Permablitz #214 – Lalor
You couldn’t ask for a more perfect day. A large group was formed by the family and friends of the hosts Chris and Bec, joined by an eager team of permablitz volunteers ready to start the day with the action plan put forward by the lucky blitz hosts.
Joel and Kaitlyn’s design
We kicked off the day looking at the plans designed by Kaitlin and Joel. Then it was off to the front yard with the logs of timber (tree trunks) which Bec had sourced from a timber yard in Yarraville to make the border for the garden beds. Bec was great at sourcing lots of recycled materials for the day, and Chris has done a lot of work in the lead-up to the day in order to prepare the soil as it was back-breaking clay….literally!!
It didn’t take long for the logs to be embedded, and then it was time to start the planting the natives and a few fruit trees and grasses.
Next it was time to orchestrate a spiral of rocks, what Terry called a hugelkultur spiral rockery…there were many collaborative designs attempted and in the end it was built with lots of love. One of our new permies Matt was very knowledgeable about herbs that were to go into the rockery and gave a tutorial explaining where best to put them and why.. After lunch the kids got involved planting the herbs in the rockery – and with a little help they did a terrific job!
Meanwhile out the back, some of the permies were busy building a boxed garden bed and securing a climbing frame for the Jasmine to climb up. We also refilled the sandpit for the kids to play in.
Another one of our permies Fiona shared some advice on where best to plant the berries, as they do tend to wander off. They are better off being planted in a pot, so as not to get runners everywhere except right where you want them to be. So into the pots were planted quite a few different berries, but the strawberries were planted in the boxed bed.
As our bellies began to grumble, we then broke for lunch. Kerin and Bec put together an awesome meal, catering for everyone’s needs. A big thank you goes out to all those involved in the food prep… it was delicious! Not to mention the very tasty afternoon tea we later enjoyed, with cakes, biscuits and slices.
Terry explained what the process of espalier and what it was, and proceeded to demonstrate how to erect the poles and where the wiring should be (knee, navel, nipple and nose), and then explained how to tie the branches off, so that there is optimal fruiting of trees.
Where did the water meter go I hear you say? Well, it was uncovered beneath the mounds of soil in the front yard! How did they find it? With a little help from Laurie (Chris’ dad).
A first for any Permablitz is the borrowing library. A couple of the gents kindly jigsawed an old cupboard which was then attached to the fence with a tin roof mounted on top. A borrowing library is a cupboard or the like that people put items in(books, toys, etc) that can be borrowed by other people in the neighbourhood and returned, much like a library. It helps with recycling, so that everyone can enjoy, no matter what your station…
Out the back Terry was up for another tutorial, this time on the wicking bed. Bec had built this wicked bed, but unfortunately it was a bit wicked as it makes people forget the irrigation pipes required, so off to Bunnings they went. That brought the day to a close, and people said their goodbyes. Maybe next time the wicked wicking bed will get its tutorial!
As everyone said their goodbyes, it was unanimously agreed on what was a fantastic day had been spent in the garden.
Garden supplies were sourced from Palm Nursery.
Photos of the day were taken by Leanne, Joel and Chris. You can see the full gallery here!
