ME

THE HO
ISSUE

TINY HOUSE LIVING - WILD HARVEST - EDIBLE FLOWERS - SLOW FASHION

NATURAL BUILDING MATERIALS - ROCKET STOVES - CROP SUCCESSION PLANNING
Beekeeping Naturally
 ‘It’s not just about the honey’

Natural,
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 CONTENTS
6. PERMACULTURE AROUND THE WORLD
by Morag Gamble
8. PIP PICKS
10. NOTICEBOARD
12. PERMACULTURE PLANT: PUMPKIN
by Beck Lowe
13. RARE BREEDS: AUSTRALIAN GAME FOWLS
by Tabitha Bilaniwskyj-Zarins
14. EAT YOUR WEEDS: WILD RADISH
by Patrick Jones
15. SAVE YOUR SEEDS: MUSTARD GREENS
by Steve and Kerryn Martin

16
86. KIDS PAGES
89. COURSE PROVIDERS DIRECTORY
96. CD & BOOK REVIEWS

FEATURE: 20
16. MELLIODORA: THE ART OF PERMACULTURE
LIVING by Kirsten Bradley
20. YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL BUILDING
MATERIALS by Adam Hickman
26. APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY: THE WAY
FORWARD by Joel Meadows
31. LIVING TINY
by Sian Richards and Adam Hickman
36. RESILIENCE AFTER EARTHQUAKES IN NEPAL
by Christine Carroll and Chris Evans

GROW:
38. CROP SUCCESSION PLANNING: PLANTING FOR
ABUNDANCE by Michael Hewins
38
43. PROFILE: JULIE FIRTH: DRYLANDS
PERMACULTURE FARM by Ross Mars
2 44. GROWING FRUIT AND NUT TREES FROM SEED
by Beck Lowe
 BUILD:
46. PERMACULTURE PROPERTY
DEVELOPMENT by Maude Farrugia
49: ROCKET STOVES

52 by Joel Meadows and Dan Palmer

52: PROFILE: PHIL GALL, ARCHITECT
by Ben Buggy

EAT:
54. WILD HARVEST by Robyn Rosenfeldt
60. EDIBLE FLOWERS by Sarah Price
54

THRIVE:
62. SLOW FASHION
by Maude Farrugia
66. EASY-PEASY $4 SINGLET
DRESS by Annie Werner
68. HOW TO MAKE A BOOMERANG
BAG by Boomerang Bags 74 78

70
NURTURE:
70. INSPIRING TEENS TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY
by Dean and Annette Turner

DESIGN: 74. GARDENER’S HANDSCRUB

by Tabitha Emma
78. DESIGNING AN URBAN OASIS
76. THE ART OF FRUGAL HEDONISM
by Megan Norgate 3
by Annie Raser-Rowland
84. DESIGNING CHICKENS INTO THE
VEGIE GARDEN
by Robyn Rosenfeldt
 CONTRIBUTORS
JOEL MEADOWS
Joel draws on a deep well of experi-
ence (as an energy auditor, sustain-
able transport consultant and environ-
mental educator among other things)
which he combines with a rare knack
for explaining technical issues in a clear
and engaging way that cuts straight to
the heart of matters. Joel has just fin-
ished owner-building his permaculture-designed property and
strawbale house which features impressive passive cooling,
heating, lighting and water strategies, rocket stoves for heating
and cooking, and a beautiful curved roofline that follows the
path of the winter sun. When he’s not doing these things, Joel
makes sculptures of steel and wood, runs cider workshops,
is a cooker of food, an avid gardener, radio DJ and musician.
ANNIE RASER ROWLAND
Annie Raser-Rowland is a horticul-
turalist working at CERES nursery in
Melbourne, and a ponderer and inves-
tigator of matters ecological, cultural,
and culinary. She has made visual
art for much of her life, but in recent
years has found herself distracted by
a pressing urge to write.  A swag of
scribblings about consumption, our relationships to landscape
and making meaning and ecstasy in a modern first world soci-
ety have resulted, including two co-authored books: The Weed
Forager’s Handbook: A Guide to Edible and Medicinal Weeds in
Australia (Hyland House Publishing 2012) and The Art of Fru-
gal Hedonism: a Guide to spending Less While Enjoying Every-
thing More (Melliodora Publishing 2016).
ADAM HICKMAN
Adam’s been a builder for ten years,
starting in the UK. Since moving to
Australia three years ago he has been
helping to run Agari Farm and teaching
workshops all over Australia including:
earthship, strawbale, mud brick, light
earth, super adobe, cob and tiny
4 houses. He has also trained with some
of the best natural builders around the world. Now specialising
in roundwood timber framing and tiny houses, Adam provides
a friendly, ethical and holistic outlook for designing and
building a home.
Publisher / Editor / Art Director: Robyn Rosenfeldt
Design and Illustration: Grace West, North South Grace West
Sub Editor: Bernadette O’Leary
Editorial Assistant: Bethany Patch
Proofreader: Peter Ascot
Social Media, Marketing and Events Manager: Maude Farrugia
Advertising: Grant Webster and Aliza Levy
Editorial Advisor: John Champagne
Cover Art: Bronwyn Seedeen, Pattern Pie
Shop Manager and Admin: Felicie Vachon
Editorial enquiries email: robyn@pipmagazine.com.au
Advertising enquiries: advertising@pipmagazine.com.au
(02) 6100 4606 or download our media kit at
pipmagazine.com.au/advertise
Directory listings and classifieds enquiries:
hello@pipmagazine.com.au
Submissions: We would love to hear from you if you have ideas
for articles. Contact us with the pitch before you write it.
robyn@pipmagazine.com.au
Stockists enquiries: If you would like to stock Pip contact
hello@pipmagazine.com.au (02) 6100 4606
Contributors:
Boomerang Bags, Ben Buggy, Kirsten Bradley, Christine Carroll,
Amy Dowling, Tabitha Emma, Chris Evans, Maude Farrugia, Morag
Gamble, Michael Hewins, Adam Hickman, Patrick Jones, Jade
Kavanagh, Tabitha Bilaniwskyj-Zarins, Beck Lowe, Ross Mars, Steve
Martin, Kerryn Martin, Joel Meadows, Megan Norgate, Dan Palmer,
Bethany Patch, Sarah Price, Annie Raser-Rowland, Robyn Rosen-
feldt, Sian Richards, Dean Turner, Annette Turner, Annie Werner
Photographers and illustrators:
Rohan Anderson, Laurie Benson, Kirsten Bradley, Emma Byrnes,
Keren Dobia, Amy Dowling, Tabitha Emma, Chris Evans, Maude
Farrugia, Morag Gamble, Patrick Jones, Frances Howe, Jade
Kavanagh, Jodie Lane, Knitionary Recipes, Ian Lillington, Beck
Lowe, Ross Mars, Steve Martin, Kerryn Martin, Joel Meadows, Dan
Palmer, Sarah Price, Olive Rose, Robyn Rosenfeldt, Dean Turner,
Annette Turner, Hiromi Yuasa
Pip Magazine is printed in Australia, by Printgraphics on FSC
and recycled paper and printed with vegetable inks.
Pip Magazine is a published independently by Robyn Rosenfeldt.
PO Box 172 Pambula, NSW, 2549.
ABN: 14 513061 540
Copyright: Pip Magazine is subject to copyright in its entirety. The
content may not be reproduced in any form without the permission
of the publisher and authors. Views expressed by the authors are
not necessarily those of the publisher. To the extent permitted by
law, the publisher disclaims any liability whatsoever in relation to
advice, representation, statement, conclusion or opinion expressed
in Pip Magazine.
 EDITORIAL
I was asked recently what
brought me to the place
I am in today: the editor of
a permaculture magazine,
living in the country on a
property with an evolv-
ing permaculture design,
teaching permaculture,
growing food, eating well
and trying to bring up my
kids to understand and re-
spect the planet.
It made me stop and
think: haven’t I always
been this way inclined?
I’ve always felt a connec-
tion to nature, but I defi-
nitely wasn’t brought up as
the daughter of activists or living on a commune: I grew up in
middle class, suburban Melbourne.
So what caused me to choose the life I have right now?
When did I start to have this affinity with the earth, and want-
ing to do the best for her? Was it annual camping trips im-
mersed in nature? Was it watching my dad garden when I
was a child, and growing my first carrots? Was it getting ar-
rested for protesting against uranium mining? Was it the feel-
ing of belonging I had among others who felt the same way?
Was it setting up my own garden and growing my own food?
Was it completing my permaculture design course?
Well, it was all of those things. It has been a slow evolution,
a gradual opening up and a growing awareness of what effect
my actions and choices have, not only on the planet but on
other humans and society in general.
I’ve been learning constantly since I started Pip Magazine;
with each issue I gain a greater awareness and understanding
of a whole range of topics. For example, after putting togeth-
er the article on SLOW FASHION (page 62) I am even more
aware of the clothes I buy, or don’t buy, and the ripple effect
those choices create.
We are all on different parts of this journey, with different
levels of awareness, and different priorities and life situations
that affect how close to our ideal we can live. I still struggle
with making the right choices all the time; and with three
kids, and a whole range of external demands, I don’t always.
However, I am empowered to make informed decisions, to do
my bit to create the world I do want.
It’s good to aim high, to aspire to live in the best way pos-
sible. We can look up to people like David Holmgren and Su
Dennett, and how they live their life at Melliodora (MELLIO-
DORA: THE ART OF PERMACULTURE LIVING, page 16). We
can inform ourselves as best we can, so that we know what
effect our actions have; and we can always think about – and
question – the choices we make in our daily lives.
I hope each issue of Pip Magazine gives you information
and inspiration to help you make informed choices in your
life.
Happy reading.
Robyn
COVER ARTIST:
BRONWYN SEEDEEN
www.patternpie.com
5
 PERMACULTURE AROUND THE WORLD
Words by Morag Gamble Photos courtesy of projects
morag@ethosfoundation.org www.our-permaculture-life.blogspot.org

NEVER ENDING FOOD, MALAWI, AFRICA

Never Ending Food is a permaculture demonstration and education
organisation working to help address malnutrition holistically, im-
prove children’s access to healthy food and promote food sovereign-
ty. It’s led by Stacia Nordin (a dietician) and Kristof Nordin (a social
worker) who have been in Malawi since 1997.
The Nordins moved to Malawi to help with HIV prevention through
the US Peace Corps. They learned quickly that to address malnutri-
tion they would need to improve the quality and diversity of food, and
to do that they needed to improve soil fertility. That’s when they came
across permaculture. They now help to teach permaculture across
Malawi, supporting communities and schools to set up abundant and
sustainable food systems. Their own house is a demonstration plot,
where people can visit to learn about their approach. The Nordins
believe that permaculture has great potential to benefit nutrition and
health, increase income potential and make a significant difference to
living conditions.
Given Malawi’s year-round growing season, access to water and
large genetic base of local food crops, the local people have seen how
permaculture can help to create abundant gardens with a diversity
of food. And how permaculture farmers have, on average, better food
security, a more diverse diet and higher crop yield than conventional
farmers.  By making simple and affordable improvements to family
farms, Malawian families can increase their overall household food
security significantly. 
For more information see www.neverendingfood.org
See: www.ekukhanyeni.org

SUNSEED DESERT TECHNOLOGY, ANDALUSIA, SPAIN

Sunseed is a pioneering permaculture centre and community in the drylands of
southern Spain. Celebrating its thirtieth anniversary in October 2016, Sunseed con-
tinues to be a hands-on centre for learning about arid permaculture, green energy,
eco-construction and low-impact living.
Places such as Sunseed are crucial in such environments. They offer young people
in particular a chance to experience what it means to live and work in community,
to become hands-on with appropriate technologies and natural building, and to learn
dryland management and how to grow food successfully.
This intentional community is focused on sustainability education and practical re-
search. A transient population of volunteers, interns and researchers regularly join
the core members in the off-grid ecovillage of Los Molinos del Río Aguas. Together
they work and learn to explore, demonstrate, develop and share ways to live more
sustainably. 
Around the village there are many working examples of appropriate technology,
6 natural building and permaculture gardening. Throughout the area are gardens with
herbs, flowers, vegetables, tree fruits and nuts. These are fed by Sunseed’s own
compost systems and ancient Moorish irrigation channels.
Volunteers and visitors are welcome. For more information see www.sunseed.
org.uk.
 A SCHOOL IN A PERMACULTURE FARM, GREEN
SCHOOL, BALI, INDONESIA
The Green School, with its towering wall-less bamboo class-
rooms surrounded by permaculture gardens, is cultivating a
new generation of eco-leaders.
The school began in 2008 with ninety students. Eight years
later it has over 380 children attending, including many lo-
cal students, and offers a natural, holistic and student-centred
education from pre-kindergarten to Year 12. The school con-
tinues to receive international acclaim for the education revo-
lution it is inspiring.
The beautiful and impressive bamboo structures provide
a free-flowing, natural learning environment. The campus is
filled with a diversity of food in its many permaculture gardens,
nursery, medicinal gardens and food forests. In addition, the
Kul Kul Farm, within walking distance, also grows food for the
school and offers training. 
The school is an inspirational place to visit. Imagine how
amazing it would be to go to school there, with visitors such
as Vandana Shiva and Jane Goodall. Green School Australia
anyone?
Volunteers and visitors are welcome. For more information
see www.greenschool.org.

SACK GARDENING IN SLUMS, KIBERA, KENYA, AFRICA

Sack gardening is changing the lives of many people in the slums of
Kibera, just five kilometres from Nairobi’s city centre. With a population
of around 170 000, Kibera is the largest slum in Africa and one of the
largest in the world. Sixty  per  cent of Nairobi’s population are slum
dwellers, living on just six per cent of the land. There is little space,
limited electricity, scarce fresh water, poor toilet facilities and HIV is
rampant.
Urban agriculture had less effect on food security here, because of
the lack of land and the cost of food; around half the residents have no
work, while others exist on less than one dollar a day. Most children
eat only one proper meal each day. However, since the introduction
of sack gardening in 2008, by French NGO and humanitarian organi-
sation Solidarités Internationalis, things have improved. The initiative
began as a way to support jobless youth after a spasm of post-election
violence in 2008, and provided them with healthy food at the same
time.
Solidarités Internationalis provides free seedlings, advice and as-
sistance to people who want to take advantage of the public space in
slums. The sacks contain soil and animal manure, and use small rocks
for drainage. Both the tops and sides of the sacks are used for grow-
ing, and there are now thousands spread throughout the slums. Kibera
farmers grow a range of vegetables and leafy greens, including kale,
spinach, onions, tomatoes and arrowroot.
Sack gardening is now supporting 22 109 households, directly ben-
efitting over 110 000 people. By 2020 it is estimated that thirty-five to 7
forty million urban Africans will depend on urban agriculture for their
food, and strategies such as this will help people to feed themselves.
Visitors and volunteers are welcome in Kibera. For more information
see www.solidarites.org/en.
 PIP PICKS
AUSTRALIAN MADE AUSSIE HO MI, ASIAN HANDHELD HOE
Unlike western gardening tools, the Aussie Ho Mi is an ergonomic hand-held hoe
which uses a more comfortable and natural action and is based on a traditional
Korean design.
This tool is lightweight and perfectly balanced. It rotates easily in the hand from
the sharp pointed working edge, to the equally sharp wide edge. Dig, weed, cultivate,
ridge, plant, scalp–this tool will do everything. Once you start to use it, you will find
yourself hooked!
Handcrafted  in Australia by artisan tool makers F.D Ryan, the Aussie Ho Mi is
made from high carbon steel, heat-treated for maximum strength and sharpened to
a knife edge. With care, your Ho Mi will last a lifetime.
Available on the Pip website.
www.pipmagazine.com.au $30

IBARK IPHONE COVERS

Based in Byron Bay, eco-friendly de-
sign company iBark have developed the
world’s first sustainably produced iPhone
case. Each case (available for iPhone
6/6S) is made from Australian hardwood
and a non-GMO corn starch resin, mak-
ing it 100 per cent non-toxic and 99 per
cent biodegradable. The cases are light-
weight, ergonomic and water-resistant.
The phone covers are priced between
$44.95 and $49.95 and are available
online at www.ibark.com.au/, with free
shipping within Australia.

SKIN OF THE EARTH SKINCARE RANGE

Skin of the Earth is a skincare range that offers products that are
100 per cent organic and Australian. They are made from locally grown
and wild harvested medicinal herbs and contain no harmful chemicals.
All Skin of the Earth products are non-toxic, natural and perfect for
sensitive skin.
Healing balm ($20): is a fantastic multipurpose skin healing balm for
all skin types, particularly great for psoriasis. It contains herbs with an-
tibacterial, anti inflammatory, anti-fungal and wound-healing properties.
Peppermint Tooth powder ($12): is a traditional clay-based alternative
to toothpaste. It contains magnesium and calcium, is anti-fungal and re-
8 moves any heavy metal residue in the mouth from eating processed foods.
Coconut Deodorant ($8): is a balm alternative to roll-on deodorant. It is
gentle on sensitive skin, antibacterial and deodorising.
For orders contact: smilinsiany@hotmail.com
SELJAK BLANKETS
Seljak Brand, based in Tasmania, makes recy-
cled wool blankets using offcuts from the fac-
tory floor – seventy per cent recycled merino
wool, a thirty per cent blend of recycled alpaca
and mohair, and polyester for strength. The
Seljak Original Fringe blanket is a luxurious
utility blanket; durable for outside use, yet soft
2017 KITCHEN GARDEN
enough for the home. CALENDAR
Seljak Brand diverts waste from landfill and
restores value to this beautiful Australian re-
source for your cosiness.  What’s more, for
every ten blankets sold, Seljak Brand donates
one to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in
Victoria.
The Seljak Original Fringe blankets are avail-
able from  www.seljakbrand.com.au  and at a
small selection of retailers in Australia and
New Zealand $179. Twelve months of seasonal produce and recipes

2017 PIP MAGAZINE

KITCHEN GARDEN CALENDAR
Twelve months of seasonal produce and recipes from
some of Australia’s finest producers and food creators;
including Grown and Gathered, Milkwood, Good Life Per-
maculture and many more. With stunning photography
and a recipe for each month this calendar will take pride
of place on your kitchen wall. www.pipmagazine.com.au/
shop $14.95.

GOOD LIFE PERMACULTURE

SAUERKRAUT TEA TOWELS
One of Good Life Permaculture’s education tea
towels, this ‘delicious and nutritious sauer-
kraut’ variety is not only educational (it shows
you how to make your own sauerkraut from
scratch!), but also beautiful and useful. The
guys at Good Life Permaculture love creating
art that is educational and inspiring, but even
better when it serves a practical purpose.
Each printed image is designed and drawn
by the team at Good Life Permaculture in
Hobart, Tasmania, and is printed with wa-
ter-based ink on an oatmeal-coloured fabric.
All Good Life Permaculture tea towels are
made from one hundred per cent organic cot-
ton and manufactured in India. 9
The delicious and nutritious sauerkraut tea
towel is available from the Pip website: www.
pipmagazine.com.au/shop $20 plus postage.
 NOTICEBOARD
To place your event here, email hello@pipmagazine.com.au
STUDY PERMACULTURE IN 2017
AT CQUNIVERSITY
Australia’s Graduate Certificate in Permaculture
Design at CQUniversity provides practical respons-
es to the growing global need to adapt sustainably
to social and environmental changes.
The first of its kind in the world, the graduate
certificate provides benefits such as the flexibili-
ty to study by distance education with residential
schools hosted by industry partners offering practi-
cal learning experiences.
Applications are open in August for commence-
ment in Term 1, 2017.
Visit www.cqu.edu.au to enrol. For more infor-
mation, contact Dr Keri Chiveralls, at k.chiveralls@
cqu.edu.au.
MAKING PERMACULTURE STRONGER
Making Permaculture Stronger is a new project
making waves in the global permaculture commu-
nity. Starting with the idea that, like anything, per-
maculture has room for improvement, this project
is opening a space for high-calibre collaborative
inquiry into areas of permaculture that have the po-
tential to be made even better. The initial focus has
been a series of posts looking at the way perma-
culturalists define and understand design process.
10 Initiated by Dan Palmer (founder of permablitz.net
and VeryEdibleGardens.com), you can check it out
and get involved here:
www.MakingPermacultureStronger.net
SUSTAINABLE HOUSE DAY
11 SEPTEMBER 2016
Some of Australia’s most environmentally progressive
homes will be on show at Sustainable House Day on Sun-
day 11 September 2016.
This is a great opportunity for thousands of people to
visit some of Australia’s leading green homes. Sustain-
able House Day gives visitors a chance to inspect first-
hand houses that have been designed, built or renovated
with sustainability in mind as well as the opportunity to
talk to owners and receive unbiased advice. To register
your home or find homes in your area go to www.sus-
tainablehouseday.com
‘DYNAMIC GROUPS, DYNAMIC LEARNING’
TEACHER TRAINING, CREATIVE FACILITATION &
GROUP LEADERSHIP COURSE
with Robin Clayfield 20–26 August 2016
Crystal Waters Permaculture Eco-Village
Celebrating over 23 years of training permaculture teach-
ers globally
Fully catered, six-day residential course. Only one in Aus-
tralia this year
Many leading permaculture teachers have trained with
Robin and incorporate ‘Dynamic Groups’ skills into their
courses
Contact: robin@earthcare.com.au
www.dynamicgroups.com.au
APC13 (AUSTRALIAN PERMACULTURE
CONVERGENCE) AND EXPO, PERTH, WA
2–5 OCTOBER 2016
2 Oct Expo. Open to the public. There will be a number of
talks, presentations and workshops highlighting different as-
pects of permaculture.
3-5 Oct.  Convergence.  Concurrent sessions on various
themes. Keynote Speakers Anni Macbeth and Rob Hopkins.
PDC required.
Permaculture Tours–Thursday and Friday 6–7 Oct. Two
one-day and two two-day tours.
Courses running before and after.
Food Facilitators Training Course with Robina McCurdy.
Future Scenarios Workshop with David Holmgren.
Advanced Principles Course  with David Holmgren.
Urban Permaculture Facilitators Training  with Robina Mc-
Curdy.
Advanced Teaching Course with Rosemary Morrow and
Robin Clayfield.
Advanced Design Course with Graham Bell and Ross Mars.
Guest David Holmgren.
www.apc13.org

