Blitzes galore, good news and bees!
The month of May was a busy one for we blitzin’ types… No fewer than four permablitzes were had – one in Rosanna, two in Flemington and yesterday in Crib Point. A big thanks to everyone who pitched in to make these days so successful – many hands make light work, but blitzers make it fun!
May also included a heap of really good news – from the removal of single plastic bag usage from the major supermarkets to Lentil as Anything announcing plans to open of Melbourne’s first permanent pay-as-you-feel supermarket, it seems that positivity was in the air once more. Victoria has also passed Australia’s first treaty bill, promoting reconciliation and aimed at helping heal the wounds of the past – here’s hoping that the federal govt will follow suit. Speaking of which, a senate inquiry has recommended that ALL single-use plastics be banned – and it’s not just The Greens – representatives of ALL the major political parties are on board with it. It just sounds too good to be true!
To honour all this great news, we’ve dug deep in our dusty box of records to pull out this month’s Song of the Month – The Only Way is Up, by Yazz and the Plastic Population. Get your dance-shoes on for this one!
Permablitz News
Permablitz #205 - Flemington (pt1)
here is the team for the day, bar a few late arrivals and some shy ones. What a gorgeous bunch of dedicated people!
On a sunny Autumn day, a hardy group of blitzers joined The Desert Echo and the Farnham St Neighbourhood House team give the local community garden a facelift. This involved removing existing garden beds and flattening the ground to prepare for a heap brand new wicking beds – and it looks great!
Check out all the pics and action here!
Pre-blitz design and design workshop
This is a free event for people with a Permaculture Design Certificate and Permablitz Designers Guild members.
It will be a little different from the usual pre-permablitz design process because Adam Grubb be facilitating it as a design workshop. You won’t be mere bystanders, but Adam lead the process basically.
Sounds good? You know it does! Check out the details here.
Permablitz @206 - Rosanna
Last weekend an active team of blitzers descended upon Mala’s home and a transformation was unleashed. And we’ve even got a video to prove it!
Permablitz #207 - Flemington (pt2)
On a cold wintry morning, a good mix of first time blizers, old hands and local faces helped create a series of raised wicking beds for the local community garden – and the finished result looks absolutely amazing!
Check out the finished garden here!
Hero of the Month
Thryptomene Saxiola
Thryptomene is a common plant available at most nursery centres, but has a wide range of benefits
This month our hero is the unsung Thryptomene Saxiola, thanks to guest contributor, permaculture designer, PDC teacher, manager of Forestedge Nursery in Kallista and all-round awesome person Tamara Griffiths.
This is an Australian native hero for every sized garden, and with its small leaves that sprays tiny pink flowers for most of the year, it’s perfect for bees, beneficial insects and attracting small birds to your garden.
For full details, see here!
Beets and Pieces
Psssttt… are you an aspiring, or established beekeeper?
Whether you keep bees, or would like to keep bees, there’s a secret apiary in East Keilor that needs the care and commitment of a local beekeeper or two…
The outstanding, inspirational & tireless Lina & Tony of Rose Creek Estate really, really love having bees to help pump their amazing gardens, orchard & vineyards. The apiary site itself is also outstanding with shelter from cold winter winds, has good winter sun, summer shade, good access yet is relatively secluded, and florally speaking is quite the bonanza for a pollinator of any persuasion.
The site can accommodate up to two beehives, and can either come equipped with two healthy hives, or you can BYO hives.
The current beekeeper has moved slightly too far afield to continue, but must find a suitable replacement and is keen to hear from you, should you wish to express interest in such a wonderful prospect. If so, please contact farmercareyo@gmail.com
Karina wants to share Eco Voices with the world
The Eco Voices project is an idea Karina Donkers (Stockdale) developed using her deep ecology training to reconnect people to each other and to the Earth. The project aims to bring awareness to some of the impacts of climate change and start conversations about how we can be a part of the solution. Nature has its own stories and voices; and this project will aim at bring these to the forefront of the discussion.
We had the opportunity to chat with Karina recently, and she answered some of the questions we had for her.
Are you living in Melbourne, and have an interest in permaculture?
Maki is anthropology student at the University of Melbourne and is writing her honours thesis on the growing permaculture movement. A little bit about her research: she is interested in how permaculture practices in inner city Melbourne might challenge the fast pace of contemporary capitalist society. She is investigating what kind of value spending time on activities such as growing your own food may possess, as opposed to buying such products with money.
In terms of research participants, she am looking for anyone, of any age, race, and gender, that is interested in permaculture in any form and is living in Melbourne. You can consider yourself a hardcore permaculturist, or a dabbler… if you practice permaculture on any scale, you are of benefit to the study. Participating in the research involves an interview that will take around 30 minutes to an 1 hour, and if you wish, you can also show Maki around your garden or community areas where you practice permaculture.
By participating in this research, you will contribute to establishing more knowledge about permaculture in the social sciences. By portraying your stories, we hope that this research will contribute to the local community’s knowledge about permaculture, and the relevance of sustainable lifestyles in today’s world.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Maku via email at makimorita123@gmail.com, or on 0431427564.
In The Garden
It’s bare root season! If you’ve got room in your garden, now is the best time to get a fruit tree in there – but be sure you know what you’re getting! Here’s some good tips to keep in mind when choosing your tree – as well as tips on the best way to plant them!
Of course, if you’ve got enough trees, you can always get perennials – if you already have these, now is the perfect time to divide them. It’s also a great time for winter pruning around now – if you don’t know how, check out the many training sessions that are around at the moment.
There’s not a lot of things that will take off in the cold soil right now, but you can definitely give the following plants a go:
Seeds that do well in July include…
- Beetroot
- Lettuce
- Mustard Greens
- Onions
- Peas
- Radish
- Shallots
- Snow Peas
- Strawberries (seeds and runners)
Remember: some seeds do better starting off in punnets, some in pots and some in the ground. To get the best from your seedlings be sure to check the best methods first!
