Peter Calamatta chats to Iggy Fenech about the beginning of horticulture in Malta and the 50-year-dream that culminated in the release of his new book, Maltese Plants in the Bible.

Peter Calamatta is a name instantly recognisable by many. Indeed, his 45-year career in broadcasting cemented his status as one of Malta’s most followed, revered and esteemed men in horticulture. But, beyond the fame and recognition, Peter is also a man whose legacy is much bigger than most would assume.

I have to admit, in fact, that when I was asked to interview him about his new book, Maltese Plants in the Bible, I was one of the people who thought of him as a celebrity horticulturist. Yet – and I assume this has happened to many people who’ve met him – I was blown away when I actually sat down for a coffee with him.

“Here’s a copy of the press release about the book, along with my biography, a document about what inspired me to write the book, and a CD with the photos from the book launch,” he tells me after a short chat about our mornings.

Instantly, it became evident that this man is both incredibly organised and also very well-versed in how to handle an interview. It also seemed to me that he left nothing to chance: black-on-white documents, after all, are harder to misquote than viva voce.

I am by no means a professional assessor of characters, but experiencing his relaxed attitude and firm conduct made me realise just why he’s so respected and why he’s made it so big.

“Horticulture didn’t exist as an organised industry at the time when I started working for the government in 1964,” he says. “The annual budget for this section of the department was worth, maybe, some Lm400, but it went up to around Lm4 million by the time I left.”

Peter’s role with the government included the creation and consolidation of such an industry, as well as the islands’ afforestation programme. In his 17 years as advisor, he even introduced protected cropping on a grand scale, which led to a lot of produce being exported – some of it for the very first time. This all happened between 1964 and 1978.

Horticulture didn’t exist as an organised industry at the time when I started working for the government in 1964

“The first two things we produced were tomatoes and flowers,” he says. “Our success was almost immediate not only because we were producing a good product, but because our Mediterranean weather meant that we could export in January and February when the Dutch couldn’t. The price of oil was so cheap then, in the early 1970s. And we were a stone’s throw away from some of our biggest markets.”

Amid his retelling of the stories, a few points really stuck with me. “When mushrooms were first introduced, people thought they were poisonous,” he recalls. “And when we gave them a tomato in January, people looked at it as if it were made out of plastic.”

But, more importantly, he, along with the United Nations Development Programme team who he was working with, managed to create an industry out of nothing – one which still feeds many to this day.

“There was a downside, however,” he says, truthfully. “We used many pesticides in those days and we didn’t know how harmful they were. So much so, that one time we used a Lindane smoke bomb in a greenhouse and I, along with four other men, stayed there, laughing and talking. Lindane is now banned in Europe and with good reason.

“It may have been a mixture of things, but prolonged exposure to it surely contributed to the fact that all five of us got cancer. Four have died of it.” Peter’s lymphoma cancer, which first afflicted him 17 years ago, has come back four times – but he’s come back stronger each time.

Yet, the inspiration behind Maltese Plants in the Bible didn’t come from any of this – although it undoubtedly affected the final product. It wasn’t his award-winning, English-style garden centres that were a novelty in Malta when they first opened in 1978 that inspired him, nor was it the Environmental Landscapes Consortium, which changed the face of Malta from an arid-looking country to a year-round showcase of displays of turf, trees and shrubs in roundabouts and public areas. It was actually a man he met when, in 1966, he was offered a six-month scholarship in Israel.

“The kibbutz [communal settlements, mostly farms, typical of Israel] were very tough,” he says. “We left at 5am with a packed lunch and come back at 5pm, exhausted. Moreover, there was the smell of war everywhere – and everyone wanted to know: when the crux came, would the Israelis be victors or victims?”

The war came a few months after Peter left Israel, and the Six-Day War – fought between June 5 and 10, 1967 – saw Israel fight off the United Arab Republic (Egypt), Jordan and Syria. The Israelis won, but things have never been the same.

“The irony is that when you study the geography of the place you realise that everybody can have a place to live there,” he says. “And there are enough resources for that, too.”

While in Israel, Peter was mentored by a retired army general by the name of Avigdor Carmi, who, before Peter returned to Malta, gave him a book called Plants in the Bible.

When we gave them a tomato in January, people looked at it as if it were made out of plastic

Avigdor would go on to fight in the Six Day War, survive and keep in touch with Peter for many decades, until, one day, the letters stopped. Peter knew what this meant, but the book he had given him and which had inspired him many years before, was lost amid the many others that made their way into Peter’s collection.

Then, about a year ago, while Peter was selecting some books to give away to a boy who couldn’t afford to buy any, the book resurfaced and Peter decided there and then that he had to fulfil his life-long dream to create a book about plants which are indigenous or grow in Malta and which are also mentioned in the Bible.

Forty plants make a cameo in the book, which range from the Acacia to Olive tree, and the Pink Rock-Rose to Christ’s Thorn. Each of these gets a description laden with personal commentary, historical facts, Biblical references and mentions of the best examples found on the Maltese Islands.

Impressively, this dream that became true in a year doesn’t just give readers an intensive look into Malta’s rich and diverse flora, but also contextualises it in a way that can be easily understood and found interesting by connoisseurs and the general public alike.

More importantly, it has already proven to be an inspiration to others, as a Biblical Garden is now being planned for the rooftop of the Millennium Chapel. Designed by Richard England, this is expected to become a place of refuge away from the streets of Paceville. But Peter’s contribution towards the Millennium Chapel doesn’t end there. Funds from the book will also go to the chapel and to help Fr Hilary continue in his work.

So, as I flick through this book, following my interview with Peter – and when taking into consideration the fact that this collaborative work, which includes research by Janice Vella and the support of Fr Hilary, among others – it becomes clear that this isn’t just a book about something, but a book with a message that it has upheld from its conceptualisation.

And, whether you are religious or not, I urge you all to give it a read, because it’s absolutely fascinating.