THANK YOU to everyone who made Permablitz #2 such a success back on Saturday 4 August at Kristy and Trina’s place in Mount Saint Thomas. I think everyone would agree that we achieved so much and had a great time. We couldn’t have done it without such a talented bunch of people – the level of initiative everyone showed in taking on tasks was fantastic.
Huge thanks to our hosts for the day for the delicious Mexican inspired lunch (and also to those who helped make lunch by participating in the tortilla making workshop!)
Shez has put some photos up on facebook so head here the check them out! http://www.facebook.com/permablitzthegong
If you know anyone that might be interested in permablitz please spread the word! Just get them to email us at permablitzthegong@gmail.com and we can add them to our mailing list.
Here’s what Kristy had to say about the day:
Permablitz#2 was at our house in Mount Saint Thomas. Even as one of the design team, you’re never quite sure what to expect from a blitz that you are actually hosting at your house – after the design is completed you gather materials, get some yummy food together, and then you have to just let go and hope for the best!
About an hour into the blitz I walked out into the backyard and was met with an absolute army of people weeding, building stairs, and sheet mulching – it was the most exciting sight, and I was really touched that all these people had come together to help us to achieve our dream permaculture garden. Some were friends, some I had met at previous blitzes, while some I had never met before… including neighbours from further down the street! By the end of the day, the changes were quite transformative – it has changed the way we use the space, and integrated so many more productive edible plants while also reducing the maintenance needed, making the whole garden more sustainable overall.
We now have
- alternative sources of water near all gardens in the olive barrel water tanks
- sheet mulched paths to smother weeds and grass and eliminate the need for mowing
- great uses of edge and lawn spaces for no dig garden beds
- the beginnings of a food forest that includes fruiting trees like banana, macadamia, tamarillo, paw paw, and lime. We even had one brave volunteer who dug a compost pit for the dog poo so that it breaks down and fertilises the fruit trees.
Many of the materials used in the blitz were recycled (guttering for the olive barrels, and the wood for the stairs) or repurposed (the backfill for the stairs was concrete rubble from previous garden renovations). Some blitzers donated seedlings and cuttings from their own gardens, planks of wood, besser blocks, cake for morning tea, and there was even an impromptu clothes swap! The day ended with a few drinks around the fire, sharing stories with new and old friends and enthusing about the garden we had just created.
Chickens were a feature of the design that had been planned for a future date – we wanted to wait until we had enough repurposed material to build a coop. The week following the blitz, a friend who I had spoken to about the blitz actually offered me two chickens and a coop – for free! Of course the coop fell apart as we were moving it and we had to do some quick Macgyver thinking and use some of the materials we had on site to reinforce it and make it secure, but they are now in their new home and already laying eggs! Our friend is happy that the chickens get to live in a cool organic garden, and we are happy to have two new babies who provide eggs, get rid of compost and weeds, and scratch around the garden giving some chicken-style assistance wherever they are needed…talk about putting it out to the universe!
Seeing the effects of the blitz on our property was really inspiring and made me really excited to do future Permablitzes and give someone else this awesome feeling. Thanks so much to the Permablitz team, and all the hardworking blitzers that made it all come together!
Stay tuned for the details of the next permablitz…..