IPC INDIA 2017. 26 NOV–2 DEC 2017

Hosted at Hyderabad, Telangana State, India by Aranya Ag-
ricultural Alternatives.
The theme of the IPCIndia2017 is ‘Towards Healthy
Societies’ with special emphasis on women as agents of
change in building sustainable communities.
The hosts have over 1000 permaculture gardens and
hundreds of farms to demonstrate good permaculture
projects in India.
Vandana Shiva will be invited to be a keynote speaker at
this conference and Robyn Francis has promised to help
teach the PDC leading up to the Conference. PDC hold-
ers and teachers with expertise and specialised knowledge
who can guide and supervise interns and volunteers will
undertake the responsibility of a viable project with the help
of students on the farm in areas such as: chicken tractor,
keyhole vegetable beds, biochar, dry toilets, banana circles,
wind breaks, water harvesting, greywater and blackwater
management and/or any other areas of their choice. Visit 11
www.ipcindia2017.org for more info.
 P E R M AC U LT U R E
PLANT
PUMPKIN
Words and photo by Beck Lowe
BOTANICAL NAME: Cucurbita spp., for example C. maxima,
C. pepo and C. moschata
COMMON NAMES: pumpkin, winter squash (USA)
ORIGIN: Central America and Southern USA
DESCRIPTION: a fast-growing annual vine producing abun-
dant leaf-mass and large edible fruits.
PERMACULTURE USES
• A particularly useful food plant. Can be cooked in sweet
or savoury dishes – roast pumpkin and pumpkin soup are
classics. The seeds are edible, containing good amounts
of zinc among other nutrients; some cultivars have hull-
less seeds, making them easy to eat. Flowers are edible,
shoots and young leaves can be added to stir-fries or
steamed; and the whole vine can be chopped and slow-
cooked in soups and stews.
• Seeds are also used medicinally.
• Many cultivars can be stored for months.
• Cut into chunks, pumpkins make a great stockfeed for
goats, cows and even chickens.
• Lush growth and spreading habit make the plant an ex-
cellent living mulch, shading the ground and supressing
competing plants; it is particularly useful under establish-
ing fruit trees.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Pumpkins need plenty of water and have a high nutrient re-
quirement. Otherwise they are very low maintenance and
easy to grow. They can be planted into a pocket of compost,
12
or mulched heavily. Watering is best done direct to the soil
as wet leaves can make plants vulnerable to fungal diseases.
There is a quite bewildering array of cultivars available: differ-
ent shapes, sizes and colours, as well as big variations in fla-
vour, sweetness and texture. Tougher skinned cultivars tend
to keep better, but will be harder to cut. Very large-fruited
cultivars can be fun to grow, but the fruit quality will be low.
For those with less room, there are bush cultivars available,
such as Golden Nugget, which fit more neatly into the vegie
garden. Pumpkin vines can also be grown onto shed roofs,
or up fences or established trees to save space. They can be
used to create a shady summer area when grown on a trellis.
PROPAGATION
Pumpkins will grow in almost any climate and can be planted
year round in warmer, frost-free areas. Dry months are better
for growing in tropical areas as hot, wet weather can lead to
fungal problems. In cool or frosty areas seeds can be started
in spring in a greenhouse and transplanted out – a large pot
should be used, as they will outgrow it rapidly! In other areas
seed can be planted straight into the ground.
Seed is easy to save: scoop it out, wash it (soaking for a
day helps) and ensure it is dry before storing. Pumpkins will
cross-pollinate with other cultivars of the same species, so to
keep a strain pure grow one cultivar of each species per year,
or hand pollinate flowers and seal them against other pollen
entering.
 R A R E B R E E DS
AUSTRALIAN GAME
Words and photos by Tabitha Bilaniwskyj-Zarins
If you want very hardy, impressive chickens for your system
or backyard, then the Australian Game or Australian Pit Game
breeds are definitely worth considering.
CHARACTERISTICS
Both the Australian Game and Australian Pit Game fowls are:
• hardy, compact and robust
• easy to maintain
• very good layers, particularly the Pit Game hens
(as good as Australian Langshans)
• good table birds (see weights below)
• available in a variety of beautiful colours, including
black/red, creel (speckled), pile (white) and duckwing
(silver and gold)
• easily quietened and usually very gentle, although
females can be feisty (take care when introducing new
stock).
Relative weights: Australian Game males over 5.45  kg, fe-
males over 4.75 kg, and bantam males 1.5 kg, females 1.2 kg;
Australian Pit Game males 2.7 kg and females 2.0 kg.
WHAT IS GAME POULTRY?
Game poultry is also known as ‘hard feather’. The most fa-
miliar chickens are ‘soft feather’ types, with flouncy soft,
fluffy feathers, such as ISA Brown and Australorps. Hard
feather chickens are characterised by: feathers held close to
the body: a solid and muscular feel when held; and eagle-like
heads.
Like their softer counterparts, hard feather chickens come
in standard and bantam sizes. The Australian Game and
Australian Pit Game are the only two Australian hard feather
chickens.
ORIGIN
Both breeds have been developed from a mix of Old English
and Asian birds. The Australian Game was originally known
as Colonial Game. Both were bred for cockfighting by officers
of the early settlements. When this was banned, farmers in
the Windsor, Hawkesbury and Hunter Regions of NSW contin-
ued to develop the breeds for hardiness and table properties,
and for exhibition.
Even though the breeds’ origins were similar, they have
very different physical characteristics. Australian Game birds
are tall, long legged and thickset. Australian Pit Game birds
are short, solid and muscular. Both are hardy birds in the
orchard or in any permaculture system, providing both good
table and egg-laying properties.
MAINTENANCE AND HOUSING
Feed wheat to keep the feathers tight. Daily free ranging will
supplement the diet and increase egg production. Exercise is
also important.
Housing need not be too complicated: an indoor/outdoor
section with roosting perches that is secure is sufficient. A
surplus of male birds is easily housed in individual box pens;
these are good for quietening the birds, and also for pairing
with hens to breed.
13
 E AT YO U R W E E DS

WILD RADISH
Words and photo by Patrick Jones

Wild radish Raphanus raphanistrum is a valuable winter and
spring vegetable, in the brassica family. Whether the plant is
native to the Mediterranean area or Asia is disputed, but it is
now a globalised wild food that is loved by foragers far and
wide.
The plant has various common names around the world,
including cadlock, jointed charlock, and runch. The botanical
name for wild radish derives from Greek, meaning to appear
quickly: its germination is rapid, although the plant recedes
if the soil remains undisturbed. Being a pioneer species, it
likes disturbed soil. Where it springs up may indicate acidity,
although it will grow in most soil types. It is a frost-hardy, te-
nacious plant. In a climate-changed future we may be eating
a lot more plants like this.
Wild radish grows in all Australian states – it suits tem-
perate and subalpine climates, and has also been found in
subtropical areas; it hasn’t naturalised in the Northern Terri-
tory. While it can be a great food source, around four million
hectares of it are sprayed each year in Australia with about
$40  million worth of herbicide according to the Herbiguide
website www.herbiguide.com.au. While it’s usually broadacre
cropping farms that spray the plants, always be careful where
you forage it – your gut flora doesn’t need any more residual
pesticides.
DESCRIPTION
Wild radish is sometimes a biannual but mostly an annual
plant, with a much branched rosette habit. The leaves are
rough, grow quite large and are generally toothed. The stalks
can grow to one metre. The flowers are very typical of bras-
sicas: they vary in colour, including white, yellow, pink, cream
and lilac; and they form in clusters at the ends of the stem
branches. The tap roots are generally small.
USES
We eat a lot of weeds when our produce garden enters a pe-
riod of lower productivity over the winter months, and we al-
ways use wild radish when making hearty stews, bone broths
and curries. We cook the leaves and stems well to soften and
reduce fibres, and harvest only the very young leaves for eat-
ing raw in salads, open sandwiches or juices.
The tubers, although quite insignificant in size, taste just like
cultivated radish tubers, and are useful to include in winter
soups, stews and salads. The flowers are also excellent in
salads. The roots can be used to make anti-fungal extract.
The plant contains useful glucosinolates that help make min-
erals and nutrients more bioavailable. The plant is also an
awesome green manure over the winter months, and bees
love the flowers.
If you have a question about weeds for Patrick you can
email him at theartistasfamily@gmail.com

14
 S AV E YO U R S E E DS
MUSTARD GREENS
Words and photos by Steve and Kerryn Martin from the Lost Seed
Mustard greens Brassica juncea are a little-known leafy vege-
table, typically grown over winter as they are quite frost-tol-
erant. They tolerate a wide range of growing conditions, and
are easy to grow. Both leaves and flowers may be used raw
in salads or cooked like spinach (which removes the hot fla-
vour). With the onset of warmer weather these attractive
plants will quickly set seed, and produce hundreds of tiny
seeds per plant.
LIFE CYCLE AND POLLINATION:
An annual – will produce seed in the first year. Both self–
and cross–pollinating: although self-fertile, plants will produce
more seeds if regularly visited by insects. Will cross with Chi-
nese mustard and other mustards. To ensure purity, grow va-
rieties at least 400 m apart.
HOW TO SAVE SEED:
Select from only the strongest plants: remove those that show
signs of disease, or which bolt early. Plants produce flowering
stalks to 1.2 m high, so they are best staked. Pods will mature
progressively on the one plant. As branches turn brown, cut
them, place them in a large paper bag and leave to dry in a cool,
dry, well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Alternatively,
when the majority of seed pods on the bush are brown and
dry, and the seeds rattle inside, harvest the whole bush, then
place it in a hessian bag and leave to dry. Seeds will be ready
after one to five days, or when seeds become too hard to dent
with a fingernail. Dry seed pods are easily shattered and will
readily release their seed; otherwise rub pods between your
hands, causing them to break open. For larger quantities, place
the dried plant material in a tub and tread on the pods. Discard
any stems and pods, then screen and winnow the remaining
seed. Use a piece of felt to remove any of the finer, unwanted
material: simply stretch it over a large, flat board, place that
on an incline and roll the seed over it – any chaff will adhere
to the board, leaving the seed at the bottom to be collected.
TIP:
Use isolation cages if you want to save seeds of more than
one variety, or if you are worried about cross-pollination from
neighbours and can’t achieve the distance required to keep
seed pure. Poly-pipe hoops set over metal star pickets and
then covered with insect barrier mesh will give the required
height for the flowering stalks, and also keep out any unwant-
ed insects. To ensure good seed set, introduce insects into
the cage at flowering time. Blowfly pupae (maggots – yes,
that’s right!) are the best option, as they don’t carry unwanted
pollen with them – either collect your own using rotten meat,
or ask for ‘ready to hatch blowfly pupae’ at your local fishing
bait store.
SEED STORAGE AND VIABILITY:
Store dried seed in a cool, dry place away from direct sun-
light. The seed may remain viable for up to four years.
Find them at thelostseed.com.au
15
 This page clockwise from top: Melliodora kitchen; Su milking the goats;
cheesemaking with goats milk; Su and David; the kitchen garden in summer;
kid goat. Following page clockwise from top left: harvesting honey; the
greenhouse in summer; the kitchen garden in summer.
Robyn Rosenfeldt

16
 U S E A N D VA L U E R E N E WA B L E
RESOURCES AND SERVICES
MELLIODORA:
THE ART OF PERMACULTURE LIVING
Words and photos by Kirsten Bradley
If you’ve studied, read or participated in any perma-
culture-related activities in Australia (or far beyond),
then you’ll be aware of Melliodora, the outstanding
domestic-scale permaculture demonstration site sit-
uated in the village of Hepburn, Victoria.
Melliodora is perhaps one of the best known sites in the
world which demonstrates permaculture design on a house-
hold scale. But it just feels like a happy and healthy place, with:
a garden full of nut, fruit and forage trees, berries, vegetables,
geese and goats; mudbrick homes; and lives worth living.
Founded by David Holmgren (co-originator of permacul-
ture) and Su Dennett and their family in 1985, this site has
progressed from a blackberry-covered hillside to a one hect-
are settlement of self-reliance and low-energy living at its
best.
There’s so much to take in: mudbrick passive-solar hous-
es; forest gardens; energy-efficient approaches to all aspects
of living; water-in-landscape design; and animal systems. It’s
hard to imagine the site before, as a scramble of brambles on
a bare hill.
David and Su chose the site, on the edge of Hepburn village
rather than a more rural location, for a few reasons – as David
explains, ‘I didn’t want to become a chauffeur service, spend-
ing most of my time driving to and from town for soccer prac-
tice, school, music and grabbing bits and pieces’. So finding
land where most of life’s immediate needs were accessible by
foot or the local bus was a priority for this family.
In addition, the parcel of land that Melliodora sits on was
cheap. With a slightly west facing slope covered in brambles,
a small seasonal creek running through it, and its location on
the edge of town, it was neither urban nor rural, and it need-
ed lots of work to make it pretty. In the 1980s the site didn’t
impress most potential buyers. However, from David and Su’s
perspective there were many advantages: it bordered a public
creek (later to become the Spring Creek Community Forest);
they liked the community in the area and the climate; the pos-
FEATURE
sible water catchment looked good; and the site couldn’t be
shaded out by neighbouring properties’ plantings.
Thirty years later Melliodora has made the most of the site’s
advantages, allayed the disadvantages as much as possible,
and continues to evolve as a living permaculture system.
SELF-RELIANT AND CONNECTED
David and Su developed Melliodora with self-reliance in mind,
but they also wanted to be connected to their community.
‘The principles of self-reliance and personal responsibili-
ty have been central to everything we’ve done, from being
owner-builders and growing our own food, to homebirth and
homeschooling’, David explains. ‘This is not driven by a desire
to separate ourselves from society, but a strong belief that it’s
through citizens taking more, not less, responsibility for their
own needs that the necessary social revolution to a sustain-
able society can be best initiated.’
With this goal in mind, they have developed many integrated
systems at Melliodora. Organic waste from the house cycles
through chickens and compost systems, and back into garden
soil. The goats graze on brambles, pasture, public land and
woody trimmings from the orchard systems, turning cellulose
into protein rich milk. The water that falls on the property
is caught and stored in various ways, for drinking, irrigation,
potential energy and thermal mass. The orchards, nut groves,
main crops and kitchen gardens all provide seasonal food sup-
ply for the residents. An integrated Community Supported Ag-
riculture and wholefood co-op pickup point, run from the main
garage, provides social glue and resilience.
HOUSE DESIGN
As with any homestead, the ‘big house’ is the beating heart. A
smaller mudbrick/timbercrete cottage is further down the hill, 17
between the two dams; built for David’s mother Venie, it now
houses another family. There is also a tiny wooden ’tea house’
above the top dam.
 As an owner-builder project, the big house took David, Su
and friends two years to complete, and is as unique as its
inhabitants. This is not set-and-forget living – although the
house is well designed and built, it evolves as they live in it:
many small changes and improvements have been, and will
continue to be, made as needed.
PASSIVE SOLAR
In the central Victorian climate getting passive heating and
cooling right makes a big difference to the energy inputs, and
year-round comfort of a home. The big house faces north,
to catch the low winter sun and draw it inside. Solar ener-
gy warms the internal thermal mass of the house created by
mudbrick walls and floor.
In summer, with the higher sun angle, the line of the roof
shades the internal walls to prevent unwanted summer heat
entering the house. The western side of the house has a large
pergola, covered in summer by extensive kiwi fruit and grape
arbours to make a large, cool shady space which functions
as an outdoor work, harvesting and living area. In winter, the
leaves fall and allow sun and light in to the western side of
the house.
GREENHOUSE
The big house also features a passive solar greenhouse, at-
tached to the north side, outside the kitchen. The greenhouse
is a multi-purpose space that brings considerable happiness
and yields, in all four seasons. It is used as a heat collector,
growing space and mudroom.
In winter the greenhouse lets the low sun in and catches
that solar energy to warm the internal garden beds, the mud-
brick house wall and the kitchen. The garden beds are full of
out-of-season greens and herbs, protected from frost by the
clear roof and the slow heat bank provided by the mudbrick
wall. This makes it easy to nip out for a few salad leaves or
herbs on a rainy winter day.
The end of the greenhouse, next to the kitchen door, func-
tions as a mudroom – providing a warm, dry place to get
muddy boots on and off, store coats out of the weather, and
transition from the outside to the inside of the house without
bringing half the garden soil in with you.
In summer the greenhouse is deep in large green leaves:
cucurbits, tomatoes and other vegetables, rising high to shade
the greenhouse roof and the house wall beside it.
Overhead misters keep the greenhouse pleasantly humid
on dry summer days, and also provide a valuable moist buf-
fer-zone for the house as part of Melliodora’s fire plan.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Apart from these design features, Melliodora has many other
examples of low-tech, energy-efficient living, including power
generation, water harvesting, food preservation and storage,
18 not to mention the home office that allows integrated low-en-
ergy livelihoods.
One of the simplest low energy solutions is the cool-cup-
board in the kitchen. This draws cool air from the cavity un-
derneath the earth floor, then channels it up through the cup-
board (and past the cooled food) and out through a flue above.
This is a completely passive, food-cooling unit, powered by
the tendency of air to rise as it warms.
Wire baskets in the cool cupboard contain everything from
homemade ferments of all kinds, vegetables, condiments, left-
over meals and homemade goat’s cheese. Thanks to tight-fit-
ting doors, the cool cupboard’s internal temperature is kept
separate from the ambient kitchen temperature; its contents
sit happily at an average temperature of 10 °C in winter, and
a maximum of 17  °C in summer. A small bar fridge in the
kitchen keeps the fresh goats milk – from daily milking – at
4 °C; everything else is kept cool, but not cold. This is an ex-
cellent compromise for an energy-efficient home-based food
system.
The house also boasts a cellar, full of preserves, storage
crops, food preparation gear and other things that need, or
benefit from, being kept cool, but are not required daily in the
kitchen.
The kitchen garden, although not often thought of as a food
preservation unit, is actually one of the best. If managed well,
you can have fresh salad greens and other vegetables stored
in the ground or on the plant, and only harvest as you need
them! About ninety per cent of the vegetables needed for the
household at Melliodora are produced right outside the door.
WATER
Melliodora’s water design represents a pragmatic approach to
available resources. When designing the house, David wanted
to make the most of the town-water connection as a backup
system for resilience, especially in the fire season because of
its excellent head pressure.
A small rainwater tank behind the big house collects rainfall
off a small section of the roof, and provides drinking water for
the house, through a separate tap in the kitchen.
The majority of the rain that falls on the house roof, and the
roof of the second studio building on the property, collects
water in two large ferro-cement tanks that were built on site.
This water is pumped by a solar pump to a header-tank uphill
from the house, and is used for washing dishes and people.
Melliodora’s two dams spill from one into the other, via a
series of silt traps and small ponds. Dam water is pumped
by a solar pump up to a second header-tank, and used for
irrigating vegetables, fruit and nut trees across the property.
The top dam’s catchment includes hard surfaces from the
surrounding township, and fills quickly in a short downpour.
The second dam fills from the property itself, and from the
overflow of the dam above. In turn, when the system is full,
the excess water spills passively down to Spring Creek, next
to the property.
HOME ECONOMY
Every aspect of Melliodora is set up with the household econ-
omy in mind, rather than the monetary economy. Self-reliance
is key, and the house and its integrated and surrounding sys-
tems are designed accordingly.

The food needed is grown, raised, collected or milked, as
best as can be managed. Some foods are plentiful, some are
not, most are highly seasonal, and no foodstuff is assumed.
The menu changes daily, and markedly, throughout the year.
Ideas gaining popularity now, such as no-waste living, have
been a given in this house for decades. There’s no rubbish
bin in the kitchen: paper is used again, or stored, or compost-
ed; all jars and tins are re-purposed; all organic scraps are
eaten by something on site. Meals are made at home, and
taken along when adventures await beyond. Everything that’s
needed and can be sourced second hand or from junkyards,
is. There’s no left-over packaging in this house.
The small amount of plastic that does make it into the house
is usually re-purposed to wrap and package wholefoods to be
sold at the weekly co-op. It all goes around.
Heating energy is sourced from the sun, and from sticks
collected on the property or at neighbouring places. Things
that break, are fixed, if they can be. Things that break easily,
or cannot be fixed, are generally not brought into the system.
It’s in these ways, plus many other small and large habits
and behaviours and systems, that the home economy at Mel-
liodora functions. Very little money is needed for daily life.
Much living, doing and making, gets done instead.
FEATURE
David talks about his aspiration of ‘living in place’ – of a life
spent learning the local country, the signs and systems, the
climate, the ground. Of not always going far away, to other
things. Of giving thanks for what is, and adapting to what is
not. And designing; always designing. It’s a style of living, and
a possible future, for all of us to consider.
Thanks to David and Su for their insights and help. There
are many great resources available that break down, in detail
and step-by-step, the design, construction, and establishment
of this special place. If you’re interested, start with ’Melliodora’
Hepburn Permaculture Gardens: a Case Study in Cool Climate
Permaculture 1985–2005 (Holmgren Design Services 2005),
a fabulous and detailed overview, available in hard copy and
ebook form. Head to holmgren.com.au for this and other re-
sources, both digital and print, on Melliodora, permaculture
design, designing for bushfire and much more.
Kirsten Bradley runs Milkwood, an Australian permacul-
ture skills enterprise that has just taken up residence in
the studio at Melliodora.. She pickles whatever she can
19
get her hands on, and writes hopefully useful things at
www.milkwood.net
 Rammed Earth Australia

Robyn Rosenfeldt
Jess Ahlemeier

Clockwise from above left: Rammed earth walls;

Mudbrick interior; Strawbale interior; Light Earth
wall; Cob house.

