We are going to visit Geoff and Pernille’s garden in Kin Kin for the September 16 open garden. The morning will be a mix of talking over the plans Geoff and Pernille have for the property, together with the design Geoff has developed, followed by a working bee (aka permablitz) and ending with morning tea.

This is a chance to understand how permaculture design is applied. Geoff will  show us around and talk us through his design for water, access and structures, as well as the Energy Flows and Zones, the various animal systems they are planning to integrate, and the gardens, orchards and food forests they are slowly building.

If you’re relatively new to Permaculture, this might help with the way you look at your own property.

There’ll also be the opportunity to help with the creation of a 300 sq metre Mandela garden.

Here is an invitation from Geoff and Pernille.

Hey Permies,

My name is Geoff, my wife is Pernille, and we have a ten-year old boy, Asher, and a very cute, little Spoodle called Charlie. We’d like to invite you to an Open Morning at our property at 284 Bates Rd, Como.

We purchased this property back in August 2021, but only moved in last May (just in time for all the rain!). The property is 12 acres, a bit north of Kin Kin, split pretty evenly between 6 or 7 acres of remnant rainforest at the back, and largely open space at the front. When we bought it, there was only a small, very run-down cottage on the place, and a lot of lantana and guinea grass, but we could see enormous potential in the property, and we really wanted to learn how to be self-sufficient, and so we bit the bullet. I was always going to do a Permaculture course, and so shortly after we moved in, I began a 9-month online Permaculture Design Certificate course with Geoff Lawton.

So instead of showing you around our amazing permaculture gardens, as we don’t really have any yet,  I want to show you how I have applied the knowledge gleaned from my Permaculture Design Certificate to the property, and what our short and long term plans are for the place. I’ll take you through my design for Water, Access and Structures, as well as the Energy Flows and Zones, the various animal systems we plan to integrate, and the gardens, orchards and food forests we are slowly building. For those relatively new to Permaculture, this might help with the way you look at your own property.

As part of the day, we’d love your help setting up our 300m2 Mandala Garden. All going well, I will have paths to lay with woodchip, some beds to dress with Morpheus (a biodynamic soil enhancer from Redsoil Organics), and some mulch hay to lock all the goodness in, ready for planning.

We will provide tea and coffee etc, but if you’d like to bring a plate of something to share, that would be fabulous. Any seedlings, cuttings or small plants you’d like to donate to the property would also be more than welcome. Parking is on site, next to the big blue shed.

Don’t forget to wear suitable clothes and footwear, and to bring gloves and a mask if you’re happy to help spread the woodchip and mulch.

We hope to see you there!

Geoff

What to expect

  • 9am Tour of the property, including a detailed explanation of the permaculture design process Geoff has undertaken and his future plans.
  • 10.15am Working together on the creation of a new Mandela garden
  • 11.30am Morning tea

What to bring

  • Clothes and footwear suitable for gardening, including gloves and a mask for use when spreading mulch
  • A plate of food to share
  • Cuttings, seeds or small plants you’d like to donate to Geoff and Pernilles’ new garden.

Cost

  • $2 for members $5 for non-members   Children and young people under 17 free

Parking

Onsite next to the big blue shed