of year. Dark glasses also work, but a broad brimmed hat has the added advantage of keeping the back of the neck cool in hot weather, an important point to note.

Obviously if your work involves you in particular dangers then you dress accordingly; digging the garden whilst wearing sandals is not really very clever, neither is beekeeping in shorts!

Aiming for Simplicity of Style

How you decide to dress as a part of your simple life is very likely to result in your having a major overhaul of what you wear, or rather what you have in your wardrobe. To reduce the size of your wardrobe, you must consider the number of items of clothing that you never or hardly ever wear. If you also want to simplify the process of deciding what to wear, you need to make some important decisions. Firstly, what are you most comfortable wearing? Use this to decide upon the range of clothes that you are going to base your wardrobe around. Secondly, what colours do you like? These are very individual matters, but all the same, try to limit yourself to a handful of styles and colours that you are happy with. Thirdly, decide on which fabrics you favor and there you go! You don’t need to follow any designer nor any trend; warmth, comfort, and practicality will be the most important factors.

Next, look at your current clothing collection and see whether it matches up to the decisions you have just made. Chances are that you have enough items already that match your criteria, but don’t rush out and buy new things if they don’t. Simply give what you don’t need, like, or that doesn’t fit you properly, to a charity shop and replace other items as and when you need to. It may take you a year or so to develop a truly simple wardrobe that you are happy with, but it will have been worth the wait. Spend a little time considering any major changes to the way in which you want to dress. It is not a simple solution if you find yourself spending time and money on things with which you feel unhappy a few weeks later. Poor decisions will only result in more items sitting unworn in your wardrobe before they also make that trip to the charity shop. Try always to buy things that will fit your needs in years to come very fashionable items have a habit of looking a little out of place next ‘season’.

Don’t be led into thinking that you need to change if you don’t want to, or that anything is particularly wrong with how you dress at present. Neither should you feel pushed into anything that is outside of what you want; if simple, ethically produced jeans and a t-shirt are what you decide on, or a simple skirt and top, then that’s fine.

Dressing for the Day

Many of us do different tasks throughout the day and may fall into the trap of changing clothes two or three times. Changing takes time and produces more laundry than necessary, so dressing for the day is a good idea. Decide the night before what you need to do (and if working outside, consider the weather); then dress in a way that will see you through to bedtime! Obviously if you work for an employer then this may not be practical, but for those who work from home and for all of us on weekends, it should be a goal to work towards.

May I put in a good word here for the ‘bib and brace’ overall (sometimes called dungarees in the UK); available in cotton, polyester/cotton or cotton denim, these are perfect for lifestyles that have you working inside and outside the house throughout the day. You need wear very little underneath in hot weather but you can easily wear extra layers underneath when it is cold. Try to avoid zippers when purchasing (see below) and consider polyester/cotton for a fast laundry turn around.

If you are cooking or doing other messy household tasks, invest in some easily washable cotton aprons. Those PVC aprons are really not good to wear but a cotton apron does the job and you can dry your hands on them as well. Cotton aprons need to go in the wash at the end of a busy day in the kitchen, so you need a few of them. You will find them easy to wash, dry and repair, and unless anything unexpected happens, they have an active life of many years. Buy them with pockets on the front and an adjustable buckle on the neck strap to fit you perfectly.

Natural versus synthetic fibre

When deciding of the fabrics for your clothing you might assume that the answer is always ‘natural’… but give it a little more thought. Some natural fabrics like cotton are wonderful; soft, washable, durable, and still look good, even when faded. Others such as wool are expensive, difficult to wash without shrinkage, and may take days and days to dry after washing. Another consideration is environmental issues surrounding the manufacture and ultimate disposal of your fabric, and you might also like to consider the chemicals used on the animal or plant that provided the fabric. The table below shows a classification system whereby fabrics are graded as to their sustainability with ‘Class A’ being best and ‘Class E’ being worst. Some fabrics are unclassified because of lack of research. Without going too much into detail, the idea of ‘natural is good, synthetic is bad’ is obviously not sophisticated enough as a mantra for buying clothes. Mixed fibres are an even greater problems to assess in terms of environmental impact.