Viva Living Homes

Viva Living Homes

20
 U S E A N D VA L U E R E N E WA B L E
RESOURCES AND SERVICES
YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL
BUILDING MATERIALS
Words by Adam Hickman
Whether you’re thinking of becoming an owner-build-
er or retrofitting your home, you might be wonder-
ing which building materials will ensure an effective,
beautiful and natural home. Some important factors to
consider are: which resources are available to you lo-
cally (both on your property and in your area); cost of
materials; thermal properties sought – passive solar
design, thermal mass and insulation – and how these
interact with each other; embodied energy involved;
and the ease of material construction. With an intro-
duction to these factors, you will be better equipped
to begin choosing the materials that best suit your
climate and house design.
LOCALLY SOURCED MATERIALS
Research your local resources – keep an eye out for timber
mills (for free/cheap offcuts), dense forest, high-clay soil,
quarries for stone, salvage yards, building-grade strawbale
manufacturers, and any excess subsoil from building sites.
Practise sustainable building methods.
If you’re planning to use earthen materials, test the clay
content in your own subsoil first. If you have a clay content
of around twenty-five per cent, techniques such as cob, light
earth (straw clay), rammed earth and mudbrick would be per-
fect options in your design.
Another great local resource is trees. Many native Aus-
tralian hardwoods are suitable for building; ironbark, tallow-
wood, Victorian ash, blue gum and spotted gum are some.
Once you’ve identified the species and its properties (such
as strength and durability), the timber can be used for post
and beam construction, or milled for weatherboards, cladding,
floor joists and furniture.
COST
For many people, cost is the deciding factor in the choice of
building materials. Some people assume that natural build-
ing is cheap, but this isn’t necessarily true. The major costs
FEATURE
in building any home are usually labour and fixtures, such
as kitchen, bathroom and internal fit-outs. For example, a
straw bale house built by a natural builder can cost anywhere
between $1800–2000 m2, with the bales only accounting for
fifteen to twenty per cent of the cost. However, you can re-
duce costs by downsizing, sourcing your materials locally or
from your property, using recycled materials, and inviting the
community or volunteers to take part in building workshops
at your place.
THERMAL PROPERTIES
When assessing thermal properties, passive solar design,
thermal mass and insulation are major considerations. In an
Australian climate, holding and storing heat and cold effec-
tively, by using insulating materials on the external walls and
thermal mass internally, can create an ideal environment for
self-regulated temperature control.
Passive solar design is one way to harness the sun’s en-
ergy for the heating and cooling of living spaces. This design
practice aims to create a self-regulated temperature within
the home, instead of installing non-renewable systems such
as gas heating and air conditioning. This involves consider-
ation of the orientation and internal layout of the house and,
most importantly, the choice of building materials and their
strategic placement. By constructing a passive solar design
you are investing in lower energy bills and using the naturally
occurring thermal properties of your materials. With an un-
derstanding of passive solar design you can begin to choose
building materials.
Thermal mass stores, and releases or absorbs, heat. When
a mass stores heat from a source (such as a fire or the sun),
it slowly releases that energy back into the room once the
ambient temperature drops below the mass temperature – 21
sometimes delaying the heat flow through the home by up to
twelve hours (lag). Materials that have a high thermal mass
include brick, stone, cob, mud bricks, concrete and water. You
can use these materials for internal structure and to build
 Keren Dobia
Hempcrete Australia
partition walls, which work well in winter, especially when
positioned near a fire.
Insulation stops or slows down the transfer of heat and
cold. As a general rule, materials that are fibrous and contain
air pockets are good insulators. In Australia, building materi-
als are given an R-value rating, based on the thermal conduc-
tivity or resistance of the material. However, efficient design
is about more than R-value, for example material used in the
walls may have a high R-value but the walls are just one el-
ement of the design – only fifteen to twenty-five per cent of
22 heat is lost through walls. A strawbale wall has an incredi-
ble R-value of R10.0. Other good insulators (with an R-val-
ue around R3.0) include sheep’s wool (expensive at around
$25  m2) and hempcrete.
Jess Ahlemeier
Clockwise from below: Mudbrick home; Hempcrete;
Timber framing by Evergeen Homes; Cob walls.
Robyn Rosenfeldt
EMBODIED ENERGY
Embodied energy is the total energy consumed by the pro-
cesses of extracting, processing, manufacturing and deliv-
ering building materials to your site. In natural building the
embodied energy and carbon footprint (i.e. related carbon
dioxide emissions) of materials will depend on your location
and what is locally available to you.
The ideal building material for low embodied energy would
involve little or no processing of the raw material, and all the
energy inputs would be ‘borrowed’ from the earth. Cement,
the key ingredient in concrete, is extremely high in embodied
energy; however, it’s now one of the most common materi-
als used in conventional building. The main use of cement
in buildings is in the foundations and floor. While it can be
difficult to avoid using cement when trying to adhere to per-
mits and engineering specifications, there are ways to reduce
the use of cement, for example by using: urbanite (reused)
concrete; added natural materials such as crushed limestone
(e.g. LimeCrete); rubble trenches; concrete strip footings with
an internal earthen floor; or by constructing timber posts and
frame on top of brick piers.
EASE OF CONSTRUCTION
The diverse range of natural building materials makes for an
equally diverse range of construction methods. The key con-
siderations to balance are: your ability to use unskilled labour;
speed of construction; and weight of the materials. For ex-
ample, you could employ a carpenter to erect the structural
frame, which means your chosen infill for the walls doesn’t
need to be structural, allowing for additional unskilled labour
(such as friends or family) to assist in the building process.
Strawbale wall installation would be a quick process with un-
skilled labour, while mudbricks – which are heavy for their
size – will take longer to install.
MATERIALS [see further details in the table]
Cob
Cob is made from subsoil (sand and clay), water and a fibrous
organic material, typically straw. For a strong cob mixture you
need around fifteen to twenty-five per cent clay, seventy-five
to eighty-five per cent sand and one part straw. Always test
samples and different ratios for strength before building, as
natural materials are different from place to place. If you
can’t use subsoil from your property, try calling local land-
scapers and building sites or look on community websites for
free subsoil. Cob is also extremely fire-resistant.
Mudbrick
Mudbricks are made by mixing subsoil and water, and sculpt-
ing the mix into brick-shaped forms which are left to dry nat-
urally. Sometimes straw and other fibres are added to reduce
the shrinkage in the drying process. Mud bricks are extremely
fire-resistant.
Strawbale
Oat, rye, wheat and rice straw are commonly used materials
for making strawbales, but not hay (which can germinate and
break down in the walls). Use previously compressed bales
(building grade) rather than regular strawbales.
Light earth
Light earth (also known as light straw clay or insulating straw
clay) is not structural but used as infill, and is best for retrofit-
ting walls or cavities due to its great balance of insulating and
thermal mass properties. It is made from loose straw, lightly
coated in a clay slip/slurry, which is tamped into formwork
between a post and beam structure. Once dry (two to four
months), the walls are rendered with an earth or lime render.
Hempcrete
Hempcrete is made by combining water, hemp fibre and a
lime-based binder. It is both fire- and pest-resistant. Similar
to light earth, it’s an infill material: you use formwork to pack
the material into sections, usually a load-bearing timber frame.
Rammed earth
Rammed earth is a mixture of gravel, clay, sand, cement and
sometimes lime or waterproofing additives. It is most easily
machine-compacted into removable formwork, resulting in a
water-resistant, load-bearing, long-lasting wall.
Timber
FEATURE
Sustainable timber is a renewable material that absorbs car-
bon from the atmosphere while growing, and stores it for the
life of the building. Australia has many native hardwoods that
are great for building. Timber can be used sawn or left in the
round.
HOW TO GET STARTED
It can be easy to set your heart on a specific style, so it’s im-
portant to remember that natural building techniques can be
adapted to different shapes and design parameters and, once
rendered with lime and/or earth, can maintain a very similar
aesthetic. The important first step is to begin to look at your
own needs in a home. How do you spend time in a space?
How can your home benefit your needs and lifestyle?
Research which materials are readily available in your area,
from the natural world and recycled, as well as via websites
such as Gumtree and Freecycle. Stay in tune with what your
budget allows, and think outside the box when considering
fixtures, fittings and labour alternatives.
Most importantly, enjoy this empowering building process
as much as the goal. You can build a solid, beautiful and
breathable home with earthen, carbon-neutral materials. It’s
about realising your needs, observing your resources, and ac-
knowledging local skills and community.
For further information and details of relevant
courses go to:
• Your Home: Australia’s guide to environmentally
sustainable homes at www.yourhome.gov.au
• The Australian Timber Database at
www.timber.net.au
• Viva Living Homes at www.vivahomes.com.au
• Huff ‘n’ Puff Strawbale Constructions at
www.glassford.com.au
• Agari Permaculture Farm at www.agarifarm.org
• Earth Building Solutions at
www.earthbuildingsolutions.com.au
• Milkwood at www.milkwood.net
• Rammed Earth Australia at
www.rammedearthaustralia.com.au
• Evergreen Homes at www.evergreenhomes.com.au
• Hempcrete Australia at www.hempcrete.com.au
Adam Hickman owns and runs Evergreen Homes and
has been teaching natural building courses all over
Australia. He has two upcoming courses: a three
week strawbale round house with reciprocal roof in Ad-
23
elaide and a one week home in Mornington Peninsula.
For more info visit agarifarm.org
or contact adam@agarifarm.org

COST
COB
Cheap if sourcing clay/sand
from your property. Otherwise:
clay is around $16–20 kg; sand
around $70 m3
MUDBRICK
Free when using your own
soil and building your own
brick moulds from recycled
timber or metal; pre-made
have a 5 % cement additive,
and cost around $3.30 /brick
($66 m2 laid flat
STRAWBALE
Around $9/bale ($20 m2)
Cheap if sourcing clay from
LIGHT EARTH HEMPCRE TE
your property. You can use
reclaimed plywood for form-
work, but you’ll need to buy
straw. You can use wood chip
instead of straw (chip ‘n’ slip)
so ask at your local saw mill)
If employing an experienced
builder the price is similar
to conventional building, but
you can invite workshops or
volunteers to lower the costs
RAMMED EARTH
Costs $250–300 / vertical
m2 if hiring a builder; reduce
costs by using earth from
your property; one option
is stabilising it with 5–10 %
24
cement
EMBODIED
ENERGY
Depends on source
of materials; minimal
if from property, and
with local straw
Minimal if locally sourced
materials
A completely renewable
material – its primary energy
input is the sun
Non-toxic, bio-renewable
and low-cost materials; by
incorporating organic
aggregates wall construction
can be carbon negative
Carbon-negative – more
carbon is taken out of the
atmosphere by growing the
hemp plant than is emitted as
a result of its production and
use on site; transport to site
is an additional carbon
emission, so research local
produces and suppliers
Minimal if using subsoil from
your property, especially if
you choose not to add cement
(only recommended for
non-load-bearing walls)
THERMAL
PROPERTIES
Low insulation value (R0.5),
but high thermal mass
Low insulation value (R0.4),
but great thermal mass;
more effective to use
mudbricks for thermal and
acoustic performance on
internal walls
A rendered wall provides
excellent insulation (R10.0)
The less dense the wall, the
lighter the weight and the
higher the insulation value,
but with a lower thermal
mass: walls at 250 mm
width with a lower density of
500 kg/m3 are around R1.8
A 300 mm thick wall is
around R4.2
Insulation similar to
mudbrick (around R0.4)
EASE OF
CONSTRUCTION
Applied while wet.
Labour-intensive to mix
and apply (build up to
300 mm/day), so best as a
community process. You can
mix it with a tractor, or on
a tarp in large quantities.
Free-form style of materi-
al allows for architectural
flexibility.
Can be load-bearing but
usually used as infill.
Labour-intensive due to
weight – usually about
18 kg/brick.
Can be load-bearing or used
as infill. Both techniques are
extremely quick, as each bale
is usually 900 mm x 450 mm
x 350 mm, weighs only
16–20 kg and is easy to ma-
noeuvre between two people.
Technique is easy, lightweight
and fast, especially if built in
the warmer months. Using
two sets of boards (about
300 mm are practical); you
can leapfrog your way up a
wall creating full height walls
in one session.
Have an experienced builder
present as the mixture consis-
tency is quite specific. Layer
no more than 100–150 mm at
a time, and then pat it down
firmly. The lime is highly
alkaline, so gloves and safety
glasses are necessary. It is
light work but very labour-
intensive.
Very labour-intensive,
requiring a small excavator
or cement mixer to combine
materials. The mix is applied
within formwork and tamped.
Mechanical and wooden tam-
pers are available, although
the latter will take longer.
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 U S E A N D VA L U E R E N E WA B L E
RESOURCES AND SERVICES
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY:
THE WAY FORWARD
Words by Joel Meadows
Western societies have been enthralled by technology
since the beginning of the industrial revolution. From
mechanised looms to 3D printers, technology has lift-
ed people out of poverty, increased life expectancy,
freed us from menial work, reduced pain and suffer-
ing, and helped us to see the world in new and illu-
minating ways. However, technology is a two-edged
sword, for it has also brought pollution, extinctions,
an exploding human population, unemployment and,
of course, the warming of our planet.
SLOW TECHNOLOGY
A permaculture approach to technology is more like the ‘slow
food’ movement than the high-tech, cutting edge of modern
industry. It is technology that works for us, not enslaving us
to it. It is technology that connects us to our place and com-
munity. It is beautiful and enhances our lives. It is more like a
long, slow lunch with friends than a drive-through takeaway.
EF Schumacher is credited with first using the term ‘ap-
propriate technology’, in his influential book Small Is Beau-
tiful: a Study of Economics as if People Mattered (Blond and
Briggs 1973), though he leaned toward the term ‘intermediate
technology’. I prefer ‘appropriate’ as it suggests there is a
right size, a right scale, a right cost for technology. Appropri-
ate technologies are those that hit a sweet spot where these
things are aligned.
SWEET SPOTS
We are often presented with a picture of technology being a
great unfolding: from simple and primitive, through to high-
tech and complex; ever growing and ever improving. But this
is not always the case: most types of technology have sweet
26 spots – points in their development that just seem to work
well – and any attempts to improve them have little overall
impact. A classic example is the bicycle.
Two-wheeled human conveyances have been around since
the 1820s, but when the ‘safety bicycle’ (diamond frame, two
matching-sized wheels, chain drive) emerged in the 1880s a
sweet spot was hit. The design worked: it matched the human
body with a technology that produced an efficiency – energy
expended to distance travelled – that is still unmatched by
any other form of transport. Bicycles might look like they’ve
changed in the last 130 years (they have got faster), but the
core of the safety bicycle design is still there, and little im-
provement in overall efficiency has been achieved.
This is not to say that there is only one ‘appropriate’ tech-
nology that must be rolled out globally. Permaculture princi-
ples call us to ‘observe and interact’ with our place and our
conditions, so technology must be locally adapted and locally
appropriate. Although the basic bicycle design might remain,
an ‘appropriate bike’ for us and our place should be: made
from locally sourced materials, geared to suit the local typog-
raphy, fitted with tyres suited to the local terrain, lubricated
with locally sourced oils and greases, and fitted with attach-
ments suited to the load being carried or work being done.
HOW TO MEASURE ‘APPROPRIATE’
So, how do we divine the appropriate from the inappropriate
in selecting and using technology? How do we go about find-
ing sweet spots? Here are some criteria by which we might
assess a prospective technology.
Renewable
We should check that any technology we are considering is
based on a renewable resource base, and a renewable source
of energy. ‘Use and value renewable resources and services’
and ‘catch and store energy’ aren’t just useful sayings; they
underpin thinking that will move technology from destructive
and unsustainable to life-affirming and stable.
Appropriate technology will make good use of those renew-
able resources and energies that are locally available. It will
use resources or energy from outside the local area sparingly.
Dan Palmer Frances Howe

Nature Loo

27
FEATURE
 Warning: be careful with the term ‘renewable’, as much that is
labelled as such by the ‘renewable energy industry’ doesn’t tick all
– or any – of the boxes on the appropriate technology checklist.
For example, adding lots of photovoltaic panels to a house to run
a big spa bath doesn’t make it appropriate.
Human scale
Schumacher says ‘small is beautiful’, and David Holmgren
says ‘use small and slow solutions’, yet both acknowledge
that the real answer is not ‘small for small’s sake’, but the
right scale for the people and place. Scale is critical in defin-
ing appropriate technology, yet there are no absolute numbers
for defining size or scale. The best measure we have is our
bodies.
Before the advent of lifts, buildings generally weren’t built
over three stories high, not because people lacked the en-
gineering skills to go higher, but because buildings became
un-livable when occupants had to climb more than two flights
of stairs to get from street level to home or work. This was
human scale defining and limiting technology.
When we let our bodies define what works well, the human
scale becomes a potent tool in designing and choosing appro-
priate technology.
Locally repairable, locally manufactured
Appropriate technology should be at least locally repairable,
and preferably made within the bioregion it’s used in. Much
modern technology is disposable, with only a few older tech-
nologies being repairable. However, repairable technologies
form an essential part of a stable, local economy; providing a
range of jobs at different skill levels within communities.
Freeing and empowering
Good technology frees us from being mindless consumers,
trapped in a capitalist feedlot where products come in, and
(often pointless) work and money go out.
When we grow and capture energy and resources that are
locally available we become not only more self-reliant and re-
silient, but the products are more valuable to our community;
less subject to price fluctuations, supply chains or interna-
tionally traded commodities.
This is truly empowering technology, but it’s not always
easy. It’s often time- and labour-intensive, and requires us to
understand the system and technology being used.
WHAT DOES APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
LOOK LIKE?
Some of the best examples of appropriate technology are very
simple and common; others are innovative and newly emerg-
ing. Let’s have a look at a few of these technologies in more
detail.
28
Good design and building
In temperate regions, passive solar design for houses can al-
low winter sun through north facing windows, and store that
energy in the thermal mass of the house. In summer, eaves,
pergolas or blinds can exclude the higher angle of the sun,
and keep the mass cool, assisted by evening ventilation. Good
design adds little or no extra to building costs, and allows a
house to run with virtually no additional heating or cooling.
Using local and natural building materials, and local skills
and labour, keeps the non-renewable energy inputs of
the building down, and also helps to build local skills and
economy.
Rocket stoves
Rocket stoves use a few simple physical principles to get
close to full combustion of wood for clean, efficient heat pro-
duction. Rocket stoves can be used: to cook food, heat water
and warm houses; and in almost any application where heat
is needed.
Rocket stoves allow small pieces of wood, usually not re-
garded as acceptable firewood, to be the main fuel source,
reducing the energy used in harvesting, stacking and chop-
ping wood. When coupled with solar building design, solar hot
water and solar cooking, firewood requirements can be very
small and manageable.
Rocket stoves are not complicated to make, and simple units
made from reclaimed bricks with cob are often made in just
a few hours. Higher-end units, made from steel or firebricks,
are not hard to manufacture in a moderately equipped shed,
and provide a great local enterprise opportunity.
Solar hot water
The sun’s energy can be converted into hot water with pretty
basic technology. The flatbed solar hot water collector has
been around for over 100 years and is still a fantastic way to
heat water. Though slightly less efficient that the more high-
tech evacuated tube, flatbed panels can be manufactured
easily in small-scale workshops, and are easy to repair and
maintain over a very long lifespan.
Coupled with gravity tanks (another renewable energy
source) and wood-boosting, a solar hot water system can
meet year-round hot water needs, while having no moving
parts and being entirely powered by renewable resources.
Biogas
Any biological material, but particularly high-nitrogen content
material such as leafy plant matter or manure, can be decom-
posed in water anaerobically to generate methane. This can
be done in a simple barrel, a converted septic system or a
purpose built digester. Often the biogas is scrubbed of its im-
purities (hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide) until it’s close
to pure methane, which can then be stored uncompressed in
a gasometer (gas storage tank or bladder), or compressed into
bottles. It’s very similar in heating character to natural gas.
Methane can be used for a range of household needs:
cooking, water and space heating; running an internal com-
bustion engine to generate electricity, or directly in a vehicle
or machine.

©2016 Isaac Marquez and Home Power magazine
Although it is easy to produce biogas (ever made compost
tea?), it’s a good deal more complicated to scrub it, store it
and use it at about the rate you make it. However, biogas is
an appropriate way to begin green gas generation, and has a
long and proven track record in Indian and Chinese villages.
Solar cooking and dehydrating
The sun’s energy can also be converted into heat for cook-
ing or dehydrating food. This can be as simple as using a
box or tray out in the sun, through to concentrator lenses or
dishes that focus the sun’s energy to boil water or even fry
food. Solar cookers can be relatively simple to make from
local and salvaged materials, or can get pretty complicated:
yet another great local enterprise opportunity. Don’t forget
your sunglasses!
Composting toilets and compost heating
Toilet technology is not often considered important by people
living in sewered areas. However, learning to manage and
make best use of human waste is critical away from large
infrastructure, and if we are serious about avoiding waste
and cycling nutrients.
‘Humanure’ style hot-composting systems reduce the risk
of human pathogen contamination, while turning human
waste into a valuable resource for gardens. Humanure sys-
tems are simple, and important if we are to retain nutrients
in our systems.
The heat generated by a hot compost pile can also be a
source of energy; for example, using a coil of pipe through
the pile to heat water for washing or space heating, or direct
heating for greenhouse growing beds.
FEATURE
Above: Biogas digester.
Page 27, clockwise from top: Solar oven and dryer at
Bethel Business and Community Development Centre,
Lesotho; Nature Loo Classic–Palisade Option–Outloo; Joel
Meadows with his rocket water heater.
EARTH TECHNOLOGY
When technology is sourced from our place, powered by local
energy, scaled and refined to fit our needs, and frees us from
costly or destructive consumption, it is much better suited to
support us to live well on this planet.
For more information go to – www.AlternativeTechnol-
ogy.com.au. This website empowers others to transform
miscellaneous bits of junk into kick-ass appropriate
technology solutions. Our next workshop is
our five-day Alt-Tech Intensive where you learn alter-
native solutions to all basic technology needs and then
use them as part of the course and venue. Whether
it’s compost-power showers, rocket oven bake offs or
windmill-powered water supplies, we will be living and
breathing the systems from a user as well as a builder’s
perspective. 19–23 October 2016, Yandoit Farm, Victoria:
www.alternativetechnology.com.au/workshops/
29
 The natural alternative
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 LIVING TINY
Words by Sian Richards and Adam Hickman
Photos by Keren Dobia

31
 We were inspired to build a tiny house out of necessi-
ty, to have our own space. We’d left the city in search
of a more sustainable lifestyle, and for about a year
we lived between a tent, the back of our car and in a
borrowed caravan: it was time to build something of
our own!
We started to investigate what could be possible for us at
Agari Permaculture Farm (Victoria) the intentional commu-
nity we were living at. We spoke to the council and the land-
owner about what could meet our needs. We wanted to build
a home quickly, where: we didn’t need a mortgage, could have
privacy, be warm, store our things, cook in and be able to
move with our changing circumstances.
Adam was working with Rob Scott, from Hollyburton Park
(Macedon Ranges, Vic), building house-trucks at the time, so
that seemed like the obvious solution.

SIZE MATTERS
The floor size is around twenty square metres: the mezza-
nine bedroom, above the truck cab, is four; the living space,
comprised of a lounge room, kitchenette, fire and storage
space, is fourteen; and the cantilevered porch, with a show-
er, is two.

… AND SO DOES COST

We’ve spent around $16 500 so far on the truck, the materi-
als, the solar system and the amenities, including the fridge,
shower, hot-water system and fireplace. Luckily Adam is a
carpenter/builder, and had the skills to both design the house
and then facilitate the building process. Labour is usually the
biggest cost in building, and we were blessed to have so many
beautiful friends to volunteer their time and expertise.

MATERIALS
Around eighty-five per  cent of the materials used were re-
32 cycled, free or sourced locally. The truck is a 1969 Bedford,
bought from Gumtree from an old, Italian furniture removalist.
On the exterior is rusty corrugated iron, reclaimed weather-
boards and fence palings. All the windows and doors were
 FEATURE
secondhand, also from Gumtree. The back porch is made Front page: Sian and Adam with their tiny house on
from locally felled blue gum and fence palings, and its floor wheels.
is the timber from the ramp that came with the truck. In the Opposite page: Everything you need in one compact
interior: the rafters and some finishings are reclaimed Ore- space. The kitchen with recycled doors and windows.
gon pine; the slate on the fireplace is from a salvage yard; the Adam and Sian enjoying their new home.
kitchen corner-cabinet is from eBay; the shelving uses old This Page: Outdoor area, and solar panels. Dual purpose
wine boxes (from Gumtree); the floor is made from hardwood drawer stairs.
offcuts from a local timber yard; and the cypress stair/kitchen
tops were milled locally. Half the wall lining and all the trim-
mings and architraves are from old fence palings too. The
solar panels and batteries were also second-hand.
Around fifteen per cent of the materials were brand new,
including: the pine stud wall, the corrugated iron roof (we aim
to harvest rainwater), the Earthwool insulation batts (eighty
per cent recycled glass bottles), pine ceiling and half of the
wall lining. All the pine is fast growing, sustainably-sourced
plantation timber. We also used some plywood to build the
cabinets.

