No toilet, no running water, no phone service and shoddy electricity. It’s the “feral dirtbag” life to power her passion for seed saving and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Jemma Ostenfeld describes herself as a “certain kind of crazy” living in a paddock at a Paengaroa farm to grow heritage seeds, foster local food security and connect with the land and community.

Thanks to Chrissi and Marty Robinson, who own Redwood Valley Farm, Ostenfeld said she had about one quarter acre of land to tend to her nursery and garden known as “The Eastern Field” – a direct translation of her Danish surname.

Ostenfeld shifted her seed-saving project, established in 2022, from Rotorua to Whakatāne, and now has set roots down in Paengaroa.

“Essentially ... I grow plants for their seeds, harvest a bunch of seeds and then use them to turn into seedlings for home gardeners,” Ostenfeld said.

“The idea behind that is making heritage seeds more available to people, and then the deeper idea behind that is bridging the gap for people to connect back to the land.”

Jemma Ostenfeld grows plants for their seeds. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

So, what are “heritage seeds” and why save them? “Technically [they’re] traditional varieties of seeds that are over 50 to 100 years old,” Ostenfeld said.

“They’re varieties that haven’t been interfered with in our industrial system, so these seeds essentially retain their original properties from way back from our ancestors.

“They [are known to] retain higher nutrients, the taste is amazing; there’s better pest and disease resistance because they’ve adapted to the climate they’re grown in,” she said.

Beauty to tree-hugging

Ostenfeld hasn’t always been in the hands-on seed-saving world, however. “I’m from the Gold Coast, Australia. It’s the complete opposite, which is why I think I like New Zealand so much.”

“I was a beauty therapist, which included makeup. You know, true Gold Coast vibes!”

Leaving to live in Melbourne, Ostenfeld said it was here she had her first experience in an organic garden and taste of the growing community.

By the age of 21 she was headed for Canada to plant trees.

“That’s when I became a feral dirtbag.

“You live in the bush, you’re camping for three months, there’s bears around you … I think that’s what actually kickstarted the rugged lifestyle.”

Living between Canada and Australia on and off for six years, Ostenfeld was 27 when she came to Aotearoa.

Ostenfeld said she travelled around New Zealand for a few years volunteering for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) hosts, interning and working to gain hands-on seed saving and growing experience. “That’s when I got my passion of: ‘Oh this is what speaks to me’.”

‘Worth it’

Now aged 34, Ostenfeld’s life had been centred around her greenhouse, nursery and garden of The Eastern Field for the past four years.

“I am a solo worker, I have no money, I have no formal experience, I have no home and no land [ownership].”

The reality of this for Ostenfeld? Rustic living to say the least!

“I live in my tiny little off-grid caravan.”

The Eastern Field is a seed saving project on a quarter acre of land in Paengaroa. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

“I’ve got a really crappy solar set-up. So, I’ve got a little bit of electricity. I’ve got lights and a fridge that kind of works.” She doesn’t have running water in her living set-up or even a loo. “I have to walk really far to get to the toilet. It’s a hard life but it’s so worth it.”

Yet Ostenfeld says a rugged lifestyle has its upsides. “It’s been really nice not having much phone reception because it means I spend more time connected with nature and the land.”

She says the grower lifestyle is “unpredictable” being at the hands of the environment, with much of her income relying on sales at the Tauranga Farmer’s Market, which is also weather dependent.

“It’s a risky business but I think it comes back to that driving force that pushes you forward … the passion is so strong and the intention behind it is so good that it’s like: ‘How could you not do it?’”

Connecting, educating

A self-described “black sheep”, Ostenfeld said: “I think my mum was pretty worried about me to begin with, especially when she hears about how I live”.

Seeing how Ostenfeld thrives chasing her passion has seemed to soften his mother’s concerns, however.

“She’s come to visit [from Australia] and come to the Tauranga Farmer’s Market before and seen me interact with people and how people respond to it. She understands it a little bit better now and is very supportive of that.”

Ostenfeld said she often spends the whole day at the market chatting, educating and sharing her love of seed saving with others. “I’m mainly just trying to give people the confidence to go in and experiment in their space and find a way that works for them.”

Ostenfeld is excited to get more people growing with her new “Rooted & Rising” seedling boxes venture, which is a monthly heritage seedling subscription straight from The Eastern Field.

“My future desires are pretty simple. It’s just being content working with the land, creating a really strong connection to the land that I’m working on, and then being able to show that to other people to hopefully inspire them.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the help and generosity from so many people in such little ways … I feel like I’m living a dream.”

To keep up with what’s happening at The Eastern Field, visit: https://theeasternfield.com/