No matter the fabric or the reason for choosing it, remember that well-chosen items, easily repairable and designed to last for many years, are always more environmentally friendly than items that are beyond use after a year or so. To reduce the impact that your clothing has on the environment, choose carefully, and choose clothing to last. Obviously, those who follow a vegan diet (or some vegetarians) will have strong issues with wearing wool, leather, and silk, all of which are of animal origin.

Choosing environmentally friendly fabric is only worth doing if the garment is going to last you a long time; if mixed fibre fabric is going to last you ten times as long, then it could still have less overall impact on the environment than ethically sourced clothing discarded after a year of wear.

Zip Fasteners

Zip fasteners (zips or zippers) are best avoided for the reason of durability and ease of repair. A zip on an outside coat is a great idea, but if the zip gets broken or damaged it will prove impossible, or at least very expensive, to replace. Taking out a damaged zip and replacing it with a new one, always assuming you can find one of the right size, is very difficult and requires the labours of a skilled tailor or dressmaker; the cost of doing this may exceed the original cost of the item. However, replacing buttons is something we can all do. I can think of several items of clothing that I have had to discard for the want of zipper repair when, had they used buttons instead, would still be in active service. Careful shopping can just about eliminate zippers from your wardrobe as items get replaced, but completely zipper-free existence seems difficult. In Europe, trying to find zip-free, rainproof outer wear seems impossible, so some compromise is always needed. Nevertheless, consider choosing clothing without zip fasteners wherever possible.

Ethical Shopping

Few of us are wealthy enough to provide all our clothing needs from non mass-produced sources, and even fewer of us are talented enough to make all our own clothes. Given this, it is important to make sure that unnecessary burdens have not been placed on those who make our clothes and that we minimize the environmental problems caused by manufacture.

John Woolman, a seventeenth century Quaker, caused quite a stir when he started wearing Quaker Plain clothing, but in raw uncoloured fabric rather than the customary ‘Quaker grey’. His point was that slave labour had been used to produce the dyes usually used for clothing; he could not support slavery so decided that he could live without fabric dye.

We need to be more like John Woolman in our role as consumers; rejecting goods that we cannot be sure have been produced to the highest ethical standards. It would be impossible to find the source of every item of clothing you buy, so you need to do homework on the companies you buy them from. All reasonably sized retailers will have an ethical policy and you should satisfy yourself that anything bought from that retailer is suitable. Smaller and independent retailers might be harder to ‘pin down’, but ask - if you are not satisfied, then don’t buy! Labels can be helpful in making your choices.

It is one thing to expect someone with a good income to be ‘picky’ about what they buy, but many people on restricted incomes will find that in reality, they have to read up on the stores policies and hope that they are doing a good job!

It is easy to make snap judgements when looking at the pay of workers in developing countries. We can blame companies for poor working conditions and wages whilst benefitting from low clothes pricing in our shops but remember - the workers who made your garment may have no work at all if you don’t buy and, in many locations, the only alternatives to low paid or piece work may be prostitution and drug dealing. Local wages may seem low to us but may be of a good standard in the area; it needs careful analysis. As far as working conditions go, workers should never be expected to work excessive hours, begin working at too young an age, or work until they are too old. Workers should also have sufficient heat and light to do their work comfortably – we rely on the companies we use to insist upon good conditions for their workers. Always expect to pay ‘reasonable’ prices when you buy and demand that ‘reasonable’ fees are paid to those who made your clothes.

“I find that to be a fool as to worldly wisdom, and to commit my cause to God, not fearing to offend men, who take offence at the simplicity of truth, is the only way to remain unmoved at the sentiments of others.”

~John Woolman (Quaker)

If you have concerns about the working conditions of those who labour to make your clothes then do take every opportunity to raise them with retailers. Over the last decade many high street retailers have developed some very pleasing ethical standards, but these will always need close supervision and constant appraisal.