THE BUILDING PROCESS

We lived in the back of the truck for six months while doing
a design, saving money and collecting materials. The build-
ing process took about ten weeks, with varying amounts of
labour.
After removing the existing shell of the truck, we built stud
walls and fixed them to the tray: the skeleton was complete.
We then propped the front wall of the bedroom off the chassis
using steel members, and raised the roof. On the porch, the
roundwood mortise and tenon joinery – which I learnt from
Ben Law and Simon Dale – was time-consuming, but really
stands out as a beautiful feature. We then moved on to the 33
exterior lining, roof cladding, and interior and ‘final’ fitout; we
recently fitted our wood stove for winter.
Note that reclaimed materials usually take longer to work
 with, as they are not uniform and require effort such as sort-
ing and planing. What you save in the material cost is low
compared to this labour cost; however, reclaimed materials
were part of our vision and ethics for a low impact home.
We had super-generous, skilled volunteer labour from
friends, who helped make time-consuming processes much
quicker and things like solar installation possible.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The truck has been designed using passive solar principles.
Adam tries to design tiny houses with a chosen orientation,
which helps with the flow of the internal layout, and incor-
porating solar gain. Our house on wheels allows us to adjust
its position to work with the sun. Most of the windows and
doors are on one side, so in winter we can face this to the
north to bring in optimum light and warmth. In the summer
we can turn the truck so this side faces the south, to limit
direct heating.
The walls, floor and ceiling of the house are fully insulated,
requiring less input to control temperature. The small space
means that it doesn’t take long to warm up with the fire, only
used for a few months of the year, or to cool down, with
crossventilating windows and doors.
Our solar system is made up of four 180 W panels, a 1500 W
inverter and six 100 amphour batteries. This is adequate for us
to run three LED downlights, charge our phones and computers,
run a twelve volt fridge, play a stereo system/projector and, on
sunny days, use more demanding appliances like a slow-cooker.
THE BENEFITS OF A TINY HOUSE ON WHEELS
34 Having a home space that can move with you and your chang-
ing circumstances is very empowering. As it’s on wheels, you
don’t need to get council permission; planning permits take
time and cost money. Tiny houses are also great investments,
as they can be used as rental accommodation on your land.
Left to right: The outdoor shower on the back. Plenty of
room for cooking.
SKILL LEVEL NEEDED
Anyone can build a tiny house. It’s not a simple task, so we
would advise either buying a design from someone with ex-
perience, and/or attending a workshop where you can learn
the skills and techniques to build your own. A workshop will
also connect you with like-minded people, to learn and share
with. You could pay someone to design and build a tiny house
for you if you don’t have the time or experience, but have the
budget to pay.
OTHER USEFUL ADVICE
Spend a lot of time on Gumtree and eBay, looking for cheap
deals on materials, as beauties pop up all the time! Scour the
internet too, for photos and inspiration for your design. Con-
nect with others who have built and/or lived in tiny houses,
to help answer your questions. And look at ways to minimise
your possessions, as you’ll need to keep to necessities when
living in a tiny house.
Being involved in the process of designing or/and building
your home to suit your specific lifestyle needs is priceless.
Adam Hickman runs Evergreen Homes Australia.
If you’re interested in attending a tiny house workshop,
or having a tiny house designed/built for you,
please contact him at adam@evergreenhomes.com.au
35
 C R E AT I V E LY U S E A N D
RESPOND TO CHANGE
RESILIENCE AFTER EARTHQUAKES IN NEPAL
Words by Christine Carroll and Chris Evans Photos by Chris Evans
On 25  April 2015 a massive earthquake struck Ne-
pal, affecting the country and its people deeply. There
was a series of earthquakes over several days, with
the most devastating one reaching 7.8 on the Richter
scale. As well as numerous small tremors, a further
large earthquake of 7.3 magnitude hit on 12 May.
These earthquakes caused serious damage to many parts
of the capital, Kathmandu; however, the worst of the damage
was seen in the rural villages in fourteen districts surrounding
the city. Over 9000 people were killed, and nearly a million
homes were destroyed. Infrastructure, farms and businesses
were also destroyed, and years of small growth and develop-
ment wiped out.
Sunrise Farm in Rani Patati village, near Kathmandu, is a
community farm owned and managed by Mr Shyam Shrestha
and his family. It is a working farm, established in 1995, offer-
ing demonstration, training, and seed and seedling distribution
facilities. It also runs a program committed to demonstration of,
and training about, sustainable agriculture and community de-
velopment techniques and approaches. A diversity of foods and
resources is grown, including: roots; grain; leaf, fruit and flower
crops from trees, shrubs, grasses and herbs; firewood; animal
fodder; and mulch. Crops are protected by integrated pest man-
agement strategies, encouraged by created microclimates.
Immediately after the earthquakes, hundreds of people de-
scended on the farm’s land, to get away from large buildings
that were collapsing all around. The farmhouse was struc-
turally damaged and became unsafe, and the barn was totally
destroyed.
Many people sheltered under hastily constructed plastic
tarps, including the Shrestha family. They cooked for dozens
of displaced people for four days, until emergency services,
water and electricity reached the area. The family continued
catering for their community for some weeks, using the farm’s
36 abundant vegetables and grains grown in organic no-till beds.
Following a crowd-funding appeal, donations and a mi-
cro-grant from Permafund, work to rebuild Sunrise Farm
started in November 2015. However, it was affected by the
embargo on Nepal by India, which ran from September 2015
until January 2016.
Commodities became unavailable or, at best, prohibitively
expensive as fuel became rare. While the city lacked cook-
ing gas, forests around the valley began to be stripped. The
Shresthas were able to cook on the Farm’s ageing biogas unit,
fuelled by recycled manure plus biomass supplemented by
firewood from their agroforestry.
The delay was used for planning and research into the best
methods of rebuilding. Work started in December 2015, with
deconstruction of damaged areas of the house and barn, and
recycling of the materials.
The house rebuild involved jacking up existing concrete
beams, and strengthening them with new and stronger beams
infilled with traditional brickwork, using both recycled bricks
from the demolished walls and stabilised compressed earth
bricks (SCEBs). The SCEBs were manufactured using a hy-
draulic ram made in Nepal, with an earth and six  per  cent
cement mix; they weren’t fired. The house has been com-
pletely restored, except for plastering and painting, which will
be done in autumn 2016, following a planned training course
in lime plastering.
Work on the barn used a combination of SCEBs, stone and
mud mortar, bamboo (both as structural beams and woven as
wall fabric), with a corrugated tin and perspex roof for extra
light. The barn is also complete, except for detailing and painting.
Sunrise Farm was fortunate to strike up a partnership with
International Disaster Volunteers (IDV), which provided an archi-
tect and a stream of volunteer helpers. The family is now con-
structing a new training hall, also with IDV help, and aims to have
it complete, or at least covered, before the monsoon sets in.
Sunrise Farm has already begun to host training and
demonstration projects, thanks to the help of crowd-funding
and donations. Permaculture diploma induction events, and
farmers’ field trip visits, will be included.
To help rebuild Sunrise Farm, go to their crowd-funding
website at www.gofundme.com/wr2cn5y4.

Above top: Sunrise Farm became a refuge for displaced
locals who camped under tarpaulins after their houses
were destroyed or rendered unsafe. The farm catered for
them with vegetables, especially potatoes, cooked using
biogas and firewood, all produced on the farm.  of $2.00 or more are tax deductible. To learn more
Above: Volunteers help to rebuild.
FEATURE
PERMAFUND...
IT’S ABOUT FAIR SHARE
Permafund exists to receive funds and distribute
them to permaculture projects around the world that
desperately need them. Money is donated by perma-
culture businesses, groups and individuals, raising
$10 000 which was distributed in Permafund’s 2015
micro-grant round to the following organisations.
GrassRoots Economics, Kenya $2000
OTEPIC, The Organic Technology Extension and
Promotion of Initiative Centre, Kenya $2000
CENDEP Centre for Nursery Development and Eru
Propagation Cameroon $1500
THREAD, Team for Human Resource Education and
Action for Development, India $1500
Sekolahkan, Java $1000
Epic Inc. Sherbrooke Forest, Victoria $1000
Permatil $500
Sunrise Farm, Nepal $500
To support future grant rounds donate to Permafund
(Permaculture International Public Fund). Donations
37
see http://permacultureaustralia.org.au/permafund
 Kirsten Bradley

Robyn Rosenfeldt
Kirsten Bradley

Clockwise from above right: Sprouting seeds early in the

warmth of a green house; Successively planted lettuce,
as one lot are ready, the next lot are coming on; Carrots
at Milkwood farm, no more shop bought carrots; Michael
Hewins obtaining a yield.

Kirsten Bradley

38
 O B TA I N A Y I E L D
CROP SUCCESSION PLANNING:
PLANTING FOR ABUNDANCE
Words by Michael Hewins
There comes a moment in every season when you re-
alise you just can’t eat any more radishes … or cucum-
bers … or pumpkins … When your friends just won’t
accept any more boxes of zucchinis, silently left on
their doorstep. We’ve all been there – it’s the inevi-
table glut of seasonal gardening, and what a glorious
and overwhelming moment of abundance it is.
Then, finally, the flood of vegetables ends and you’re left
with the remains of broken-down mulch and plants running to
seed, and not a vegie in sight. In this moment you might ask
yourself: ‘Hey! What happened?’
This situation is common for many gardens, and is generally
the result of a lack of planning. Unless environmental con-
ditions have been catastrophically unfavourable, the sudden
absence of vegies is a human problem, and something that
can be easily avoided.
The turn of a season – perhaps spring – may prompt a
surge of enthusiasm to get into the garden. We prepare our
soil all at once, filling beds to the borders with loads of plants,
usually whatever seedlings we can get at short notice. This
creates an awesome sight and feels great, but all too often
we fail to allow enough time or space for follow-up: a succes-
sion of plantings, to ensure a consistent supply throughout the
coming season.
THE SOLUTION: PLANNING
Crop planning allows us to transcend the glut problem, and to
balance out the highs and lows of produce from our garden.
It is possibly the least understood, and most often neglect-
ed, practice of vegetable gardening. Many gardeners, new
and seasoned, don’t understand the full process of creating a
structured crop plan, and fair enough! It can be overwhelm-
ing to consider the many variables that are involved. How-
ever, it’s only through the act of planning that we become
accountable for our food supply: putting the vegetables we
GROW
want to grow into a workable schedule of sowing, planting
and harvesting that meets the needs of our week-to-week
eating habits.
Crop planning brings structure to the relationship we have
with our gardens. It allows us to plan what will happen, and
when, so that we get the results that we’re looking for, and
learn how to cultivate our space better to get more from each
season.
When we start crop planning and, more specifically, plan-
ning for yield, our gardening practice changes. We begin to
understand plant cycles in a deeper and more defined way.
It also allows us to plan seasonal harvest events, such as
bottling tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, fermenting cabbages,
drying and curing the garlic and onions.
Crop planning also influences the health and productivity of
our soil. When we plan the crop cycle we also work towards
keeping soil healthy and active – soil devoid of plants and ac-
tive root systems at different stages of growth is a recipe for
an unbalanced soil profile, both chemically and biologically.
TOWARDS A CROP PLAN
A well-structured, annual crop plan for the backyard garden is
prepared in three stages.
The first – a crop succession plan – defines what you are
going to plant, and each crop’s relative timings and succes-
sions. It will include information such as: when to sow your
crop; how long the crop will grow for; when the crop will yield;
how long you can expect a yield for; and when the yield is
likely to finish. Most importantly, the crop succession plan will
show clearly the transition between successions of plantings,
with the aim to create a seamless supply of harvest.
The second – a bed plan – puts the crop succession plan 39
into a physical space. This defines where the vegetables will
go in the garden, and how much of each crop you are going
to plant.
 The third – a crop rotation plan – defines where your crops
will rotate to in their successions, through the garden over
subsequent seasons.
We’ll begin by dissecting and understanding the needs of a
well-designed crop succession plan. In the next issue of Pip
we’ll look at the bed plan and the crop rotation plan.
THE CROP SUCCESSION PLAN
The succession plan is not difficult, and should only take
you a few hours to complete. It’s good to plan for six to twelve
months. Some of the tools we would use to build our succes-
sion plan include:
• a ’sowing when’ or seasonality calendar – this should
indicate optimum sowing times for your growing biore-
gion
• a garden diary that includes information from last sea-
son – to track major events, successes and failures
• a computer, whiteboard or chalkboard that is easy to
use to record information on
• a good vegetable encyclopedia, to provide lots of juicy
information about how to grow each crop.
As with any design process, the most important starting
point is your context. Start by being clear about what it is you
want to grow. It may help to do a simple audit of your weekly
eating needs, and to make a list of what vegetables you would
like to eat in the season you’re planning for.
We begin to understand
plant cycles in a deeper and
more defined way.
You will need to understand or find out what plants grow in
what seasons, for your area. Over the seasons you will build
your own sowing guide for your garden, to refine your plan.
WHEN TO SOW
With the list of plants you intend to grow in front of you, the
next step is to define when the first and last sowing of each
crop will be for the season. For example, for growing toma-
toes in Sydney many growers will start their plants (often
indoors and on heat pads) in late July to early August, for
transplanting into warming soil in September. The final sow-
ing of the season is generally in mid- to late February – you
aren’t dealing with frost pressure. The sowing timeframe
there would be from August to February.
THE FIRST HARVEST
You will also want to know the crop’s ‘weeks to maturity’,
how long the plant needs to grow before it becomes mature
and produces its first harvest. This information is often over-
40 looked but really is critical for planning your yield. Also known
as ‘time to yield’, this is generally variety-specific, and can
fluctuate with variable weather conditions, but it’s important
to have this information on hand for planning your expected
time of yield. A good seed supplier should provide you with
this information.
LENGTH OF HARVEST
The final piece of information you need to know is, roughly,
what the length of harvest will be. Is it a one-time picking, or
is it multiple pickings? How long will the plant hold its maturi-
ty before the yield diminishes, or it jumps to seed?
For example, cos lettuce is often treated as a one-time har-
vest crop, generally the full head of lettuce is harvested in one
go. Most varieties of cos will hold their maturity between two
to four weeks before running to seed, depending on wheth-
er the lettuce is growing into a cooling or warming period.
Therefore, the harvest period for this crop would be two to
four weeks. You can plant a batch of cos lettuce and harvest
them slowly over their maturity period; for example, one suc-
cession of so many plants to be harvested over a four week
period.
PUT IT IN THE CALENDAR
With your crop’s lifecycle defined, put the information into a
garden calendar. For each crop you intend to grow, log its
first sowing event and when that sowing will be ready for
harvest. Also log when you will expect your first sowing to
finish its harvest. Set the information out so that it’s repre-
sented clearly in days or weeks, depending on how detailed
you want your plan to be. Some gardeners like to reverse
engineer this process, by working backwards from your pre-
ferred harvest time, which is essentially the above process
in reverse. You might do this is if you were planning for a
‘hungry gap’, or need to produce for a specific event in the
season.
You can take away
the guesswork from
gardening.
With the first sowing of your crop clearly defined, you now
need to include on your calendar when the next succession
will begin, to ensure a seamless supply – this is where it can
get a little tricky.
A succession sowing period is the time, in weeks, between
each sowing, to ensure that when the first sowing finishes
its peak yield – and is either no longer setting flowers to pro-
duce fruit or producing leaf and is about to run to seed – the
next succession is just coming into its first stages of yield. As
an example, the diagram opposite illustrates planning for a
cherry tomato crop.
A general pattern you will notice, and a good rule of thumb,
is that the time between sowings is often fifty to seventy per
cent of the total yield time. For example, if a variety of tomato
yields for eight weeks, the time between sowings will be four
to six weeks. Note that your sowing period will be affected by
environmental conditions, particularly temperature; you will
 Robyn Rosenfeldt

GROW
Kirsten Bradley

Kirsten Bradley

Clockwise from above: Great example of successive

plantings of tomatoes at Soul Patch market garden;
Moruya. Milkwood Organic Market Garden; Seedlings
raised in the warmth of a hot house, preparing to go in
the garden.

41
need to adjust the time between sowings in season to account
for this in your local area.
To put this all together, slowly work through your list of
crops, and put the information into your calendar. It is a good
idea to use a calendar medium that is flexible, so that you
can move and jiggle the timings and successions around to
account for yielding times, and times when you anticipate
warming or cooling weather. At the end of the planning pro-
cess you should have in front of you an easy-to-read plan that
shows each crop, and its relative timings and successions for
the season you’re planning.
Keep this plan available so that you can refer to it through-
out the season; it will become invaluable for making sure you
are keeping up, and are ready for major steps such as sowing
crops in the nursery, or preparing ground for transplanting. If
you want more detail, you can add in other activities or events
such as pruning, ground preparation, fertilising, or even that
annual beetroot borsch bonanza festival for that time of year
when you have more beetroots than you can handle.
GIVE IT A GO
I know what you’re thinking–‘This seems like a lot of work’.
Like most good things, this planning will take extra time and
energy the first time you do it, but after you’ve put togeth-
er your first plan it becomes much easier and quicker the
next time. If you are having difficulties, I suggest you start by
choosing just four or five of the most important staple crops,
those that are going to give you the most return in the season:
keep it simple, and build up from there.
By understanding this process, and the information required
to account for crop yields, you can take away the guesswork
from gardening. It’s true that the general rule of thumb ‘plant
something every two weeks’ can result in a good stream of
produce coming out of our gardens. However, a bit of time
spent defining and noting crop lifecycles can help to build a
clearer plan, to help us get more consistent and predictable
results from our garden spaces.
Make sure that you keep good records of how your succes-
sions unfold throughout the season, so that you can look back
on them to inform better decisions for the future.
Have fun and happy gardening!
Michael Hewins teaches organic market gardening
classes through Milkwood. www.milkwood.net
 PROFILE
C R E AT I V E LY U S E A N D
RESPOND TO CHANGE
JULIE FIRTH: DRYLANDS PERMACULTURE FARM
Words and photos by Ross Mars
Julie Firth has created a permaculture oasis near Ger-
aldton, Western Australia. Although not a true desert,
the area clearly has a dryland climate, with annual
rainfall as low as 200 mm during drought years, sum-
mer temperatures reaching well over 40  °C and re-
lentless wind gusts of up to thirty kilometres per hour.
It has taken careful design and thoughtful placement
of features to allow things to grow there.
Julie is originally from New Zealand, and was working in
the mining industry in WA when she bought her three hectare
property of degraded land about ten kilometres north of Ger-
aldton. Not long after buying the land she undertook her PDC
with Bill Mollison and Jude Fanton in New South Wales, and
immediately started to transform her property with renewed
vision. So began her inspired development of the Drylands
Permaculture Farm, and its associated Yilgarn Seeds and the
Drylands Permacuture Nursery.
The property is designed in zones: intensive gardens close
to the house, through to revegetation projects, and with dry-
land plants towards the outer boundaries. Shade is crucial,
and there are sheltered walkways in all directions. Various
structures or plants are used to delineate one zone from an-
other, including archways, lippia herb lawns, strawbale seats,
sculptures and fences. Other innovative structures used in-
clude: clay floors, sandbag garden edging, bottles and cans to
fill gaps in walls, and recycled building materials.
Most of the site is densely planted so that the understorey
and internal plants – such as guavas, citrus, tropical almonds,
figs, medlars and mulberries – are protected from strong
GROW
winds. Outlying plants are less dependent on water, and this
is where you will find jujube, pomegranate, cactus (mainly
Cereus spp.), marula, kei apple, Natal plums, lebbeck (Albizia
lebbeck), and some thorny African plants that are well-known
survivors in drier areas. Climbing succulents such as drag-
on fruit are found on trellis structures around the property.
There are lots of chickens, ducks and geese, and a few emus
in pens along the southern boundary.
With water in such high demand, the 200 kL rainwater tank
is reserved mainly for the nursery – for plant propagation and
seed raising. More tanks are proposed, but with decreasing
rainfall it may be difficult to harvest more water off roofs.
Despite the harsh environment, Julie makes a living from
her property, from plant and seed sales, farm tours, con-
sultancies and occasional seed collecting. She has also es-
tablished a charity called the ‘Drylands Foundation’, with a
mission ‘to inspire and empower local communities with the
practical knowledge to implement ecologically sustainable de-
velopment principles’ in dryland environments. She plans to
continue developing the farm: in 2017 she will add a large
common room with an ablution block and three B & B cabins.
The Drylands Permaculture Farm is an inspiring property
to visit. It will feature as one of the highlights of the northern
tour during the 13th Australian Permaculture Convergence
(APC13) in Perth in October this year.
43
For more information see: www.drylands.org.au and
www.apc13.org
 GROWING FRUIT AND NUT TREES FROM SEED Words by Beck Lowe

Robyn Rosenfeldt
The vast majority of gardening books, and nurseries,
will tell you to buy grafted fruit and nut trees. Although
grafted trees play an important role in permaculture
systems, in many cases seedling trees may be a better
option. Fruit and nut trees grown from seed are tough,
need minimal water and are resistant to many diseas-
es. And they’re free.

HOW TO GROW FROM SEED

The standard propagation method for such trees is asexual
reproduction: a piece of the parent plant is either grafted onto
rootstock, usually a cultivar; or the tree is grown from a cut-
ting. The new tree will produce fruit exactly the same as the
parent tree.
Producing new trees from a seed is sexual reproduction:
the seedling has two parents and a unique mix of genetic
characteristics. This is part of the fun with growing from seed
– you can produce unique fruit. However, some of these new
trees may be low yielding, or have boring or inedible fruit.

BENEFITS
Seedling trees tend to be larger and more vigorous than graft-
ed trees. They are able to cope with harsher conditions so are
good in poor soils, non-irrigated areas and low-input food for-
est systems, especially where there is a lot of space available.

WHICH FRUIT TREES?

