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behind the scenes of a permaculture home garden

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The sky turned from white to crystal blue as a hot air balloon gently rose to greet the day. Creeping slowly above the treetops and up, up and away. Surely such clear skies and glorious golden rays of light would be a film makers dream! But not so, they piled through our door at 8:30am one by one horrified at the hot spots and wishing for overcast skies, a mini crew from Better Homes and Gardens…it was no ordinary day.

Here at The Desert Echo Permaculture Design HQ we are exicted to have our flemington permaculture garden feature as part of the Community Gardening segment on BH&G on 31st May this month! A great big shout out to the Permablitz team for suggesting us for the show.

Dylan did his very best to avoid camera time by acquiring a black eye two days before filming at Jujitsu practice (Accident or intentional? we’ll never know!) Which removed my fear of being relegated a mute nodding head in the back of every frame, to a new and far more terrifying prospect of being the main talking head! The English language (my native tongue) leaves me at the best of times, but in front of a camera! Eek! Luckily Jason Hodges, the host, and his crew were so lovely and down to earth, chatting so warmly with us between takes, it was actually an amazingly fun experience. It didn’t stop me from making some clangers, (my attempt at saying “reciprocity” a highlight), but it really was so so cool seeing how a show is made.

I hope you all tune in 4 weeks from now to show how popular Permaculture is, it would be so great for BH&G to pick it up in a big way! I might even gift you with some unintentionally terrible soundbites, hopefully some good ones to, but definitely a great close-up shot of me picking an eggplant! Hand modelling, with my gardener’s hands?…. probably not.

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Garden

EDIBLE GARDENS OPEN DAY

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the garden wasn’t finished until it was filled with the laughter of community.

Photo credit Hobsons Bay City Council

Almost a year ago we opened our garden up to the residents of Moonee Valley & Hobsons Bay Council for the My Smart Garden’s Edible Open Day. As the days begin to shorten and the the cold creeps through the gaps it seems like a nice time for reflection on the last year, the first full year since our Permablitz. These are the photos taken last April by the council photographer, it was such a pleasure to have all the lovely people visit especially the little kids running on top of the garden beds, running toy cars over the wall like it’s a race track.

Sharing knowledge and community spirit embodies Permaculture for me.

A striving towards a friendlier, more loving world – for people, for animals, for the earth. Kelly Heffer is the driving force behind the My Smart Garden scheme and she was such a delight. I’d like to thanks her again for such a beautiful day and the lovely MINTI volunteers. I remember people beginning to filter in, a stream becomin a flood and when it was time for our two talks I could not move their were so many people packed in to our little suburban garden. What a beautiful thing, that people are so inspired by permaculture.

After a year in our garden, I’d like to move outwards, strive further. See if I can transform gardens like we did ours to create a better quality of life for their urban inhabitants. We are certainly happier and healthier for our urban oasis.

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Garden

THE WISDOM OF A FLOWER

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The first almond flowers of the year
I thought I had a fever.
 
As I walked that dreary path to work my skin prickled with heat, I had to tear my jacket off and then my scarf and gloves. But no, I had mistaken the glass for half empty, the sweet perfume of jasmine suddenly  

tickled the edges of my consciousness

 
and then gathered me up and carried me merrily all the way to the corner.
 
Spring was suddenly close, she was waiting!
 
 
 
Where there has been european settlement seasons are detached from place. 4 seasons that tick over like clockwork at the end of 3 months means nothing to the almond which 

wakes from its slumber

 
when it senses the end of deep winter. Its hopeful blossoms the first of the dormant orchard.

Where Melbourne is today the Aboriginal inhabitants had their own seasons based not only on weather, but lifecycle patterns of birds, animal and plants, when the first chill hinted they should move north to shelter, or first blossom meant winding there way southward to the ocean. Here they had six seasons, but ask a different tribe separated by mountains or rivers and they might have different ones.
 
 
I noticed the first buds on the almond at the end of July. I dont know about you but think I think I like the idea of embracing Pre-Spring, and shaking off the shackles of Winter a bit earlier than other Melbournians.  

Will you do the same?

 
 
I’d love to know if you have different seasons where you are. When do the the leaves turn auburn and crisp, the first snow flakes fall and does the summer heat send those nasty snails into cool, damp crevices?

 

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Garden

ENTHUSIASM IN A TIGHT SPACE

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Kids rendering the earthbags at the Flemington Permablitz
SSitting up with a gasp at 4am we heard rain rocketing down on our tin roof as loud as gunfire and we rush outside to make sure our newly rendered garden beds didn’t bear any rain shaped bullet wounds. We were lucky, it had dried just in time.

With a backdrop of grey morning we began to set up the garden for the Edible Gardens Open Day. As the sky darkened Kelly from our local council and the volunteers from MINTI (the Flemington Transition Group) began to arrive with 50 fliers in hand to give out, 50 we laughed, perhaps 30 people will come to have a look. Between 10:30 and 4pm the skies cleared to a glorious blue day and over 200 people passed through our front gate!

It is quite surreal to see 80 people at a time crammed into our small garden, with a bemused sense of unreality we explained our design to the group. The overwhelming sense of good will they offered us with their smiles and eager questions was beautiful. After our rush to get our garden ready, which the bees resented giving us two stings the day before, it was delightful and relieving to see everyone having such a good time (and no stings!). Even the render stood up to being walked on by children and adults alike, being used as a motorway for toy trucks and as a springboard for gymnastic tricks (children only).

My uncarefully laid plans of showing the time-lapse of our garden to a small huddle of people was unrealistic, so I will share it with you here and hope you get as much a kick out of it as me. After the first few viewing I had way too much fun watching minor details like our sunflowers growing and dying and where the neighbours’ cat is going to show up next!


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