Charity Shops

Called ‘charity shops’ in the UK, and ‘thrift stores’ in the US, these outlets are one of the greatest assets for those of us who wish to live simply. Use them to buy the clothing you need and when you have no need for items of clothing, donate them! Given that these items have been owned and worn already, they will need a careful visual examination when purchasing, and you might just need to do a few repairs. These items have already been purchased once by the previous owner, so ‘ethical shopping’ is not a practical issue as long as you are happy with the charity that runs the shop. I think you are so far removed from the original manufacture of the garment that it is a fairly empty exercise in trying to find out whether it was produced ethically or not, but labels may provide some help. Donations to charity shops are not always resold; some are sent directly to developing countries to help clothe the population (children’s clothes are often dealt with in this way), for disaster relief, and items unsuitable for sale are often shredded to make other products. No matter what is done with them, these are all far better ways to dispose of your clothing than opting for landfill. Always take a tape measure with you when visiting charity shops, as sizing might not be too accurate.

Making your Own Clothes

Whether you have the skills or simply need to revive them, making your own clothes is a fine thing to do. No matter if it’s making a dress or knitting a scarf, nothing gives you so much control over fabric, style or colour. Ethically-sourced working materials are all you need to worry about. If you are skilled at making clothes, be sure to teach your children and any interested friends how to get going on this.

Many people go a little further; they even spin their own yarn and weave their own fabric. You may not have enough time to do this, but you may find someone with these skills who can supply you with yarn or fabric.

Dyeing at Home

Dyeing clothing is a good way to improve the appearance of items, or to get your wardrobe within the colour range you have decided upon. You can buy dyes that work in the washing machine, or you may prefer to make some natural dyes of your own. Either way, you need to consider a few points. Some fabrics do not take up dye; polyester is notable for this. If you use black dye on fabric that is white polyester/cotton, then the polyester will stay white and the cotton dye black, the result ~ grey fabric. Many items made of cotton have stitching of a synthetic material that does not dye; after dyeing you will be left with seam stitching seams of a different colour. A most important point is that you cannot dye clothing that has been stained with bleach, scorched, or spotted with grease or oil; the dye will not cover these things and they may look even worse after dyeing. That aside dyeing can be a very useful way of extending the life of clothing and house fabrics.

Bleaching


Ordinary diluted domestic bleach can be used to change the colour of garments to make them more acceptable plain, or to give them a more natural look. The results are a little unpredictable and often result in not a lighter shade, but a different colour altogether, for instance blues often bleach not to pale blue, but to pink. Patterns, stripes and the like may be removed by bleaching, but are more likely just become to  made more pale. As with dyeing, grease stains will show up on any bleached fabric, and metal buttons and fittings may corrode. Still, many find this an inexpensive way to make secondhand clothing more acceptable. If you manage to buy cloth before it has been sewn into garments, then bleaching (after testing on a small sample) may give excellent results. As an alternative to chlorine-based bleaches, which are often harsh on fabrics, you can use readily available oxygen-based bleaches which are just added to the wash, these are excellent for ‘toning down’ colours that are too bright or too deep.

Designer Labels

Once upon a time, a label in an item of clothing was discreetly sewn in the inside, more or less as a reminder to you of who made it when the time came for a replacement. Now however, times have changed and the name of the manufacturer is commonly displayed in large letters, or some other recognizable logo, for the all the world to see. Why? If you have purchased the product it belongs to you, do you want to become a walking advertising placard? Why does the manufacturer insist on proclaiming its name on a product which no longer belongs to them? Simple living, if it is anything, is a proclamation of independence from the corporations that run so many aspects of our life. When you walk down the street make sure it’s you others see and not the products you wear. If you do buy ‘designer clothes’, buy them because they are well made, simple, durable and ethically produced. Reject them if they are using your body to sell more products. If you don’t want your body to advertise clothing companies, consider strongly whether you also want to publicize soft drinks, rock groups, political causes or any other message. Simple clothing does the job; it does not have to sell anything!