Peaches and nectarines are excellent trees to grow from
seed. Because they are self-fertile, the seeds tend to be true-
to-type: if you eat a really good peach and plant the seed,
your tree should produce a similar, really good peach. They
produce fruit early and in dry conditions, and are resistant to
diseases such as leaf curl.
In contrast, most apples grown from seedlings will take
44 many years to fruit, and will not be the same as the parent.
However, it’s often possible to guess the parents of a seedling
apple – the fruit will have characteristics of both. Seedling ap-
ples are useful on large properties where trees with less-in-
 teresting fruit can be cut for stock fodder – the branches are COMBINED APPROACH
especially popular with goats.
WHICH NUT TREES?
Many nuts – including walnuts, pecans, pistachios, chestnuts seedling trees that don’t produce interesting fruit – the tree
and pine nuts – have a deep taproot, making them great can- does not need to go to waste!
didates for growing from seed in situ. It is almost impossible
to transplant a taproot, so getting any of these nut trees from a
nursery means that the plant will never reach its full potential
or be as hardy.
PLANTING
Planting fruit from seeds is easy: eat the fruit and, if you enjoy
it, plant the seed. There is no need to dry or otherwise treat
the seed first. With nuts, plant the nut whole, do not shell it.
Seedlings do best when planted where they are going to
grow. Suppress grass and other plants around them, and they
may need some extra water in the first year or so. Planting
them into pots can make care in the first year easier, but this
will restrict the roots, negating some of the advantages of
seedlings.
Most fruit tree seeds need a period of cold before they ger-
minate, so grow them outside, exposed to the winter weath-
er. Most species will sprout the following spring. In warmer
areas, or to germinate seeds faster or out of season, keep
them in the fridge for a couple of months to encourage them
to sprout.
DISADVANTAGES
Consider carefully what is best for your situation. For exam-
ple, planting a grown cutting or grafted tree is the only way to
preserve a heritage cultivar.
Grafted trees also tend to fruit earlier. Fruiting times for
seedlings vary a lot – I’ve had many seedling peaches fruit
within the first three years, and some seedling pears that still
haven’t fruited after fifteen.
If you have limited space stick to grafted trees, as there is
less room to experiment and you can use dwarf rootstocks.
And the vigour of a seedling fruit tree maybe too much for a
small space!
Beck Lowe
You can combine the best of both systems, by grafting onto
seedling trees. This gives you a good root system with a vig-
orous plant, and your choice of cultivar. This is a good use for
GRAFT OR SEEDLING?
Seedling fruit trees are useful when:
- you want a self-maintaining, low-input food growing
system
- developing large areas with space for experimenting
GROW
- conditions require a hardy tree, for example sites
with poor soil, frequent winds or limited water
- growing peaches and nectarines
- growing trees with a large taproot, such as walnuts,
chestnuts and carobs.
Grafted fruit trees are useful when:
- preserving heritage varieties, and in other situations
where the cultivar matters
- developing small spaces, where smaller trees are
more suitable
- a specific rootstock is needed for purposes such as
disease resistance or dwarfing.
A combination – grafting onto seedlings – is useful
when:
- there is a medium or large space available
- conditions are particularly tough, you want a hardy
tree and the cultivar is important.
Left: White Sapote seedling from fallen fruit.
Below: Seedling pears and other fruit sprouting in spring.
45
46
 O B TA I N A Y I E L D
PERMACULTURE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT
Words by Maude Farrugia Photos by Ian Lillington
In 1988 Bill Mollison stood on top of a swale at Crys-
tal Waters Eco Village and declared: ‘Permacultur-
ists want to be property developers’. While the job
description for a property developer might conjure up
images of housing market bubbles, and terribly-de-
signed boxes squeezed onto ever-diminishing parcels
of urban land, in many ways Bill was on the mon-
ey. The desire for a patch of one’s own has led many
a permie down the garden path of property owner-
ship. But what if there was a way to create a living
out of ethically and sustainably developing land for the
future.
WHY BECOME A PROPERTY DEVELOPER?
The need for more environmentally-sensitive housing is a
no-brainer. But is that argument enough to make you put your
energy into becoming a property developer? Permaculture
teacher and property developer Ian Lillington certainly thinks
so. He and his partner Marita went into the business to create
sensible, sensitive subdivisions, and to help people move out of
big metropolitan areas and set up a good life in a smaller town.
HOW IS PERMACULTURE DEVELOPMENT
DIFFERENT?
Ian says there are many differences between his work and
that of local estate developers, but the main one is setting lim-
its: ‘We accept a smaller income from our business than some
would, as we are willing to spend more on infrastructure to
ensure houses have passive solar orientation, insulation,
space for gardens and solar systems’. These are eco-features
that most developers would simply overlook.
Limiting the number of houses on a site is another factor.
Ian and Marita’s most recent development – a single house on
500 m2 in Hepburn Springs (Victoria) – is a good example.
‘A mainstream developer would probably have built two units
here, with no useful garden, and made more money. But we
BUILD
made sure that all the topsoil from the house and path areas
was concentrated into the remaining 300 m2 of garden beds,
so that maximum food production was possible, and the new
owner received ready-made herb and vegetable gardens, and
six fruit trees as part of the package.’
Ian and Marita always leave a garden for food, and some-
times as much as one fifth of a hectare (half an acre) for
production. ‘We will not cram in too many houses, and in our
current development we could have made twelve 600  m2
blocks (according to planning law), but instead we have made
three blocks of around 3000 m2, to leave room for the gar-
dens, chooks, orchards and windbreaks.’
BELLS AND WHISTLES
As well as prioritising garden size over house size, permacul-
ture developments usually forgo the bells and whistles that a
conventional new development might offer (such as double
car garage and energy guzzling aircon), in exchange for a set
of bells and whistles of their own: solar panels, water tanks,
composting toilets and topnotch insulation are expected stan-
dards. As is northern orientation, which as Ian explains, can
be an extra cost. ‘This [good orientation] can mean spending
more on creating roads and services, instead of a simpler ap-
proach that would leave a small block where a designer would
have to face a building to the east or west.’
COMMUNITY
Community is a vital factor in permaculture property develop-
ments, and one of the most overlooked factors in the soulless
developments that surround our major cities. For this reason
Ian and Marita work in towns with an existing community of
like-minded folk, with jobs and transport close by.
However, there are eco-developments that do almost the 47
exact opposite. Setting up a community from scratch is cer-
tainly not an undertaking for the faint-hearted, but this is ex-
actly what some permaculture developers try to do. Crystal
 Waters Eco Village in Queensland (where Bill Mollison made
his famous speech) was developed on a site far from any
existing community infrastructure, but is now home to 200
residents, with many small permaculture based businesses to
boot. Witchcliffe Eco Village, a planned ecovillage near Mar-
garet River in Western Australia, has also made communi-
ty a central focus of the development, with a village green,
community centre, retirement and affordable housing all part
of the mix, to encourage the establishment of a diverse and
active community.
Ian and Marita’s developments achieve this more subtly: be-
ing located in growing towns of like-minded permie people; by
developing two, three or even more properties on the same
site, so that new residents know they’re guaranteed to have
excellent neighbours.
FINANCES AND FAIR SHARES
There’s an old adage that you can’t make money without
spending money, and that is certainly true of property devel-
opment. But is property development only for those with the
privilege of a healthy bank balance? Ian and Marita say it’s not
so: ‘We financed our projects by saving a small deposit and
then borrowing the rest of the money from the Bendigo Bank.
We then bought the cheapest house in the street and worked
hard on adding value.’ After their first project the couple made
a surplus and were able to use this on their next project, and
so on. They’re chipping away at their loan with each proj-
ect, and aim to be debt free eight years from their start date.
While they acknowledge that others may see debt as risky,
they know that without it the projects they are working on
simply wouldn’t happen.
Another way they mitigate their risks is by keeping their
projects small-scale. ‘After being involved in several large-
scale eco-developments, with long lead times and large up-
48 front investments, we decided to focus on smaller-scale de-
velopments’, Ian explains. Good planning and an accountant
are ‘must-haves’ when taking on the risk of property develop
ment, Ian adds: ‘Accountants are one of the most underesti-
mated parts of good sustainable development!’
LOCATION, LOCATION ... AND ZONING
For the budding property developer, Ian suggests finding land
that is zoned residential, in towns rather than major cities, for
two reasons. Firstly, town-zoning avoids the need to re-zone
land, as commercial or farm zones can prove problematic.
Secondly, country towns and cities have much more avail-
able (not to mention, affordable) land. In Victoria, where Ian
and Marita live and work, land in new estates is usually sold
in blocks of between 300–600 m2. As the mythical ‘quarter
acre’ is just over 1000 m2, , it’s possible to buy a house on
a typical older house block, divide it into two and still end up
with a block the same size as you’d get in your average new
suburb.
Creating a development in a desirable location, with good
public transport access to major cities, and in areas where
local work is readily available, is also an important part of
adding to the sustainability of the lives of those who will live
there. Another tip from Ian is to limit your work to two or
maybe three Council areas, so that you’re working close to
home and with soils, climate and people you know well.
IS PERMACULTURE PROPERTY
DEVELOPMENT FOR YOU?
Inspired to create a permaculture property empire of your
own? If you’re passionate about beating developers at their
own game, creating inspirational and sustainable places for
people to live, and you’re not scared of a bit of bit of hard
work and financial risk, then property development might be
the permaculture niche for you!
For more info contact Ian at ian.lillington@internode.
on.net
 U S E A N D VA L U E R E N E WA B L E
RESOURCES AND SERVICES

ROCKET STOVES
Words and images by Joel Meadows and Dan Palmer

Most of our household energy requirements come
in the form of space heating, water heating or cook-
ing, with these making up a large percentage of our
monthly bill. Rocket stoves are an example of appro-
priate technology which can cover all of those needs,
cost you next to nothing to build, and just a few sticks
to run.
Rocket stove combustion systems deserve attention for a
few reasons:
1. they offer close to complete combustion of the wood,
meaning they are hyper-efficient and burn super-clean
2. they can reach very high temperatures, and can be
hooked up to almost anything we want to use that heat
for
3. they can use wood typically considered too small to
call firewood
4. they are easily built from common materials.
That’s right – you can build these systems in a day or two,
and then watch them turn twigs into heat far more efficient-
BUILD
ly than most wood stoves, with far less set-up cost. If you
are good at scavenging bits they can cost virtually nothing to
build, and when you prune your fruit trees you can get the
fuel you need to cook dinner, heat your home, and enjoy a
nice hot shower.
HOW ROCKET COMBUSTION DIFFERS FROM
NORMAL COMBUSTION
The main difference between a normal fireplace or woodstove
and a rocket stove is that rocket combustion is close to com-
plete. When wood is burned it releases volatile compounds
that we recognise as smoke or soot or creosote. In a rocket
stove these compounds are sucked into the insulated and very
hot ‘burn tunnel’ of the unit where they combust, releasing
even more heat energy to drive the rocket process, unlike a
normal fire where they are blown out the chimney. 49
This distinctive sucking of the flames down into the burn
tunnel, and the resultant ‘roar’ is what gives rocket stoves
their name. This is also a part of their magic. Rocket stoves
 Previous page: Baking bread.
This page, clockwise from above: A rocket
conversion on a conventional oven; Small off-
cuts of wood are all that’s needed to get the heat
cranking; The drum style rocket stove is not only
functional, it’s beautiful.
Opposite page, above to below: Bike-size camp-
ing rocket stove; Stove sketch.

50
are open where the wood is fed in, allowing lots of oxygen
to be drawn into the unit. As the fire starts, and the burn
tunnel heats up, the rising hot air races up the heat riser,
drawing lots of air behind it. This incoming air flows into the
feed tube and across the burning wood – creating the same
effect as pointing a big air-blower at your fire. It gets really
hot, the wood burns beautifully, and you hear the air roaring
as it charges through the system.
In conventional wood stoves the air intake is small, and
adjustable to even smaller. This lack of oxygen chokes the
combustion, leading to cool burns, incomplete combustion
and lots of smoke and creosote. In rocket stoves when com-
bustion is complete, what comes out the chimney is pretty
much only carbon dioxide, meaning no smoke: smoke means
incomplete combustion, unburned fuel, or wasted energy. We
are culturally trained to associate smoke with fire; but with rock-
et stoves, sometimes when there is no smoke, there is still fire!
Having ensured complete combustion, and hence maximum
heat generation, only then do we think about using the resultant
heat. Conventional wood stoves are sucking heat away from the
combustion chamber for cooking, space heating or with ‘wet
back’ water heaters, meaning the unit just can’t get hot enough
for combustion to be complete, resulting in smoke. The com-
bustion chamber of the rocket stove is heavily insulated to pre-
vent premature heat loss, and an enormous amount of heat is
generated by the efficient combustion process.
WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THAT HEAT
When combustion is complete, we can extract heat from the
stove at the top of the heat riser. And here is where your imag-
ination and inner inventor can run wild: anything you can think
BUILD
to do with very hot air can be done from this point.
Here are a few things that can be powered with a rocket
stove.
Oven – either a converted conventional oven with the rocket
under it, or a purpose built barrel oven from old ‘44 gallon’
(around 200 litre) drums.
Cooktop or BBQ – old cast iron BBQ plates can work well,
or heavy copper radiator plates to put pots and pans on, or just
cook over the stream of hot air.
Hot-water systems –we’ve made various systems, from ones
that heat a big-vented tank of water with a copper coil running
through it, to heat exchanger thermosiphon units boosting solar
hot water.
Space heaters – often seen with an inverted ‘44 gallon’ drum
being the main radiator, with the flue running through heavy
earth or stone elements (rocket mass-heaters).
Take care! A well-built rocket stove can work so well it can
be dangerous. Dan’s rocket oven once got to 180 °C in six min-
utes, 230 °C in seven minutes, and 325 °C in thirteen minutes!
As for Joel’s latest rocket oven, on his first test run the whole
inner skin of the feed tube was glowing red, as was the bottom
of the inside of the oven: the thermometer read 350 °C, and the
roast vegies were pretty charred (he has since tamed it down
to 200 °C).
While quite popular in some parts of the world, rocket stoves
are a relatively rare sight in Australian permaculture systems.
They are an excellent example of an appropriate technology
alternative to conventional means of heating food, water or
space; and they are well worth finding out more about.
A complete guide to making your own rocket stove
by Tim Barker (with illustrations by Joel Meadows)
is now available as an ebook. Available at
www.pipmagazine.com.au. Free for current Pip Magazine 51
subscribers, email hello@pipmagazine.com.au to order
your free copy.
52
 PROFILE
C R E AT I V E LY U S E A N D
RESPOND TO CHANGE
PHIL GALL, ARCHITECT
Words by Ben Buggy Photo by Robyn Rosenfeldt
It was a younger Phil Gall, writing for Source in 1971, who
set out into Victoria’s East Gippsland to report on a mon-
umental natural farming conference. He came back with
a prophetic glimpse into holistic agriculture that in-
forms his design work today.
Phil is a youthful seventy-five, living and working in Berma-
gui on the far south coast of NSW. As an architect, landscape
designer and specialist in water management, he sees himself
as a problem solver.
Phil is renting an old holiday shack, brought down and reas-
sembled from the Snowy Mountains, looking out over Wallaga
Lake. ‘The place is cold in winter and hot in summer,’ he says,
but it is surrounded by the beauty of the landscape, and he is
enjoying a sweet and simple life there.
Phil grew up on the west coast of Tasmania in the
1940s–50s. ‘My father knew how to get by in the bush with-
out much – scouting and camping in an extreme climate of
rain and cold. I learned how little you need, in terms of shelter,
in order to be comfortable. Mum used to say, “Before you buy
anything, see if you can make it”.’ These values still inform
his work today.
Phil’s first love was architecture, and when his father
moved the family to Victoria for work Phil studied architec-
ture in Melbourne. What we now call sustainable architecture
was Phil’s natural inclination, following the influence of his
parents. But it was some time before he found others who
shared this interest.
“In the 70s we were inspired and hopeful with unbound-
ed energy. We were involved in everything together. We had
hope and a belief that we only needed a few people to change
the world. We pulled down fences between our backyards and
shared our fruit trees and produce,” explains Phil.
A great collaborator, Phil was involved in setting up some
of Melbourne’s most enduring alternative institutions–CERES,
Collingwood Children’s Farm and Friends of the Earth. He
also designed the first Steiner kindergarten in Melbourne, in
Warranwood.
Phil’s natural inclination was to design buildings and land-
scapes with recycled materials and an understanding of the
seasons – what we now call sustainable architecture.
But architecture, Phil’s primary trade, was not enough by
itself. He sensed that there was more. In 1971, years before
permaculture came about, he worked for an alternative news-
paper titled Source. ‘We started this newspaper to publish
BUILD
good news, inspired by similar publications in the USA,’ ex-
plains Phil. ‘My brief was design, ecology and farming, which
I was very passionate about.’
So it was in 1971 that Phil set out for Paynesville, 300 km
east of Melbourne in East Gippsland, to a natural farming con-
ference hosted by local farmers. It was there that he met PA
Yeomans, Alex Podelinski and Peter Bennett – experts in their
fields of keyline water management, biodynamics and organic
gardening respectively.
‘They were able to answer the farmers’ questions, and ex-
plain the science of why organics works in simple language’,
says Phil. ‘I’d already started thinking about architecture eco-
logically, and the landscape being ecological, so they were
adding to it the farming and the gardening thing. Everything
fitted into place – I just wanted to add it all together.’
Some years later, in 1977, Phil recalls a phone call out of
the blue – from a man calling himself Mollison. ’Bill came to
visit and ended up staying on the couch, and I took him about
to see what I’d been doing in the landscape, with companion
planting, mixing vegetables with landscape, using drip irriga-
tion systems and putting food plants in and making them dec-
orative in gardens.’
Permaculture had arrived, and Phil was able to bring all of
his experience together and began teaching. Phil introduced
Bill Mollison to PA Yeomans at a course he was holding called
‘Land, Plant and Water’.
Phil later met David Holmgren and they became fast friends.
‘I was older, and I was a misfit, but I was young at heart. I
consider David a mentor’, Phil says.
Phil is someone who will never stop learning. When asked
what simple wisdom he can offer to the younger generation
coming behind him, Phil replies, ‘We can become more sen-
sitive – to appreciate that we only exist because of nature.’
53
Phil Gall runs Design Evolution – architecture, landscape
design and water management solutions. Contact him at
phil@designevolution.net.au
 WILD HARVEST
USE EDGES AND
VA L U E T H E M A R G I N A L

FIVE MODERN-DAY
HUNTER-GATHERERS
SHARE THEIR PASSION
FOR EATING FROM
THE WILD

Words by
Robyn Rosenfeldt
Lentil Purbrick/Grown & Gathered

54
 Maude Farrugia
ELKA MOSESHVILI
Eka is an urban forager. She wants to show people how they
can maintain a normal lifestyle with a nine-to-five job and still
lead a secret life as a forager.
Can you describe the foods you harvest from the
‘wild’ and how you do it?
I am lucky to live in Melbourne’s northern suburbs (aka the
European fruit forest), and I mainly forage for fruit as it’s an
easy and ubiquitous target. I follow the ‘if it’s facing the foot-
path it’s yours’ rule: as a tree grower myself, I expect anything
facing the street to be picked. In summer/autumn most of my
fruit was supplied by the neighbourhood: figs, prickly pears,
mulberries, grapes, apples, pears and lemons. Another good
rule is to ask the grower. Usually people are happy to share.
What inspired you to start harvesting your food in
this way?
I grew up in Europe, where I spent summers at my grandpar-
ents’ place climbing my favourite mulberry tree, or waiting
for the first perfect fig to ripen. There were also many mush-
room/berry picking trips, regular ‘foraging’ for raspberries
from neighbours, and helping my grandparents with the har-
vest in autumn.  Your childhood experiences shape your life,
and it’s up to you to choose how. I chose to be a forager.
What do you love most about foraging?  because it’s free! The birds will have it eventually (further
The creativity and learning opportunities. I spent the whole
summer trying out different recipes and smoothie combina-
tions. I also got into fermenting, which I feel is a natural exten-
sion of foraging and oversupply. My next steps are to learn the
arts of pruning and grafting, to preserve my favourite trees
and to get into local communities for swaps and harvests.
What differences have you noticed between foraged
EAT
produce compared with other sources?
Once you taste real food it’s hard to go back to commercially
grown produce. Most of the time it tastes so much better,
although sometimes it is an acquired taste. Sometimes you
can accidentally discover a hidden or forgotten treasure – a
rare specimen that is not commercially grown and difficult to
find in the nurseries. You can step into a completely different
world of gastronomy.
What positive impacts would there be if more people
started to forage? 
People could understand ingredients better if they could rec-
ognise the tree that the produce has come from.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted
to start foraging? 
Be observant and experimental: talk to people. If you’re not
sure what something is, just take a photo or collect a sam-
ple and ask around. To find the best foraging routes: take the
roads less travelled, the front yards in the back streets; old
laneways full of forgotten treasures; and go to the hidden cor-
ners of the parks.
If you have abundance, ferment it or make a jam. And please
never be greedy – don’t take something that you don’t like just
spreading the seeds). 55
For more information see Feral Fruit Trees Melbourne
at www.feralfruitmelbourne.wordpress.com

MEG ULMAN
Meg is one-fifth of the collective Artist as Family. She lives on
an around 1000  m2 (‘quarter-acre’) permaculture plot near
Daylesford, central Victoria. About eighty percent of what she
consumes comes from Victoria, with the rest from New South
Wales and South Australia. She buys only a few things from
overseas: tea, spices, miso and tamari.
Can you describe which foods you forage and how
you do it?
My family and I regularly eat about thirty autonomously grow-
ing plants from our garden and neighbourhood. We walk and
cycle everywhere, and so are in constant contact with what
we call our ‘foraging commons’. I always carry a bag and
pocketknife with me. We eat foraged plants raw, cooked, fer-
mented (for preservation, and to increase the bioavailability
of their minerals), dried for tea, and blended in tinctures and
salves. We also snare rabbits, eat roadkill, catch fish and kill
our own poultry.
What inspired you to start foraging your food this
way?
I grew up in suburban Melbourne with fruit trees and a mod-
est vegie patch, and my favourite after-school snack was
sourgrass Oxalis stricta. When I discovered permaculture
I attended an edible-weed walk. I had already been eating
dandelion, sorrel, wild rocket and fennel, but I had to do the
walk twice to differentiate between what I was seeing. Could
you really eat all these plants?
56
What do you love most about foraging for food like
this? 
When I see my three-year-old picking flowers and leaves to
eat, and identifying various mushrooms, I feel a strong sense
Patrick Jones
of optimism. He is learning about his place within his local
biosphere, and he will always know how to feed himself. We
forage because it makes sense to us to eat free food that
doesn’t require sowing, watering, tending, refrigerating, pack-
aging or transporting.
What differences have you noticed between
wild-harvested produce compared with other sources?
When we eat produce that is self-sown and tenacious, we em-
body the essence of what we consume and the environment
which has provided it. We avoid eating sick animals, soggy
greens, or fruit that’s over-ripe, as they don’t feel vital. If we
eat freshly picked, organic lettuce, it is more nutrient-dense
than lettuce grown in a monoculture, that is sprayed, pack-
aged in plastic, transported and refrigerated in a supermarket
for several days.
What positive impacts would there be if more people
started to forage? 
When I started foraging I began to understand my place within
the local environment more intimately, and the importance of
living a low-impact life. If more people started foraging, I’m
certain that they would feel a deeper sense of connection to
the natural world around them.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted
to start foraging?  
Go with a foraging friend, or take a guided weed walk, so you
can learn the ins and outs of foraging. There are many good
books out there too: make sure you know what you’re eating.
To find out more see
 Robyn Rosenfeldt
ADRIAN IODICE
Adrian came from an Italian family and grew up in Melbourne.
He was introduced to harvesting and hunting wild food at a
very young age. He now lives with his wife and three kids, in
a semi self-sustainable lifestyle on a shared property in the
Bega Valley of southern New South Wales.
Can you describe which foods you harvest from the
wild and how you do it?
For many years I hunted rabbits, feral goats and feral pigs
with firearms, but for the past ten years or so I have mainly
harvested feral deer with a bow and arrow.
What inspired you to start harvesting your food this
way?
The first time I went hunting was with my best friend, his
father and his grandfather. We harvested rabbits that day and
I was hooked.
What do you love most about hunting?
Shooting with a firearm is just that, ‘shooting’; but put a bow
in my hands and all my senses spring to life. While I’m in
the forest all my senses are completely focused: my hearing,
smell, eyesight and even my touch. I slow right down, almost
into a meditation. I feel a connection to the earth, the forest
and to the animal.
What differences have you noticed between produce
you’ve hunted and other sources?
I know game is fresh and healthy, with no drenching or an-
tibiotics, just juicy lean meat. And there is an unbeatable
satisfaction when I feed my family with something that I’ve
harvested. The gratitude I have for the animal I’m eating is
humbling, and the life force and sustenance we get from that
animal is overwhelming. You just don’t get that from a plastic
wrapped piece of meat.
EAT
What positive impacts would there be if more people
started to hunt?
All animals I hunt are species that were introduced into the
Australian environment. If more people got out there and
hunted for meat it would help manage the feral animal pop-
ulations in this country significantly, and avoid the suffering
of animals taking poison baits. All this food could feed com-
munities!
What advice would you give to someone who wanted
to start hunting?
If you are considering hunting for meat and you don’t know
where to start, join a hunting club; most of them have field
days where they teach you how to dress an animal, track deer
and all sorts of important things. Or if you know someone
who hunts, ask them to take you along with them.
Hunting is a regulated activity in most of Australia, and
the licence or permission you require depends on a range of
things such as the jurisdiction, weapon, type of animal (e.g.
feral), land tenure (e.g. private or public) and purpose.
To be successful when hunting, you have to really know the 57
animal you hunt. Read about their habits, what they eat, the
type of country they prefer to live in, and get out there and
study them.

