Permablitz 163 in Flemington
Brendan and Mara (our permaculture designers) did an amazing job after weeks of preparation and diligent planning. They designed and planned the garden and organised the activities on the day. It’s a cliché to say this, but we couldn’t have done it without them.
The troops arrived early itching to get to work. The morning was frantic with activity. We broke up into groups of two and three. Two raised wicking beds were positioned and prepared for filling. The ground was prepared for a large herb spiral and pond, while mortar was prepared for the circular brick frame. Brendan wielded his power saw for construction of a two-bin compost pit. Several old pallets were imaginatively transformed into tall, skinny beds that now line a fence. The creativity prize went to the team who then chiselled three timber posts to fit inside a metal fence post to become a trellis.
Lunch was served.
We continued to finish off our morning tasks and threw in a few more just for good measure: two more raised beds in front of a water tank and building wall, a one-metre square sandpit (now Leo’s first outdoor port of call on sunny days), a series of meandering pathways and umpteen wheelbarrow trips from the laneway where piles of soil and mulch were delivered the day before to eight wine barrels which have now been planted with dwarf fruit trees. By 4pm the pace may have slowed but the work continued. A drill sergeant would be proud. By 4.30pm when the beer, wine and refreshments arrived no one was left in any doubt about what had been achieved.
Amazingly, we completed all our proposed tasks and we learnt a lot from everyone – not just about gardening and how to put surplus bricks, timber and rocks to use in a productive and sustainable garden but about the joys of communal deeds and learning from each other.
After a sterling group effort, we have a permaculture garden/food forest that is growing by the day. We play, experiment and compete with the birds and snails to grow edibles in it.