Hair, Makeup and Jewelry

Hair is one of the most individualistic and personal things about us and I think we all have to make up our own minds about it. Obviously if your hair style costs you lots of time, and money involving regular trips to the hairdresser, then you might want to consider something more simple and manageable in the long-term. Two manageable styles of hair, for either sex, are either so short that you can wash it and dry it and it causes you no problems all day long… or so long that you can wash it, dry it and tie it back. If you opt for a hair style that needs constant visits to a hairdresser, then consider the time and expense this costs and decide whether something more manageable might work for you.

Make up is not worn by Plain people like the Amish, but you have the freedom to make up your own mind. In choosing cosmetics, stick to a simple regime that goes with your overall style and try to keep it so simple that applying it does not become a long daily chore. You will want to take every care that the cosmetics you buy are ethically produced and not tested on animals. If you have sensitive skin, only buy cosmetics and toiletries labeled as 'hypoallergenic'.

Again, jewelry is not worn by Plain people; even watches are very rarely seen. Nothing spoils so much as too much jewelry on an otherwise simply dressed person. An old Mennonite piece of advice passed on from mother to daughter is; always remove the last item of jewelry you put on before going out. Try it! Wedding rings are not worn by many Plain people, but this trend seems to be changing over the last few years.

Facial Hair

A matter of personal preference for men is whether to grow facial hair or not (in fact it grows anyway so the decision is really whether to shave it off or not). Razor blades and shaving foam are not cheap and modern razors seem to be made of so many different materials that recycling is impossible, so not shaving may be more environmentally responsible! Traditionally, Plain men have grown beards but not moustaches, as they were identified with the military. This can be seen in the traditional Quaker/Amish beard of Pennsylvania and Ohio, but historically, such beards were once commonplace as seen on any portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

In many Plain and Muslim communities, men are clean shaven until they marry and then they grow a beard. It is likely that facial hair also had a function in protecting the faces of men from intense sunshine, as they traditionally worked out in the open air all day long. They also helped keep out the cold ~ these functions might also prove useful today.

Laundry

Laundry can be one of the most time consuming of household jobs, but need not be the most tedious. Washing clothes the way it was done one hundred years ago is something none of us, thankfully, have to do. Even the Amish use powered washing machines (powered by their own small generators) and I personally nominate these wonderful laundry devices as one of the most important technological advancements of any age! Still, it is better to keep laundry to reasonable levels and ensure that the process is as environmentally friendly as you can make it. Firstly, don’t wash clothes unless they need it; outer clothes can take a good brush to remove dust and dried mud without going near the washing machine too often. Always wash on the lowest temperature possible and wait until you have a tubful to save money and energy. Experiment with using less washing powder and look at ‘eco-friendly’ alternatives; consider whether you need to use fabric softener at all (if you live in a soft water area you may not).

Clothes are best dried outside on a washing line, or if you prefer, a substantial rotary dryer. The joy of seeing a line full of washed clothes dancing in the wind on a bright sunny day is boundless! Whether you use plastic or wooden pegs (I find the wood can stain the fabric) keep them in an open basket so that you can happily, and accurately, throw them in if you have to hurry getting in the washing due to rain.

Ironing is best done as soon after drying the laundry as possible; cotton benefits from being still a little damp when it is ironed. Sort washing before ironing, so you do all the ‘hot iron’ items in one lot and then all the ‘cool iron’ items in another. If you own a television, why not record what you want to watch and look at it while ironing. On showery days I like to keep the ironing board up and ready; if it rains, I iron and when the rain stops, I unplug the iron and go back out into the garden!

Grow some of the herb sweet woodruff in your garden and put the odd dried sprig in between your ironed sheets; it smells fresh and laundry-like!

(C) Ray Lovegrove 2016 2022

See Also,

Radically Change the way you Dress

Plain Dressing