JORDAN GOETZE
Jordan is a marine ecologist at Curtin University in Perth,
Western Australia. He likes to catch and eat the things he
studies, so he’s been trying to come up with ways to limit the
impact he has when fishing wild-caught seafood.
Can you describe which foods you harvest from the
wild and how you do it?
I love catching and eating all types of seafood, from cockles
foraged from the seashore to deep sea fish. I use a wide range
of techniques and tools, from a standard fishing rod to spe-
cially designed cockle sieves, catching crabs by hand, Swan
River prawns with butterfly net and lobster with ‘cray loop’,
and spearfishing.
What inspired you to start harvesting your food from
the wild?
My dad has always been a mad keen fisher, and he’s been
diving and spearing along the south coast of WA for most of
his life; and I seem to have followed in his footsteps. Dad also
inspired me to pursue a career in marine science. I believe
that there is a compromise achievable between fishing and
conservation, that can ensure kids of the future can go out
and catch a nice feed of seafood.
What do you love most about fishing?
I love cooking and experimenting with the wide range of sea-
food available along the WA coastline. In Australia we are ex-
tremely fussy, and limit ourselves to consuming a few species
that are often the most vulnerable to overfishing. Because of
58 this, I’ve started to work with my friend Paul Iskov of Fervor
[Australian pop-up dining, see www.fervor.com.au] to come
up with recipes that use a broader range of seafood, and make
better use of the waste products that are just as delicious if
cooked the right way.
Laurie Benson
What differences have you noticed between wild
seafood compared with other sources?
Consuming wildcaught seafood – while it’s fresh rather than
frozen – is definitely the best way to go if you want to get the
most flavour. Seventy-two per cent of the seafood consumed
in Australia is imported. Yet Australian commercial fishers
are throwing back perfectly good wildcaught seafood, which
doesn’t have a market because people aren’t familiar with the
species or don’t know how to cook them properly.
What positive impacts would there be if more people
started to fish from the wild? 
If we start to consume a broader range of species, and use
the waste products from the seafood we are already catching,
it will take pressure off the more vulnerable species that are
fished heavily.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted
to start sustainable fishing? 
Go to the Department of Fisheries website and follow guide-
lines on bag limits and size limits when fishing, and be ad-
venturous. Don’t throw something back just because a fishing
guide gives it one or two stars. Try a few different things and
prepare them in different ways. Finally, try to use all parts of
the fish and cook things whole where possible.
 Rohan Anderson
ROHAN ANDERSON
Rohan eats fresh produce, avoids processed foods, grows his
own food, hunts for wild meat and lives within his means. In
his early thirties, his diet of processed food and no fresh pro-
duce was causing major health problems. He knew he had to
change. Now his body has repaired, mentally he feels better
and he’s broken out of the system that controlled him.
Can you describe which foods you harvest from the
wild and how you do it?
When the summer ends and rain arrives, the kids and I get
excited about visiting the forests; about campfire cooking and
long adventurous hikes carrying baskets of mushrooms. In
autumn, we pick wild pears from secret trees, and vibrant fruit
from the prickly pear. By winter, the larder is well stocked to
get us through the lean times. As the warmer weather arrives,
with it comes fragrant elderflower, and by springtime there
is barely a need to forage when there is so much food grow-
ing in the garden. In summer, we pick weeds and from wild
fruit trees. At the height of summer, we pluck yabbies from
damns and blackberries from tawny bushes. Nearing the end
of summer, wild figs provide a sweet treat, and so the cycle
continues.
What inspired you to start harvesting your food from
the wild?
I was introduced to wild food as a child growing up on a farm
in the bush. As an adult I forgot about my childhood ways,
but the more unhappy I became with my city life, the more I
longed for the simplicity of country living. I started off simply,
learning a few new mushroom species. As the years passed,
new items would arrive on the picking list. My relationship
with nature nudged me to return to my old ways, and has
improved my view of my new world.
What positive impacts would there be if more people
started to forage from the wild?
It doesn’t make sense for people in urban areas to drive long
distances to forage in the wild. There are wild foods in urban
EAT
areas and backyards that are currently going to waste. Hunt-
ing for wild tucker helps you to develop a better understand-
ing of how nature works, and the effects of water, climate
and pollution; this can influence more positive decisions in
your life.
What do you think of the current food system?
Once you discover how much environmental degradation
comes from the way big companies produce, package and
transport food, you realise the whole system makes no sense.
We are seeing the decline of health as a result of heavily pro-
cessed foods; but instead of limiting these foods we are med-
icating the symptoms.
What do you think needs to be done to improve it?
I don’t have all the answers, but I do share my story in the
hope that it might get people thinking about food and its im-
pacts. In an ideal world, I’d like to see people embracing a 59
seasonal menu for home cooking that has nutritional value
and is lighter on our natural resources.
 U S E A N D VA L U E
DIVERSITY

EDIBLE FLOWERS
Words and photos by Sarah Price

Anyone interested in edible gardening tends to grow 5. CHIVES

vegetables, but have you ever considered growing ed-
ible flowers?
When you start looking into which flowers are edible, it is
surprising to find that most gardeners have at least one va-
riety of edible flower growing in their garden. The wonderful
thing about growing flowers for food is that it gives you a good
reason to take up growing space with them. Ideally our gar-
dens are filled not only with vegetables and greens, but also
flowers for us and the bees.
There are many varieties of edible flowers, but these top
five are easy to grow, and perform well. Flowers can stay
fresh for hours after picking – but avoid the heat of the day,
and place the stems in water until you use them.
Onion, garlic or plain chive flowers pack a lot of flavour.
Garlic chives produce a delicate purple bloom, and onion
chives grow a larger, paler flower. As well as these Allium
species, the related society garlic Tulbaghia violacea is also
useful in savoury cooking.
USING FRESH FLOWERS
If you’re trying to avoid using refined ingredients in the kitch-
en, having beautiful edible flowers to decorate cakes is a won-
derful alternative to using coloured icing: they look stunning,

1. PANSY
These are delicious in salads, and the best way to use them
is with mint leaves on top of a butter or chocolate cake. The
flowers are high in vitamin C and the young leaves, also edible,
are high in vitamin  A. The flowers have a delicate mild fla-
vour, and the heirloom variety Arkwright Ruby has a stronger,
almost vanilla flavour.

2. NASTURTIUM
This is one edible bloom we all know about: children love to
bite the end off and suck the nectar. The flower is peppery,
and best suited to savoury use. Whip up a herb dip and stuff
it into the nasturtium flowers, or add them to fresh garden
salads.

3. CALENDULA
These flowers look gorgeous adorning a cake. Or add the pet-
als to rice as a saffron substitute.

4. ROSE
60 These look special atop a cake. I like using an old variety of a
climbing tea rose: they’re small and can either be eaten with
the cake or pulled off afterwards.
either used whole or with different sized and coloured pet-
als scattered for a confetti effect. Pick them first thing in the
morning, wash them, pop them into an airtight container and
freeze them for use later that day. They stay fresh and bright,
even during the warmer months.
When adding flowers to salads, pick them at the same time
as the salad greens, and use them straight away.
You can also preserve edible flowers, either by drying or
sugar coating.
Tip: Only use flowers grown organically in your own garden.
If buying plants from a nursery, don’t use any flowers that
may be open or forming on the plant at the time, as they may
have been treated with chemicals. Wash flowers before use,
trimming the stem and removing the stamen.

RECIPES
STUFFED NASTURTIUM FLOWERS
This isn’t an exact recipe – taste frequently, and use your
instincts.
Ingredients

EAT
1½ cups sour cream (or softened cream or cottage cheese)
a large handful of a mixture of your favourite herbs and
greens from the garden (e.g. nasturtium leaves, basil, parsley,
dill, chives, sorrel), finely chopped or snipped

com
knitionaryrecipes.blogspot.
½ cup of cashews or walnuts, finely chopped
¼ cup of pickled capers, drained and finely chopped
2 dessertspoons whole egg mayonnaise (homemade is best)
fresh lemon juice
20 freshly picked nasturtium flowers, to serve.
Method
Mix together the dip ingredients and season to taste. Add
more herbs, capers or mayonnaise as desired, or a squeeze
of lemon juice.
The dip can be made ahead of time, and kept in the fridge
until needed.
To serve, use a teaspoon to fill the flowers, and serve imme-
diately.

DECORATIVE ICE CUBES

Ingredients
Use small flowers such as pansies or winter tarragon. If using
larger flowers, simply use the petals whole or snip them up.
Method
To ensure that the flowers are in the middle of the ice cubes,
half fill an ice cube tray with water and add the flowers or
petals. Put into the freezer for at least four hours or over- 61
night. When completely frozen, top up the ice cubes with
more water and freeze.
Place the cubes into iced tea, cordial or your favourite cool
drink.
 This page, clockwise from above left: Material collec-
tion; Nan power; Every colour of the rainbow; Op shop
fashion. Page 65 above: Double denim knee patches in
action. below: Stitch in time.

62
 U S E A N D VA L U E R E N E WA B L E
RESOURCES AND SERVICES
SLOW FASHION
Words by Maude Farrugia Photos by Hiromi Yuasa
The slow movements’ gradual transformation of every
facet of our lives has (unhurriedly) extended itself to
the rabid international fast-fashion industry. While the
idea of ‘fashion’ might seem frivolous to those of us
who walk the path of permaculture, the way we clad
ourselves can have a very alarming environmental im-
pact, and one which we often overlook while we’re
busy in the garden, smelling the rosemary.
If you own clothes, then you are almost certainly a partici-
pant in the fast-fashion industry. Open your wardrobe. Have
a really good look. Who made your clothes, socks and undies?
What are they made of? Where did you get them? How long
have you owned them? When will you replace them? And
where will they go when you’re done with them?
Fashion – though the word might make you cringe – is
something we all participate in, one way or another, on a daily
basis. Clothes are our wrappers: they tell the world who we
are, and carry their very own cultural and personal identity
baggage. They can tell us much about class, status, occupa-
tion, wellbeing and culture, so it’s no wonder we’ve been co-
erced, collectively, into the trillion dollar fast-fashion industry,
ever striving to perfect the image of ourselves we wish to
project to the world.
Conscious eating is so much a part of living permaculture,
but conscious dressing – when we think long and hard about
earth care and people care in relation to our threads – has
only really come to the fore since disasters such as at the
Rana Plaza in Bangladesh (where over 1100 people died and
2500 people were injured), and crises in the cotton fields of
India ringing bells to warn us that there is trouble in our ward-
robes.
Only a few generations ago the story was very different.
Locally manufactured clothes and fibres were more the norm.
Now it’s extremely difficult to source locally grown and made
clothing. Fast fashion – dominated by billion dollar global
companies peddling low-cost, low-quality clothing – is the
overwhelming source of clothing for consumers around the
world. The ‘slow fashion’ movement is a reaction to this mod-
ern throwaway textile culture.
Indeed the very nature of the word ’fashion’ stands at odds
with everything the slow movement represents; but take note,
clothes cannot be in slow fashion, they are slow fashion. It
represents conscious dressing, the cultivation of a classic and
permanent personal style, and a stronger connection to the
origins (and destination) of your clothes. And the good news
is: permaculture principles can help us on this journey.
DESIGN FROM PATTERNS TO DETAILS /
OBSERVE & INTERACT / USE SMALL AND
SLOW SOLUTIONS
THRIVE
Get yourself a notebook (or a spreadsheet if you’re that way
inclined), and write down what you wear every single day for
a month, a season, a year. The results will give you an insight
into what types of clothing you actually value and use.
After my month of sartorial field notes, I was able to halve
my already somewhat lean wardrobe. I found that I didn’t wear
some of my ’favourite’ items of clothing, even once. Others
that I was barely aware I owned I wore more than ten times.
Black and blue featured heavily in my list of notes, a useful
pointer for future shopping expeditions. As well as making me
aware of my self-imposed uniform, this exercise gave me a
strong understanding of the difference between the clothes
I like to wear, and the clothes I like to think I wear (my own
personal identity baggage).
Considering this information against what you do each day
will further expand your understanding of your own clothing
patterns and needs. For example, I spend two days a week in
the garden, another two working from home and the rest of
my time chasing a toddler around the neighbourhood. For me,
an extensive pyjama wardrobe, sturdy shoes, a comfy jumper 63
collection and dedicated gardening clothes are a must. And
yet my wardrobe contained a beautiful collection of dresses
I love (but hardly ever wear), and hardly any sturdy garden
clothes. I tend to wear whatever while getting grubby in the
 garden, which is a very good way to race through several
pairs of perfectly good jeans, but not really an ideal way to
practise slow fashion.
Lesson learned!
USE AND VALUE RENEWABLE RESOURCES
AND SERVICES
Many outdoor-wear fibres are made from non-renewable pet-
rochemicals, known to break down as they are worn and to
leave a trail of microplastics that fill our oceans and water-
ways: hello nylon, polyester and polar fleece. Natural fibres
are a lot better, though they do produce methane (and in the
case of wool, ammonia) when they break down in landfill,
where they very often end up. Cotton – the world’s most pop-
ular natural fibre – may well be renewable, but the energy
used to farm, process, fashion it into garments and then de-
liver them to your doorstep is likely not.
Sourcing local fibres is ideal, but limited: in Australia we
do grow and process wool pretty well, and that’s about it.
According to Cotton Australia we are ‘a relatively minor pro-
ducer on the world scale but ... the world’s second-largest
exporter’. Which basically means that we grow our cotton,
ship it overseas to be processed and fashioned into garments
that are then shipped back home to be sold to consumers.
Short of becoming naturists, what are we to do? Avoiding
synthetic clothes is a great start. Truly valuing the cost of our
clothes is another: buy quality items; care for them so that
they live a long life (mending and careful washing here we
come!); and, when their time is up, choose the most sensible
path for their retirement – as a rag, tomato tie or compost
carbon, the choice is yours.
When buying new clothes, it’s important to be mindful of
whom you are buying them from. Is your purchase propping
up the fast-fashion oligarchy, or are you supporting a local
craftsperson who is working to create a better clothing indus-
try alternative? We have a growing number of local designers
and makers here in Australia and New Zealand, committing
to using sustainable textiles, zero-waste patterns, fair man-
ufacturing practices and non-toxic dyes. It’s an exciting time
to get dressed!
Often these clothes cost more than their big brand equiv-
alents, but they will last and be supporting a better fashion
future. And their price tag reinforces the true value of cloth-
ing: the cost should reflect the effort it took to grow the fibre,
design the garment and sweat over its manufacture.
Another useful resource, which is often overlooked, is our
grannies! No one knows how to darn better than your nonna,
naniji, yiayia or abuela, so take time to pick a mending master-
mind’s brain, and inhale as many tricks and techniques while
you can. If you don’t have your own personal darning diva to
hand, hook yourself up with your local neighbourhood house’s
mending circle, or find someone you can trade your skills for
in exchange for their mending talent.
64 PRODUCE NO WASTE
Sometimes one person’s trash is indeed another’s treasure,
but very often goods donated to op shops end up as landfill.
Donating unwanted clothes to op shops does not necessarily
mean you are producing no waste, if they’re just taking a more
convoluted route to the bin. Gifting unwanted clothes can shift
the burden of your less awesome choices on to other individ-
uals and organisations; so before you chuck it think of your
potential donation as a gift. Would anyone actually value this
item? Love it? Wear it to death, so that it can be repaired and
worn to death again? Don’t beat yourself up about clothes in
your life that don’t measure up to these testing questions, but
try to think of ways you could use them first before gifting
them: as fabric remnants for future garment repairs, by re-
purposing or repairing them into something new and amaz-
ing, or as cleaning or kitchen rags.
Get choosy. How many clothes do you actually need in
your wardrobe? Having fewer clothes makes it simpler to
get dressed in the morning and face the world, and lessens
your chances of a daily existential style crisis. Making great
clothing choices – choosing items you truly need for quality,
durability and timelessness – will also help you to produce
no waste, as you simply won’t be able to part with them until
they are rags.
VALUE THE MARGINAL
My nan is a master-mender (ex-tailor, migrant and garment
worker), and half the time you wouldn’t even notice that
she’s repaired an item. Feel free to go to town upcycling your
clothes with whimsical applique owl patches, if this suits your
personal style. But for me, repairing clothes close to their
original status is my way of valuing a past-its-prime item.
Darning and mending well can take some skill and under-
standing of textile construction, but it’s something you could
pick up in a (cr)afternoon. It also requires a good stash of
fabric remnants, and bits and bobs. Creating your own stash
can be a rewarding exercise in valuing the marginal, and will
help use up some of your unneeded clothes. My nan, with her
Maltese pedigree, has a stash to rival any: she’s repaired the
bung elastic in a pair of PJs with tape saved from a dead elec-
tric blanket; makes the world’s softest hankies out of old flan-
nelette sheets, and aprons out of stained tablecloths; and is
generally an expert in valuing even the tiniest things she has
in her life, and finding beautiful and creative ways to thwart
their path to landfill. She wears an apron when she cooks,
overalls in the garden and cares deeply about everything she
owns: in short, she values it. Can you learn a thing or two
from this? I know I can.
In my few months of conscious dressing I’ve noted that ex-
cusing yourself from the global fast-fashion industry is a long
term project that requires time, thoughtfulness, the gaining of
skills and observation. My advice: take it slow.
DOUBLE DENIM KNEE PATCHES
This is Nan’s tried-and-true technique for the most-sturdy
knee patches for jeans this side of the Mediterranean.
You will need:
• jeans with busted knees
• scraps of sturdy denim for the patches, and a soft
sturdy fabric to reinforce the inside
• a sewing machine
• pins and thread.
Unpick the outer seam of each leg, from about four  cen-
timetres above the top of the tear in the knees to about the
same below.
Cut a patch of reinforcement fabric that will fit over the tear,
with two centimetres extra on each side.
Cut a square of denim that will fit over the tear, with
three centimetres extra on the top and bottom, and one centi-
metre overlap on each of the sides.
Turn the jeans inside out, and place the reinforcement fab-
ric flat over the area to be repaired, with the tear in the centre.
Pin it in place. Using the unpicked seam of your jeans as an
opening for your sewing machine to fit through, sew this fab-
ric patch securely in place.
Turn the jeans right side out. Pin the denim patch over the
front of the tear, with a one  centimetre hem tucked under
around each edge. Again, using the unpicked seam of your
jeans as an opening for your sewing machine to fit through,
sew the denim securely in place. You can run a few decora-
tive lines horizontally across the patch if that floats your boat.
Turn the jeans inside out again, stitch the unpicked seam
back together with a line of straight stitching, and finish the
edges with zigzag stitch for security.

THRIVE
Turn the jeans right side out, and enjoy wearing them again.

65
 EASY-PEASY $4 SINGLET DRESS
Words by Annie Werner Photo by Olive Rose

This is a pretty easy project that would suit a beginner,

though it will be easier if you already have some sew-
ing experience.
This is a pretty easy project that would suit a beginner, though
it will be easier if you already have some sewing experience.

YOU WILL NEED

• A singlet. [I got mine from my local op shop for $2,
but any stretchy singlet will do]
• A rectangular piece of fabric. A lightweight fabric
works well, as it doesn’t get too bulky when it’s
gathered. The short edge of the rectangle should
be the length you want the skirt of your dress to
be, and the long edge should be around one and a
half to two metres, depending on how gathered you
want the skirt to be. [I also got the skirt fabric from
the op shop for $2]
• Scissors, pins and thread.
• A sewing machine – you could do this project by
hand, but it would be a BIG job.
• Trim, such as ricrac braid, but that’s optional.

HOW TO MAKE IT
1. Try on the singlet, and mark where you want the waist of the
skirt to sit. This could be on your actual waist (the narrowest
part), or you could make it higher or lower, depending on taste.
Mark this with a pin on both of the side seams.
2. Take the singlet off and fold it in half. Cut straight across, one
centimetre lower than your pin marks. Make this as straight as
possible!
3. Make your skirt fabric into a tube by sewing the two short
edges together, with the right sides together.
4. Run a gathering stitch around the top of your skirt – this can
be done by hand, or by setting your machine to the longest stitch
length – and then gather it until it’s a little bigger than your waist right sides together, match up the pins and sew with a zigzag
measurement, and big enough to slip over your head. stitch, one centimetre from the edge, stretching the singlet as
5. Now comes the trickiest part of the whole shebang: you need you move along so that the pins match up.
to attach the singlet to the gathered edge of your skirt, and to 6. Your singlet dress is now finished, and you can embellish it
66 stretch the singlet as you’re sewing. To do this evenly, fold your as you like. I add a pocket, and some ricrac braid on the neck
singlet in half and mark the quarters with pins (one on each side of the singlet.
seam, one in the centre front and one in centre back). Do the
same with your skirt, and mark the quarters with pins. With the @autumnfarmpastured
Fermentation Cultures

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67
 P R O D U C E N O WA S T E

HOW TO MAKE A BOOMERANG BAG

Words by Boomerang Bags Photos by Robyn Rosenfeldt

The aim of Boomerang Bags is to minimise the use of

plastic by sewing reusable bags from local, recycled
materials. Making Boomerang Bags with your commu-
nity is a great way to participate in a national initiative
on a local level. It’s an easy, free and environmentally
friendly way to engage your local community and en-
courage others to reduce their use of plastic bags. The
idea is to get a group of people together, sort through
some old fabrics (linen cupboards or op shops are a
great place to start), and meet up, with a couple of
sewing machines, to make some great, recycled, re-
usable Boomerang Bags.

HOW DO YOU MAKE A BOOMERANG BAG?

What you will need:
• three pieces of fabric (something durable, colour-
ful and washable, matching or contrasting)
• two handles (adjust the length to the size you
prefer)
• one bag shape
• one calico pocket
• an iron
• thread and sewing pins
• a sewing machine, and ideally an overlocker.

Step one: sew the handles

Fold each of the handle pieces in half lengthways, and iron
them flat. Open the folded piece and fold each side to the
middle crease. Iron closed and make sure that the edges are
together evenly. Sew the open edges of the handle together,
and then sew along the closed edge of the handle so that each
side of the handle is sewn.

Step two: make the calico pocket

Fold three sides of the calico over by one centimetre. Fold the
68 fourth side over twice, and then iron each of the sides flat.
With the right side facing down, and the wrong side facing up,
sew across the top of the pocket (where you made two folds).
Step three: pin the pocket on
With the right side up, pin the pocket onto the bag shape. Make
 sure it is centred vertically, but is slightly lower than the hori-
zontal centre, so that you leave space for the top of the bag to
be folded over when you sew the handles on.

Step four: sew the calico pocket

Sew the three sides of the calico pocket onto the bag before
you begin your bag side seams (or overlocking), being careful
to reinforce each side of the pocket near the top.

Step five: sew the sides and base of the bag

Take the bag material, fold it in half with the two short edges
coming together to create the bag shape. Pin the material down
the sides, leaving the top open: make sure your edges match
up. 
Turn the bag inside out and edge sew (or overlock) along
each of the two sides. If overlocking, make sure you reinforce
each side with a straight stitch that runs next to the overlocked
edge. With the bag still inside out, fold it so that you see the
corners as triangles with the edge stitching (or overlocking)
running through the middle. Using a small cardboard triangle
as your template (so that both corner bases are the same size,
sew across eight centimetres), pin the triangles into the cor-
ners and then sew and reinforce each of them. This will form
the base of your bag.

Step six: sew the handles on

THRIVE
Turn the bag the right side out, mark nine centimetres from the
seam each side, and pin the handles on the inside of marks. En-
sure there is no twist in in the handles. Oversew (or overlock)
the top of the bag, attaching the handles and making sure the
handles are set square to the bag.

Step seven: finish the bag

Turn the top of the bag down three centimetres, and sew twice
around the top of the bag. Trim the threads and give it a once
over. Your bag should now be looking great!

Step eight: share

Now share the bags around in the community, lend them to
friends, give them away as gifts, share them with people in your
street, or offer them as alternatives at your local grocery shop.

