super adobe Archives - Page 2 of 5

EDIBLE GARDENS OPEN DAY

March 19, 2013 No Comments

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.

/>

Eco building, Garden

BUILDING AN EARTH OVEN PART 4 – A SIGH OF SATISFACTION

May 10, 2012 1 Comment

Our first fire in our earth oven crackled gleefully, wafting aroma filled memories of camping (complete with a good ten minute game of musical chairs as we dodged the healthy plume of smoke emanating from the mouth). Our neighbours in the flats looked down upon us with scorn, disgust or good humoured skepticism depending on the direction the wind blew the smoke at that particular moment. But once the residual damp from our less than waterproofed woodpile had been exhausted they lost interest and our eyes stopped watering.

Eco building, Garden

BUILDING AN EARTH OVEN PART 3 – THAT OLD SAND DANCE

May 9, 2012 1 Comment

That’s right the next part involves doing the twist, in fact dusting off any of your 60s dance moves only makes the mix better, I promise! With your lovely sand dome nice and dry it’s time to build the first layer of your earth oven. But don’t use up all your energy at once there are two more after this!!

This layer forms the inside of your oven, it is the thermal mass layer, the opposite of the insulation layer underneath the tiles this layer absorbs as much heat from the fire as it can then slowly release it back into the space once the fire dies down to cook your pizza! The layer after this obviously is an insulation layer to stop the heat being released to the ether.

Eco building, Garden

BUILDING AN EARTH OVEN PART 2 – CRUMBLING SANDCASTLES

May 9, 2012 No Comments

We could have researched ahead to see what materials we needed for the weekend. Instead we rose to a glorious morning ready to get stuck into the earth oven, only to discover the oven didn’t want any ordinary bricks for the oven floor, oh no, it needed fire brick tiles. We scolded it, so it knew it wasn’t allowed to be a high maintenance pet demanding a fresh coat of render to match the season! So a week went by and we procured some fire brick tiles, then it rained, for a week. The next week we realised that a chisel and hammer weren’t going to cut it, the fact that they were seconds with chips on them should have tipped us off that they like to crumble rather than cut neatly like a dream…time to call in some favours…