Helping members maintain sustainable practises and pioneer plants

  1. Major objective … Permaculture community sharing.
  2. Growing healthy lives.
  3. Keeping Permaculture Principles alive.
  4. Keeping plants for Permaculture Garden set-ups alive and reproducing.
    Core plants: pigeon pea, popcorn cassia, comfrey, lemon grass, West Indian lemon grass, arrowroot, bush basil

DON’T let these Pioneer plants be lost – they are key set-up of garden plantings.

  • Production of plants at Cooroy Community Permaculture Gardens a link to Living Bee events.
  • A Barter system is being Born.

Candidates for Living Bee …

Example 1 

New person to Living Bee, has no plants and little knowledge in the garden set-up area. They will be gifted 4 of each plant listed, from CCPG nursery. Demo garden planted at their home. 

Example 2

Learning person (needs help with their existing system) They donate back to CCPG cuttings, seeds, bulbs for propagation and going forward, to CCPG nursery stock. 

  • No money asked for either of these examples.
  • A community of caring and sharing achieved.
  • A bond is now formed between Permaculture Noosa, and the persons involved in Living Bee days.
  • Opportunity for CCPG persons to visit Living Bee property for PN working gardens and source their needed plant propagation materials.

Living Bee Co-ordinator’s Role

  • Asks for suitable candidate.
  • Visits task property weeks before for field assessment.

IMPORTANT FACTORS for Co-ordinator:

  • Establish Permaculture Ethics are Solid
  • Caring of Earth
  • No Sprays, No Smoking, No unethical Permaculture practises, in other words if the vibes from working at this property are not good and it would impact on those attending the Living Bee, the PN President would be informed to either resolve or even cancel the event.
  • Realistic Safety for attending persons will be looked at in detail, eg high grass mowed to allow safe walking. 

There is a need for all members to encourage others to ask for help to perform maintenance tasks which may be the 4th in line to their daily priorities. BUT … we are NOT a maintenance crew!  Living Bees are a learning experience in many ways and each Candidate will have ideas, see their situation and may require ideas from different methods of Permaculture teachings as they see it. A candidate must be clear about workings on the morning of Living Bee. Planning is essential.

Living Bee will NOT do a major project eg build swales, erect raised beds. We will enhance these structures with plants, add mulch etc ..

IMPORANT INFORMATION

  • Access to car parking
  • Time to perform task
  • Time of year (season)
  • Growing season for planting support plants
  • Access to water to ensure survival of plants
  • Task/energy required

Living Bee day …

  • Signs for property location
  • Muster place / sign in book
  • Task board
  • Arrival time – to be determined by the Co-ordinator
  • Safety / toilet / first aid people assigned
  • Explanation of task / method
  • CCPG Nursery team / pre -arranged plants obtained
  • Those who can’t do main activity my help with CCPG task

A summary report will be posted on Permaculture Noosa web page, and tabled at the next Permaculture Noosa club night.

BIO- SECURITY

Of utmost importance …

  • Only clean tools will be allowed onto property
  • Utmost respect for request of ‘NO tools to be brought on site’
  • Utmost respect for Candidate’s thoughts of weed pulling
  • Approach to task is a thinking process at all times – no thought of ‘my way or no way’ – everyone sees a task differently
  • Clear task methods put on task board

IN SUMMARY …

A Living Bee is just this – Permaculture is a process of changing things for the better of Earth, people and our surrounds. 

Sharing knowledge and sharing our Energies to enhance our own individual passion to see the Wonder of our surrounds.

Thank you for reading this summary for the future of Permaculture Noosa Living Bee 2019.

Valerie Wilson
Living Bee Co-ordinator