You can find information about joining an existing

Boomerang Bag ‘community’ or making Boomerang
Bags yourself, or request the ‘How-to guide’ on starting
Opposite page, above: Place pocket on front and mark 9
a Boomerang Bag community of your own by heading 69
cm from edge for handle. Opposite page, below: sew the
to www.boomerangbags.org/about
corners. This page, clockwise from top right: sew the
handles; folding the handles; Boomerang bags; pin
the handles in place.
70
 A P P LY S E L F R E G U L AT I O N
& ACCEPT FEEDBACK
INSPIRING TEENS TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITYWords and photos by Dean and Annette Turner
What can we do to help our teens become the sus-
tainable innovators and guides that the planet needs?
More so than ever before, young people need positive
opportunities to escape and explore, to move from
talking and watching to doing.
For the past eighteen years we’ve run the Crossing Land
Education Trust, where we have camps for young people. We
create opportunities for young people to learn and become
inspired, for example through teamwork, environmental res-
toration and monitoring, sustainable design, tool use, outdoor
activities and organic gardening. We believe that teens need
to be given the following experiences, to: contribute with
purpose; improvise and make mistakes; and explore natural
places. Well-designed school camps, with excellent leaders,
are great for this; but as parents and guides to teens, we can
create such opportunities in a variety of ways.
When you think back to yourself as a teen, and the peo-
ple you looked up to, there was probably at least one cool
uncle or aunty, an older brother, sister or cousin, a teacher
or camp leader who was influential. Whether by accident or
design, they were the ones who supported you to launch off
on some early adventure. Pushing the boundaries of activity
and adventure was okay by your parents, as long as you had
that acceptable guide nearby. It’s good to surround teens with
positive and inspiring role models they can relate to.
Camping can be a great way for teens to get switched on to
the environment. School camps with a focus on sustainability
in their design are ideal.
CONTRIBUTING WITH PURPOSE
The ability to make a difference is important to all of us, both
physically and mentally. Everyone responds and engages
more fully if they have a strong sense of purpose. A positive
and active approach to sustainability is purpose-built for teens.
Teens have an acute sense for hypocrisy and inconsistency.
They know the difference between busywork and real work.
They start to tune out as soon as they get the feeling that
they are not part of something or, worse still, if they’re part of
something that’s not connected to anything else.
We all love connection and integration; they’re major ingre-
dients for making experiences richer. If teens can see how
what they do is part of something bigger, they will be much
more willing and inspired to contribute. Explaining the whole
picture of why we’re going to do something, and how it fits
into the bigger picture, will create more engaged participation.
Positive actions can be hard for young people to identify
by themselves. The feeling of being powerless can be over-
whelming. Contributing to the ongoing design, and thus the
story of a sustainable home, property, camp or school is a
great motivator – it shows how they can provide for their own
needs, and those of future teens.
Working towards sustainability is a practical and active way
to do something positive to mitigate and cope with climate
change, rather than be depressed or frightened by it; growing
food and using renewable energy are obvious examples of
appropriate actions.
Protecting and enhancing the surrounding natural environ-
ment is an example of caring for the earth, another purpose
that teens can relate to and find empowering. This can be
done through camps and school group activities, such as
landcare projects; or at home in developing and maintaining
gardens for food or wildlife.
SUPPORTING IMPROVISATION AND NURTURE
MISTAKES
This may sound odd, but it takes many mistakes to come up
with an innovation. There are great opportunities for impro-
visation and ‘mistake learning’ with young people, especially
where a leader is available to support the problem-solving
process.
Mistakes also help us to understand the importance of di-
versity, which provides many viewpoints and the strength of
cooperation to solve big problems. This also applies in nature,
where biodiversity provides many strategies to meet a range
of conditions.
The more we understand the important role that mistakes
play, the more we can recognise the importance of diversity, 71
so that we look at problems with tolerance and get in closer,
together, to find solutions. Solutions generated in this way will
be more likely to succeed.
 Solving problems gives us all a sense of accomplishment
and success. Involving teens in seeking sustainable design –
for example improvising for energy and water efficiency, us-
ing second-hand and repurposed materials to create a solu-
tion – is very rewarding. Or encourage teens’ efforts to fix,
improve or make things – suggest something they value, such
as clothing or transport. They become part of the solution;
caring for others, the earth and the future. Hands-on building
projects give teens the opportunity to learn by doing, including
to make mistakes. At The Crossing, a group of teens made a
chook shed from an old bunk bed frame, part of an old tank
and rendered earth walls – it was a great learning experience.
A positive and active
approach to sustainability
is purpose-built for teens.
Look for ways to create experiences that provide young
people with opportunities to make a range of mistakes, in:
navigation – to get never truly lost, just temporarily geograph-
ically embarrassed; building, fencing or landscaping – requir-
ing adjustments and new strategies; cooking – to seek more
appropriate garden ingredients.
Some schools and camp managers try to manage risk to
avoid mistakes. Good risk management, in the case of teens
and the outdoors, rules out big mistakes but provides potential
for smaller ones, as part of the process of learning by doing.
Really good staff teams can design mistake opportunities into
projects, so that engagement and team learning is maximised.
EXPLORING NATURAL PLACES
We find that nature slows down time itself. Being away from
schedules and the internet allows time for closer personal
connections, and to connect with other facets of life: time just
to be.
Make time for exploring an area. Structured habitat or wild-
life surveys are ways to achieve this, provide a sense of pur-
72 pose, and get teens up close and personal with nature. Anoth-
er way is through nature art, working with colour and shapes
and using nature’s patterns for inspiration. This can immerse
teens in nature’s designs for sustainability.
Or take time to wander through the landscape rather than
just head to a destination. For example: have a few options for
campsites; on a short journey, include a suitable area in the
middle to divert attention into for a few hours and still achieve
the same overall direction over the course of the day – a
few enticing gullies, a rolling area of hills where you can zig
and zag a few times, lakes and creeks to stop at and wander
around. Knowing the country well provides a leader or guide
with the confidence to plan such opportunities to enthuse
teens. Being permitted to choose and explore the bush, with
leader support, can be very empowering for young people.
Over the last twenty-five years as outdoor and environmen-
tal educators we’ve found that around five to fifteen per cent
of teens thrive on challenging journeys, while the majority
thrive on wandering and immersion. We’ve also found that
the worst weather usually generates the highest return rates
for teens doing outdoor programs, especially for first timers.
We thought this might be about challenge and adversity; how-
ever, it’s much more about the leaders – the young people
concerned couldn’t believe how much fun they had, and were
inspired to return to see those leaders again. Over subse-
quent visits the reasons for returning changed as they discov-
ered for themselves what was really motivating and inspiring
those leaders.
We used to think we were changing the world with every
program we ran, but now we understand the importance of
ripples: they have their own life and travel in many directions;
some become large waves.
Dean and Annette have spent the last eighteen years cre-
ating a not-for-profit, sustainable camp for young people
called The Crossing Land Education Trust near Bermagui
on the Wilderness Coast of NSW. You can find them at
www.thecrossing.thebegavalley.org.au or on Instagram,
Twitter or Facebook @thecrossingland. Any teen can join
in the programs, by direct application or with a school
group. The camp is a place for inspiring stories and in-
spiring people. It takes a maximum of one school class.
Page 70: The joy of contributing towards
a positive future.
Opposite page: Wandering journey’s allow
time for exploration.
Clockwise from top: Contributing to a
bigger purpose - re-vegetating the river
banks you canoe along; Teen planting
enthusiasm; Time around the fire to be and
reflect on any ‘mistake learning’ of the day;
Adventures in inspiring natural places; Play-
ing with patterns in nature; The Crossing.

NURTURE

73
74
 U S E A N D VA L U E R E N E WA B L E
RESOURCES AND SERVICES

GARDENER’S HANDSCRUB
Words and photo by Tabitha Emma

The perfect scrub for gardeners, crafters and anyone whose hands
get rough treatment and need a good scrubbing.

MAKES: 1 x 250 g jar APPROXIMATE SHELF LIFE: three months

INGREDIENTS METHOD
1 cup of caster sugar, or 1. Put sugar (or salt) into a bowl.
salt for a coarser scrub 2. Add the lemon zest and juice, olive oil and rosemary.
zest of 1 lemon 3. Stir all together until combined, then scoop the paste
juice of ½ lemon into the jar.
2 tablespoons olive oil 4. Store the jar in a cool dark place.
2 sprigs of rosemary,
chopped finely
Equipment DIRECTIONS FOR USE
bowl Rub the paste into your hands well, and then rinse it off
fine grater with warm water.
lemon juicer
250 g jar

Extract from Nourish and Nurture; The Healthy Natural Skincare Guide E-book
by Tabitha Emma available in the Pip shop  www.pipmagazine.com.au/shop/nour-
ish-nurture-ebook $16 NURTURE

75
76
 U S E A N D VA L U E R E N E WA B L E
RESOURCES AND SERVICES
THE ART OF FRUGAL HEDONISM
Words by Annie Raser-Rowland
Several years ago I coined the term ‘frugal hedonism’,
partly railing against the assumption – of more main-
stream friends – that a life of gleaning, gardening,
hitchhiking and op  shopping was part of a grey and
dismal martyrdom endured for the planet’s sake. But I
knew my days were rich with sensory indulgence and
diverse pleasures.
As time crept by, many of these friends plunged into debt,
overwork, middle-aged spread and a general sense of entrap-
ment. It became clear that curtailed-consumption keeps us
self-reliant and free enough to be truly alive to pleasure, and
I realised how protective it can be against many of the ‘ills of
modern life’.
Anyone reading Pip is likely already pretty cluey about the
ecological reasons for reining in our rabid consumer habits.
However, reshaping our priorities and habits is challenging,
especially in the face of a larger culture that suggests spend-
ing as the starting point for all pleasure. We don’t want to miss
out on pleasure! We are only human.
The Art of Frugal Hedonism: a Guide to Spending Less While
Enjoying Everything More (Melliodora Publishing, to be pub-
lished in 2016) aims to help readers finesse their frugality.
The guide is a basket of life hacks and psychological strategies
that make it not just easy but luscious to live on less than a
quarter of the average Australian income – as I do, merrily.
Here are my top five:
HAVE A LOT OF THINGS YOU WANT TO DO
WITH YOUR FREEDOM
There is no better incentive for being frugal than having pas-
sions you want to chase. Don’t do it because you’re noble, do
it because you’re greedy for a life of liberty. By consuming
less, you have more money to spend on doing what you really
want to do.
HAVE AN OPEN RELATIONSHIP WITH RECIPES
Develop some cooking instincts, and then base your meals on
whatever happens to be in season, cheap, or in the cupboard
right now. Go totally freestyle or, if you do like to use recipes,
learn to substitute. No breadcrumbs to help bind your meat-
balls: grind some oats in a blender. No apple cider vinegar:
lemon juice, plus a pinch of sugar, will probably be just fine.
You may have a culinary miss now and again, but you’ll also
concoct many scrumptious triumphs, save money on special
ingredients and learn a lot along the way.
BE MATERIALISTIC
‘But what?! Surely anti-materialism is the cornerstone of
buying less?’ you splutter. Upping the esteem in which you
hold consumables may sound an odd path to frugality, but if
you’d like to avoid the constant consumption involved in re-
placing things, you need to recognise their value and maintain
them; buy well-made things in the first place, those that will
last and are fixable. Be dazzled that you have all this stuff with
its stupefying lineage of effort and resources. Be reverential,
then look after it.
GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR INNER
HUNTER-GATHERER
The hunt for wild greens is such a fine and fun skill that I
wrote a book about it with Adam Grubb (The Weed Forager’s
Handbook: A Guide to Edible and Medicinal Weeds in Australia,
Hyland House 2012). Make supplementing your diet in this
way a habit, and you might find that you begin to feed the
fundamental Homo sapiens instinct to roam-and-pluck. While
connecting with your ancestral cave-self, by harvesting free
superfoods, you may find that you also connect more inti- NURTURE
mately with your neighbourhood. The pursuit of wild foods
not only heightens your awareness of the seasons, but has
a delightful way of leading you into corners of your gar-
den or suburb that you wouldn’t have visited otherwise.
NOTICE WHEN YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH
It can be very liberating to notice that your life has been fine
so far, maybe even pretty damn good, with what you already
have. Or that if it hasn’t, it’s probably not because of a deficit
of wireless speakers. So, the question you might want to ask
yourself, next time you’re about to buy something, is not ‘Will
this make my life better?’ but ‘Has my life so far been bad
without this in it?’ 77
The prescription is simple: spend less, consume less, work
less, experience more, feel pleasure more. And if you happen
to help save the world while you’re at it, all the better.
78
 DESIGN FROM
PAT T E R N S T O D E TA I L S
DESIGNING AN URBAN OASIS
Words by Megan Norgate Photos by Emma Byrnes
Eight years ago we bought a dilapidated 1940s Cali-
fornian bungalow in Melbourne’s inner northern sub-
urbs. It was in a semi-derelict state, had a heritage
overlay and flood level restrictions, and was on a long,
narrow block. However, the site was extremely spe-
cial, and backed onto the Merri Creek wildlife corridor.
The real value for us was not in the bricks and mortar, but
in the proximity of the majestic gum trees, running water
and the deep buffer of native vegetation on either side of the
creek, creating a nature sanctuary in an urban environment.
We began thinking about our home as part of a permaculture
system that would integrate the built, interior and biological
environments. I wanted to create an urban existence for my
family that allowed us to connect with nature and our local
community on a daily basis.
OBSERVATION
As we designed the renovation, it was important to observe
the building over the seasons of a full year: to spend time on
the site, noticing the patterns of the elements – sun, water
and wind – in order to harness them for use in our home.
CAPTURING ENERGY
All buildings have some potential for passive function. To
make the weatherboard home thermally efficient, we took
the whole building apart, piece by piece, back to its structural
frames. We then wrapped it in insulation and put it all back
together again, sealing every little gap as we went. The exten-
sion was built on a suspended concrete slab which allowed
us to introduce thermal mass. We located new windows to
open up the home to the winter sun, while remaining shaded
in summer and capturing cooling breezes. We reoriented the
room layout so that all living areas faced north, flooding the
spaces with natural light and allowing the winter sun to reach
its long fingers inside.
PATTERNS OF USE
By reconfiguring the layout of the existing home, and extend-
ing it, we resolved the spatial design around patterns of use.
This design solution creates healthy and resourceful living so
that the home functions with the ‘path of least resistance’.
Our common utility areas are butted up against the social ar-
eas, so that no one feels like they’re in purgatory while doing
washing in the laundry. When it’s raining, we can walk bare-
foot from the house under a clear roof off the deck to hang
washing outside. Living in the new home, our daily tasks and
rituals are now performed in an ergonomic, logical and enjoy-
able fashion. The best ‘storage vessel’ for the heat and energy
of the sun is the human body. Ideally, we can wake up to the
sun, eat breakfast with it streaming through the window, and
then relax at the end of the day while watching it set.
RESOURCEFULNESS
During the construction process we sought to produce the
minimum amount of waste possible, by first looking at what
we had around us, and then making the most of existing and
discarded materials. Demolished materials, such as cabinetry
and architectural features, were gathered and stored for re-
use, resold, or collected for further recycling.
We repaired or partially replaced what we could, salvaged
DESIGN
undamaged weatherboards, collected the old hardwood skirt-
ings and architraves, and sourced additional salvaged tim-
bers, doors and fixtures. We consistently placed value on
the marginal – the little details and elements of a design that
bring character and resourcefulness to our family home. Ev-
ery cupboard handle, window winder and surface material is
where you have the opportunity for the greatest change. 79
TIME
The design process requires great consideration, testing and
evolution over time. For every week we spent in design con-
 sideration, the project continued to improve. This also allowed
for a nuanced design solution in direct response to our com-
munity relationships and collaborations. Clear and honest
communication within the whole renovation team was so im-
portant, to ensure that we shared our vision and considered
everyone’s concerns. This slow and evolving approach to
design reprioritises the experience and connection between
people over the goal of a rushed completion date.
Our home has been allowed to ‘cure’ beautifully over time,
retaining the potential for future adaptations. When using ma-
terials with natural patinas their effect is only fully realised
over time; and it’s then that our home starts to come alive.
I try to choose special pieces that are worth keeping, as we
appreciate the skill and materiality of highly crafted objects
that ultimately become heirlooms.
BREVITY
I had to curb my enthusiasm for collecting things that take up
more space. Our cupboards were intentionally designed not
to be deep to avoid things disappearing into the out-of-reach
dark zone. We created one large central space that opened up
to the same amount of outdoor decking. Our home has be-
come a place where we can welcome our extended communi-
ty, a shared resource. This has allowed us to host community
groups and events. We also welcome help-exchangers and
the neighbourhood children at all hours of the day.
We removed any high
fences from the front yard,
so that we could talk to
our neighbours.
Our bedrooms and utility rooms are modestly sized and
shaped for their intended use. Bathroom and laundries are
long and thin to maximise wall space and access to light, and
to minimise unnecessary circulation space. High loft beds in
the kids’ bedrooms create more floor space for them to play.
The hallway was made just wide enough to run a desk along
80 its length, and to create an office area without dedicating a
room to that purpose. The roof space has been lined and fitted
with pull-down ladders to store seasonal gear. We also have
cupboards that run to the ceilings, above normal head height,
so that desks and beds can fit underneath. These design out-
comes maximise the use of our precious vertical space.
LIVING ON THE EDGE
Edges in nature typically contain the densest diversity and
activity, and this includes human-inhabited spaces. We paid
special attention to articulating the spaces on the edge, from
outside in, from public to private, from down to up. These
transition spaces are where people interact the most with one
another; and blurring these boundaries can create opportuni-
ties for dynamic relationships and communication.
We removed any high fences from the front yard, so that
we could talk to our neighbours and passers-by on the street
while working in the garden. We created a small door in the
back-garden fence so that the younger children next door
could come and go without needing to be walked along the
street. Our delight never ceases when our littlest and most
curious neighbours pop up into our garden and kitchen.
We created a pergola to reach the boundary, to: provide
summer shade to the north-facing windows; and to house a
vertical, recycled-hardwood screen, creating some privacy
and a vertical surface on which to grow grapes, berries and
honeysuckles. We took down the tall paling fence between the
backyard and the creek, and replaced it with a low, open-wire
fence. This allows us to observe the creek beds, native vege-
tation and wildlife. Another two houses in the area have since
followed suit, and now our chickens forage periodically on the
creek side, saving us from cutting back grasses and weeds,
and providing them (and us) with an abundant source of food.
STACKING FUNCTION
We sought to integrate diverse design problems into one solu-
tion, maximising the use of available space. We created play-
nooks under the loft and in the fireplace alcoves; these will
later become study-nooks and bookshelves when the kids get
older. We use the laundry as an indoor drying room as well as
a bulk-goods store. We have located our solar hot-water tank
inside, in an otherwise useless space at the top of the stairs,
so that we can dry wet boots, make yoghurt and maybe even
hatch eggs in the warm cupboard.
INTEGRATION
I sought out ‘responsive’ materials, finishes and furnishings,
by selecting items with a tangible context, that relate to the
Front page, above to below: Living to north fac-
ing deck with recycled ironbark vertical screens;
View of extension from the bottom of the garden.
This page, clockwise from top left: Window
seat made from left over floorboards. Front gar-
den from street, recycled brick path and timber
fence; Kitchen with recycled timbers, light fittings
and appliances; Disappearing through the kiddie
trap door.

DESIGN

81
 region or that have a historical or emotional relationship to us.
This enabled me to explore an authentic regional and personal
design vernacular. Our home is lovingly filled with hand-me-
downs from our family, and objects that we have collected,
made, salvaged and found over the years. This means that our
home doesn’t have a particular look, but is more a collection
of personally significant things, gently curated into a pleasing
combination of usefulness and decoration.
YIELD
Our home has produced outcomes far beyond aesthetic
and economic results. We have fresh, healthy food, happi-
er children and meaningful friendships and connection with
our community. Everyone who worked on the house spoke
warmly of their experience, despite having to carry everything
down steep, muddy paths. We would sometimes stop work to
gently relocate wildlife that kept moving into the building site,
such as the little ringtail possum found asleep in the middle of
a cloud of bulky insulation one morning.
The peripheral yields have been through the learning re-
ceived from and between everyone involved in the project, the
guests we have hosted in our home, and the open days and
tours I’ve run. Our home design has fundamentally changed
the way we all live and contribute to the community.
We are thankful that we live, work and go to school within
walking distance. We are very privileged to live here, and to
have access to abundant nature within the cultural amenities
of the urban life. We get to experience a diversity of wildlife
every day; we’re visited by kookaburras, blue-tongue lizards,
tawny frogmouths and the odd tiger snake.
This home has reiterated the importance of urban wildlife
corridors and shared productive space. We have an oppor-
tunity to redesign our suburbs in a context of neighbour-
hood-scale resilience and autonomy, creating homes and
landscapes that contribute to this end.
Megan Norgate is a permaculturalist, sustainable design
consultant and interior designer who runs the cross-
discipline design studio Brave New Eco in Melbourne.
Megan is a passionate advocate for applying permacul-
ture thinking to designing our built environment.
For more information see www.braveneweco.com.au

ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FEATURES OF HOUSE

Passive Solar design Windows
Building extension oriented along northern Double-glazing with two layers 4 mm clear glass (toughened where
axis; Minimal southern glazing used and required) and 12 mm argon filled gap; Windows designed to be fixed
northern glazing to 80% rooms; Utilities on securely open and to direct cooling SE breezes through building;
south side living areas to north; Eaves and Butinol spacers, for reduced heat transference; Solatube day-
pergolas on north facing windows designed lighting systems in darker rooms. Windows designed allowing for
to prevent summer sun from hitting the curtain mounting and stack-backs.
windows.
Insulation and sealing
Double timber frame staggered stud wall framing system to exten-
Thermal mass
sion for increased bulky insulation capacity and to reduce thermal
30% fly-ash suspended concrete slab for
bridges by providing a continuous thermal blanket; Minimum 85%
extension to introduce thermal mass for
recycled content polyester thermal batts; two layers to walls and
passive heating and cooling capacity.
ceiling; Reflective foil under plasterboard behind hydronic heating
panels; Vapour-permeable building paper used on whole house, all
Renewable energy systems
joins taped; Underfloor insulation installed under floorboards and
2.5 kw photovoltaic array installed, providing
concrete slab base and edges; Weatherboards removed and reused
3x household power use.
or replaced in original house in order to retrofit insulation to entire
existing building; Original Baltic pine floor removed and recycled.
Rainwater harvesting
Particleboard-flooring substrate laid beneath recycled black butt
2x 6500 L bladder rainwater storage
floorboards to reduce drafts and gaps; Bathtub recess filled with
plumbed to toilets, laundry and garden;
bulky insulation; Ceiling manholes insulated; Original fireplaces
Enclosed guttering to reduce blockages and
sealed and lined with insulation; Edges of window frames carefully
maintenance;
insulated; Wall vents filled in and covered; House sealed and draught-
Cold water reticulators on interior taps –
proofed.
diverting water to tanks; Evacuated tube
solar hot water; Gravity fed greywater diver-
Ventilation, cooling and heating
sion from bathrooms to garden.
Thermostatically controlled vents to ceiling spaces; Rain sensor fitted
to high hopper window for overnight venting of hot air; Building de-
Lighting and power-saving features
signed to maximise crossflow and passive stack ventilation opportu-
82 Power monitoring device; LED light strips
nities; Ceiling fans installed throughout; Hydronic heating condensing
in bathroom and kitchen; Recycled timber
boiler installed with individually controlled thermostats to each wall
custom light shelves; Vintage pendant light
panel; Floor vent installed beneath fridge to allow cool air to pass the
fittings used.
back of the fridge.
Reimagine
Retrofit
Renovate

Holistic, Resourceful &

Sustainable Residential BRAVE
NEW
& Workplace Design
braveneweco.com.au

ECO

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Jan 21 - Feb 3 2017 Join us for courses in:
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Introduction to Permaculture ~ Permaculture Design
Preserving the Harvest ~ Raising Chooks in the City and more..

join us for 2 weeks of life affirming, mind blowing, deep design learning.
83
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 I N T E G R AT E R AT H E R
T H A N S E G R E G AT E

DESIGNING CHICKENS INTO THE VEGIE GARDEN Words and images by Robyn Rosenfeldt

Having chickens in your vegie garden can be a di-

saster. Most chicken owners would have experienced
the heartbreaking disappointment of chickens getting
into freshly planted garden beds, full of next season’s
seedlings, and destroying the lot in a matter of hours.
However, managed the right way chickens can work with
you in the vegie garden: to eliminate pests and weeds, fer-
tilise, turn the soil and prepare it for your next planting. As
Bill Mollison famously stated, ‘You don’t have a slug problem,
you have a duck deficiency’, and the same goes for chickens
with pests and weeds.
When designing chickens into your vegie garden, think
about what a chicken’s needs and outputs are. They need
shelter, food, water and company. They provide eggs, fertilis-
er, meat (if you are so inclined) and manure. They are great
at eliminating pests, eating grass and other unwanted weeds,
clearing areas ready for planting, and eating fallen fruit and
spent plants.
So when designing chickens into your vegie garden, think
about how they can do all these things for you, and how you
can give them what they need with minimal effort.

PLACEMENT
Having the chicken house reasonably close to your house
makes it easy to collect their eggs, and to give them your
food scraps each morning. It also means you can hear when
something is wrong. If you have a loud exuberant rooster,
don’t place them too close to bedrooms however.

CHOOK TUNNELS
Encroaching grass and slugs can be a gardener’s worst night-
mare, and trying to keep them at bay is a never ending task.
Surrounding your vegie garden with a chook tunnel allows
the chickens to do the hard work for you, while keeping your
seedlings safe. This way the chickens can forage around the
edges of your garden, creating a weed and pest free barrier
84 to your growing beds.
A chook tunnel doesn’t have to be high to keep them in:
it can be a simple wire tunnel. Make sure you dig it into the
ground at the edges, to keep predators out.
MOVEABLE RUNS
If you want to move the chickens through the garden beds
at the end of the growing season, to clean up any unwanted
bugs and weeds, and to turn the soil, use moveable chook
runs. These can be attached to the permanent run, to allow
chickens access to one bed at a time.
Moveable runs work best when beds are similar in size, and
the run can be moved from one to the other. When you have
finished growing in a bed for the season, place the run over
it, open the gate for the chooks to get in and they can prepare such as wormwood and mugwort are said to help with lice
the bed for the next season. Linda Woodrow, in her book The and ticks. Make sure chickens have shade too. If you have fruit
Permaculture Home Garden (Viking/Penguin 1996), suggests trees within their run, make sure the roots are protected, as
round chook domes over round beds. prolonged exposure of the roots to chooks will be detrimental
to tree health. Plant deciduous climbers to grow over the run,
INPUTS AND OUTPUTS to provide shade in summer and let in the light in winter.
Keeping in mind the inputs and outputs, make life easy for
yourself by having: FREE RANGING
the hose outlet near the chook house for water or, better Depending on the amount of room you have, it is also good to
DESIGN

still, collect water from the chook house roof into a small tank
give chickens space to free range. If they are in the same run
or barrel for a long period there will be few greens or bugs left for them
the household compost bin near the chook house, so that to forage, so it’s important to feed them scraps from the house
you can add soiled straw bedding when you add your food and garden, or to let them out into an open area to free range
scraps, to help balance the carbon to nitrogen ratio on grass and bugs. Your run can have multiple gates allowing
somewhere undercover nearby, to store grains. them access to different parts of the garden.
With the right design, chooks can be an essential part of the 85
USEFUL PLANTS backyard vegie garden, doing the hard work for you and sup-
Place medicinal plants around the outside of the run to allow plying you with many useful products that can help your sys-
chickens to self-medicate when needed; for example, plants tem to thrive.
 KIDS’ PATCH

Thank you to all the parents that sent in photos of their

kids in the garden and with home grown produce. Each
month we publish the best photo in our enewsletter and
we choose the best to appear here and win a prize.
To enter, send photos with name and age of child and
address to maude@pipmagazine.com.au. The winner
will receive the book Rockhopping by Trace Balla and an
original drawing by the author.

WINN
WOLLOENRG: OANNGNIENSWW ALTER, AGE 4,

WORD FIND
FARM FLOWER GARDEN
GINGER HARVEST MULCH
PIP PLANT RAIN
SEED STRAW WATER
CHOOK EGG BOOMERANG

Q. What is worse than finding a grub in

your apricot?
86

A. Finding half a grub!

SEEDBALLS: MUDDY HANDS, HAPPY HEARTS,
LUSH GARDEN
Words and photos by Morag Gamble

Seedballing is a simple and fun thing to do, and an easy way to seed
a garden. Seeds are mixed with clay and compost, and then rolled up
into little balls. The seedballs (sometimes called ‘seed bombs’) are then
dried and tossed out into the garden. They wait there until the rain
comes, when they will sprout and grow. This is a bit like how things
work in nature – seeds fall, rest on the ground and sprout when the
conditions are right. Plants don’t dig their seeds in.
Experiment with different seed mixes – flowers, herbs, salad greens,
beans, bee attractors, wildflowers … the choice is up to you.

HOW TO MAKE SEEDBALLS

1. Find your clay
Dig a few holes to find some clay. You know it’s
clay if it’s sticky when it’s wet, and you can roll it
into a ball or a long sausage. If you can’t find any,
you’ll need to buy some clay powder.

2. Make the seedball mix

5 parts clay soil
1 part compost
1 part seeds.

Our Permaculture Life Add a little water to make the right

consistency to roll balls. (Note: if using
purchased clay which is 100% clay,  add
permaculture • simple Living • nature kids equal quantity of compost: clay.)

Courses with Morag Gamble & Evan Raymond 3. Roll the seedballs
Roll the mix into little balls and make sure the
Our Permaculture Life seeds are protected inside, not showing.

permaculture • simple Living • nature kids 4. Troubleshooting

If the mix is too sticky to make balls, it’s too
Courses with Morag Gamble & Evan Raymond wet – add more clay. If the mix is too crumbly
to make balls, it’s too dry – add more water.
Our Permaculture Life
5. Dry the seedballs
permaculture • simple Living • nature kids Allow the balls to dry for about a day
in the sun, until they’re hard.
Courses with Morag Gamble & Evan Raymond
6. Fling the seedballs
Find a fun way to spread your
seedballs out in the garden –
toss them, throw them, fling
them, slingshot them…
87
7. Watch them grow
our-permaculture-life.blogspot.com For more ideas see Our Permaculture Life at
www.our-permaculture-life.blogspot.com
ethosfoundation.org 07 5494 4833
 SEED BOMB MAKING
W I N R E CYCLED EGG
S G
SEERDTONSR O
BONBEACH PRIMARY SCHOOL GARDEN CA
Words and photos by Jade Kavanagh and Amy Dowling

Bonbeach Primary School is south-east of Melbourne. It’s a

magical place where students, their families and the commu-
nity can connect with nature.
It has taken three years for mums, Jade Kavanagh and Amy
Dowling, and a small army of students to transform a pile of
rubble and a patch of grass into a permaculture-based learn-
ing-garden. The garden is filled with an organic fruit orchard,
native plantings, chicken coop, worm farm, mini food forest,
frog bog, nature play areas and twenty-five vegetable beds –
six of which are now community plots.
A garden club was quickly established, with eager hands
wanting to help transform the garden into a place where
chickens roam, plants self-seed and nature provides a place
for imaginations to go wild.
Wildlife now finds its way in, with blue-tongue lizards,
AMY AND JADE
ducks, frogs, native birds and many a gecko making the gar-
den their home. Bug and bee hotels, made by students, are
scattered around the garden, and natural pest remedies are a
fun part of decorating the garden.
For more information see Growing Green Thumbs at
www.growinggreenthumbs.com.au, and @BPSgreenthumbs
on Instagram www.instagram.com/bpsgreenthumbs or
Facebook.

PLAY AGAKERDYENROLE IN
WORMS HO
OUR SC OL

88

POST
PUMPKINS GROWING FROM COM CATCHING SNAILS WITH
VEGEMITE AND WATER
 COURSE PROVIDERS DIRECTORY
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PERMACULTURE & &
PERMACULTURE
SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY
ACT
CANBERRA PERMACULTURE DESIGN, Canberra,
Intro to Permaculture Principles, Permaculture
Zones, Waterwise Gardening, Making Wicking Pots
& Beds, www.canberrapermaculturedesign.com.au/,
0410 121 272, cally.brennan@gmail.com
PERMACULTURE EXCHANGE, Canberra region,
Intro to Permaculture, PDC, Specialist courses eg.
Farm establishment, homesteading, forest gardens,
www.permacultureexchange.org.au, 0400 165 403,
permacultureexchange@gmail.com
NSW
A GARDEN FOR LIFE, Helensburgh, Garden Design,
www.agardenforlife.com.au, 0404 123 747,
narelle@agardenforlife.com.au
ALLYN RIVER PERMACULTURE, Allynbrook, PDC,
Intro to Permaculture, Soils & Composting, Small
Animals, Gardening Sustainably, Garden to Market,
www allynriverpermaculture.com.au, (02) 4938
9748, info@allynriverpermaculture.com.au
BROGO PERMACULTURE GARDENS, Bermagui,
PDC, Earthworks, www permaculturedesign.com.au,
(02) 6492 7306, brogopg@bigpond.net.au
CAROOLA FARM, Mulloon, Converting to Organic
Production (SCPA Organic Standards),
www caroolafarm.com.au, (02) 4842 1899,
penny@caroolafarm.com.au
CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY, North Wagga
Wagga, Sustainable Agriculture,
www.csu.edu.au/faculty/science/saws,
(02) 6933 2765, gash@csu.edu.au
COFFS REGIONAL COMMUNITY GARDENS,
Coffs Harbour, Meal Planning to Reduce Food Waste,
Insect Reservoirs, Plant Propagation,
www.coffscommunitygardens.org.au,
contact@coffscommuitygardens.org.au
ELEMENTAL PERMACULTURE, Warrawong, PDC,
www.elementalpermaculture.wordpress.com/about,
0424 241 881, elementalpermaculture2012@gmail.com
GARDEN TO TABLE PERMACULTURE, Charlotte
Bay, 3 hrs north of Sydney. PDC, Organic Gardening
& Permaculture Courses, Seasonal Harvest
Lunches, Edible Garden Tours, 0413 769 530, www.
gardentotable.com.au, megan@gardentotable.com.au
HEALTHY HARVEST KITCHEN GARDENS,
Springwood, Organic Gardening,
www healthyharvest.com.au, 0431 383 516,
daniel@healthyharvest.com.au
HUMBLE DESIGNS PERMACULTURE,
Sydney West & Blue Mountains, PDC,
sites.google.com/site/humbledesignspermaculture,
(02) 4575 3235, wheelsdna@hotmail.com
JAMBEROO VALLEY FARM, Jamberoo, Intro to
Permaculture, Social Permaculture, PDC, Soil,
www.jamberoovalleyfarm.com.au, (02) 4236 1505,
tass@jamberoovalleyfarm.com.au
Kimbriki – Eco House & Garden, Kimbriki,
Composting, Worm Farming, Beginners & Advanced
Organic Gardening, No-Dig Gardening, Introduction
to Permaculture (Short & Full Workshops),
www.kimbriki.com, (02) 9486 3512,
kimbriki@kimbriki.com
LAGUNA EARTH HOUSE, Laguna, Earth/Straw
Building, Preserving, Bread Making,
www.facebook.com/lagunaearthhouse,
(02) 4998 8072, lagunaearthhouse@gmail.com
MILKWOOD PERMACULTURE, Sydney, PDC,
Intro to Permaculture, Organic Gardening, Organic
Market Gardening, Natural Beekeeping, Aquaponics,
Mushroom Cultivation, Fermentation,
www.milkwood.net, (02) 5300 4473,
info@milkwood.net
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT CENTRE (CAMPUS
OF TAFE NSW RIVERINA INSTITUTE), Thurgoona,
Cert IV (Design a Permaculture Property), Organic
Farming, nec.riverinainstitute.wikispaces.net,
(02) 6043 6700, susan.brunskill1@det.nsw.edu.au
NATURE CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF NEW
SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA, Sydney, Seed Saving
& Seasonal Planting, www.nature.org.au,
(02) 9516 1488, ncc@nature.org.au
NORTH SYDNEY COUNCIL, Sydney, Sustainable
Investing, Sugarbag Beekeeping, Preserving,
Edible Gardens, www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/
Waste_Environment/Get_Involved_Green_Events/
Green_Events, (02) 9936 8100,
gabrielle.lewis@northsydney.nsw.gov.au
PERMACULTURE COLLEGE AUSTRALIA, Nimbin,
PDC, APT–Cert IV, Diploma. Advanced Courses
- Creative Community Facilitation, Permaculture
Teacher Training & Facilitation, Sustainable Aid for
Permaculture Development Work, Advanced Design
Skills, www.permaculture.com.au,
(02) 6689 1755, admin@permaculture.com.au
PERMACULTURE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
AUSTRALIA, The Channon, PDC, Hand Tools,
Renewable Energy, Permaculture Teacher Training,
Understanding Earthworks, Permaculture Life Skills,
www.permaculturenews.org, (02) 6688 6578,
education@permaculturenews.org
PERMACULTURE SYDNEY INSTITUTE, Sydney,
Intro to Permaculture, PDC, Cider & Wine Making,
Biodynamics, Fruit Tree Pruning, Earthworks &
Water, www.permaculturesydneyinstitute.org, (02)
4568 2036, info@permaculturesydneyinstitute.org
PERMACULTURE SYDNEY NORTH, Lindfield,
Monthly meeting, talks, working bee for
members, courses/workshops/education: Intro
to Permaculture, permaculture garden tours,
mushroom foraging, specialist workshops.
www.permaculturenorth.org.au, (02) 9858 3074,
education@permaculturenorth.org.au
PERMACULTURE SYDNEY SOUTH,
Sydney South, Vertical Gardens, Biochar,
www.permaculturesydneysouth.org.au,
kerrykantadwyer@gmail.com
PERMACULTURE SYDNEY WEST (TOONGABBIE),
Sydney West, Developing Sustainable Balcony
Gardens, www.permaculturesydneywest.com.au,
president@permaculturesydneywest.com.au
PIP MAGAZINE HQ, Pambula, PDC, Natural
Beekeeping, Fermenting, Sourdough Breadmaking,
Organic Gardening, www.pipmagazine.com.au,
0408375991, hello@pipmagazine.com.au
PURPLE PEAR FARM, Anambah, PDC, Intro
to Permaculture, Mandala Gardens, Preserving,
Sourdough, Cheese & Yoghurt, Compost Making,
Biodynamics, Propogation, Worm Farms, Grafting,
www.purplepearfarm.com.au, (02) 4932 0443
ROSNAY ORGANIC VINEYARD AND ORCHARD,
Canowindra, Intro to Permaculture, 1300 767 629,
www.rosnay.com.au, info@rosnay.com.au
SAGE PROJECT, Moruya, Market Gardening, Seed
Saving, Medicinal Gardens, Beekeeping & Hive
Building, Backyard Gardening, Fermenting, Drawing,
www.sageproject.org.au, 0439 032 038,
education@sageproject.org.au
SUSTAINABILITY SYSTEMS & SERVICES, Sydney,
Workplaces, Water and Energy Efficiency, Ethical
Investment, House Design & Construction,
www.sustainabilitysystems.com.au, 0414 385 644,
cameron@sustainabilitysystems.com.au
SYDNEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Sydney,
Permaculture: An Introduction, Beekeeping for
Beginners, www.sydneycommunitycollege.com.au,
(02) 8752 7555, customer.service@scc.nsw.edu.au
SYDNEY ORGANIC GARDENS, Jannali, Organic
Gardening, www.sydneyorganicgardens.com.au,
0416 229 154, info@sydneyorganicgardens.com.au
THE QUIET GARDENER, Sydney, Intro to
Permaculture, www.thequietgardener.com.au,
0412 130 221, craigd@thequietgardener.com.au
THE VEGGIE LADY, Narellan, Backyard Veges,
Sensory Gardens, Healing Gardens, Therapeutic
Horticulture, Organic Gardening, Home Grown
Vegetables & Herbs, Consultations, 0411 579 778,
www.theveggielady.com, toni@theveggielady.com
TRUST NATURE, Byron Bay, Permaculture Soils
& Organic Fertiliser, Living Soils & Composting,
www.trustnature.com.au , 0408 66 2468,
info@trustnature.com.au
YABBA PERMACULTURE, Sydney, Energy,
Intro to Permaculture, www.yabba.com.au,
0421 378 939, mike@yabba.com.au
QLD
ACS DISTANCE EDUCATION, Nerang MDC,
Organic Farming, www.acs.edu.au/default.aspx,
(07) 5562 1088, admin@acs.edu.au
CITYFOOD GROWERS, Samford, Biodynamic
Gardening – Introductory course to biodynamic
gardening principles, www.cityfoodgrowers.com.au,
0401 156 532, peter@cityfoodgrowers.com.au
CRYSTAL WATERS, Conondale, PDC,
www.crystalwaters.org.au, PDC, (07) 5494 4620,
contactbrucegibson@gmail.com
89
HILL TOP FARM COOKTOWN, Cooktown, working
with nature, 4 day ‘Getting to the Heart of
Permaculture Design’ and 2 day ‘Growing healthy
food with less hard yakka’. www.hilltopfarm.
wix.com/beyondsustainability, (07)40695058.
hilltopfarmcooktown@westnet.com.au
 NORTHEY STREET CITY FARM, Windsor,
Intro to Permaculture, PDC, www.nscf.org.au,
(07) 3857 8775, info@nscf.org.au
PERMACULTURE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
SUNSHINE COAST, Kin Kin, PDC, (07) 5485 4664,
www.permaculturesunshinecoast.org,
info@permaculturesunshinecoast.org
PERMACULTURE TOOLS, Indooroopilly,
Permaculture earthworks. Hand tool courses,
www.permaculturetools.com.au,
sales@permaculturetools.com.au
ROBIN CLAYFIELD AND FRIENDS, Maleny,
Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning, Creative
Community Governance & Decision-Making,
Permaculture Meets Creative Design, Permaculture,
Deep Ecology & Earthcare Design, Earth Healing
and Nurturing, www.dynamicgroups.com.au,
(07) 5494 4707, robin@earthcare.com.au
SAVOUR SOIL PERMACULTURE, Laidley, Intro
to Permaculture, Aquaponics, The Art of Balanced
Beekeeping, www.savoursoilpermaculture.com.au,
(07) 5465 1399, savoursoils@hotmail.com
SEED INTERNATIONAL, Harper Creek, Hands on
Permaculture Design, Gardening with Kids,
www.seedinternational.com.au, (07) 5494 4833,
info@seedinternational.com.au
SA
AGARI NATURAL BUILDERS , Adelaide,
3 week strawbale round house with recipricol roof
Contact Adam:  0434 169 349 agarifarm.org,
dani@agarifarm.org
FOOD FOREST, Gawler, PDC, Organic
Vegetables and Poultry, Preserving, Natural
Building, Fruit & Nut Growing (08) 8522 6450,
www.foodforest.com.au, foodforest@bigpond.com
NADJA’S GARDEN, Adelaide, Intro to Permaculture,
Composting, Pruning, Organic Gardening,
www.nadjasgarden.com.au, 0410 636 857,
nadjasgarden@gmail.com
TAS
GOOD LIFE PERMACULTURE, South Hobart,
Holistic Management Decision-Making, Small-
Scale Beekeeping, Real Skills for Growing Food,
Fermentation Fest, Permaculture Design Course
www.goodlifepermaculture.com.au, 0418 307 294,
hello@goodlifepermaculture.com.au
RESEED, Penguin, Various courses,
www. permaculturetas.org/main/locations/reseed-
centre, info@permaculturetas.org
URBAN FARMING TASMANIA, Launceston,
Permaculture Workshops, 1stgaia1@gmail.com
www.urbanfarmingtasmania.org,
VIC
AGARI NATURAL BUILDERS ,
Mornington Peninsula, VIC. 1 week strawbale
wall raising. Contact Adam:  0434 169 349
agarifarm.org, dani@agarifarm.org
BALLARAT PERMACULTURE GUILD, Ballarat,
PDC, Intro to Permaculture, Practical skills (keeping
chickens, grafting, pruning, wicking beds, starting
a vegie garden, greenhouse skills, seedsaving, tool
sharpening, cheesemaking, preserving, fermented
foods, edible weeds, medicinal herbs),
90
www.ballaratpermacultureguild.org, 0488 077 628,
info@ballaratpermacultureguild.org
BULLEEN ART & GARDEN, Bulleen, Ornamental
Edible Garden Design, Preserving, Sowing & Saving
Seeds, Vegie Gardening for Absolute Beginners,
Balcony & Small Space Gardening, Successful
Composting & Worm Farming, www.baag.com.au,
(03) 8850 3030, meiyin@baag.com.au
CASTLEMAINE COMMUNITY HOUSE, Castlemaine,
PDC, Cert III in APT, www.cch.org.au , (03) 5472
4842, education@cch.org.au; reception@cch.org.au
CENTRE FOR ADULT EDUCATION, Melbourne, A
Year in the Garden: Vegetables & Herbs, Backyard
Beekeeping, How to Build a Traditional Wood-fired
Oven, www.cae.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx,
(03) 9652 0611, enquiries@cae.edu.au
CERES INC, Melbourne, PDC, Gardening, Cooking,
Cheesemaking, Craft, www.ceres.org.au,
(03) 9389 0100, ceres@ceres.org.au
CHESTNUT FARM, Ballarat, Forest Garden Design
Intensive, PDC, Intro to Permaculture, Grafting
internship, Permaculture Principles Master Class,
Powering up Your Community Group, Practical Skills.
Individual grafting tuition available,
www.chestnutfarm.net.au, 0409 551 539,
(03) 5331 3110, steve@chestnutfarm.net.au
CULTIVATING COMMUNITY, Richmond, Food Waste
Avoidance & Recycling (composting, worm farms
& bokashi) , www.cultivatingcommunity.org.au,
(03) 9429 3084, info@cultivatingcommunity.org.au
DELICIOUSLY INSPIRING GARDENS (DIG),
Geelong, Organic Gardening & Farming, Livestock,
Chickens, Soil, www.facebook.com/pages/
Deliciously-Inspiring-Gardens, 0423 150 448
ELTHAM WORMS, Melbourne, Composting
& Worm Farming, www.elthamworms.com.au,
(04) 1931 0003, elthamworms@yahoo.com
EMPOWER, Melbourne, Creating & Maintaining
Small Space Gardens, www.facebook.com/
events/1431512460484444, 0401 822 915,
shek@empowerprojects.org
HOLMGREN DESIGN, Hepburn, PDC at Yoga
Ashram, Permaculture Forestry, Advanced Design
Principles, holmgren.com.au, (03) 5348 3636,
info@holmgren.com.au
KINGLAKE RANGES PERMACULTURE, Kinglake,
Seed Saving, Propagation, Managing a Garden:
preparing/storing/trading/marketing the harvest.
Mushrooms, Bees, Livestock, 0430 637 748,
foggyforge@gmail.com; taylor.daryl@yahoo.com.au
LANEWAY LEARNING MELBOURNE, Melbourne,
Gardening & Sustainability,
www.melbourne.lanewaylearning.com,
melbourne@lanewaylearning.com
NORTHERN MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TAFE,
Epping, Information on Organic Agriculture, infohub.
ifoam.bio/en/node, (03) 9269 1042,
marlid-aas@nmit.vic.edu.au
PERMACULTURE SOUTH WEST VICTORIA,
Warrnambool, Permaculture, Home Skills,
Appropriate Technology, Fruit Tree Pruning
& Grafting Workshops, www.facebook.com/
groups/613129832112923,
andrew@wallabygarden.com.au
REGRARIANS, Bendigo East, Regenerative
Agriculture, www.regrarians.org, 0431 444 836
or 0400 840 845, regrarians@gmail.com
RMIT UNIVERSITY, Melbourne, Permaculture &
Sustainable Living, www.rmit.edu.au,
0419 779 886, rick.coleman@rmit.edu.au
TELOPEA MTN PERMACULTURE AND NURSERY,
Monbulk, Advanced Permaculture Skills, Preserving,
Cheese Making, Cider Making, www.petethepermie.
com, 0418 665 880, telopeamtn@bigpond.com
THE PERMA PIXIE, Dandenong Ranges, PDC,
Herbalism, Rewilding & Soil, www.thepermapixie.
com, 0450 375 528, thepermapixie@gmail.com
THE WALLABY’S ROCK GARDEN, Garvoc, Garden
Design, Natural Building, Appropriate Technology,
www.wallabygarden.com.au,
andrew@wallabygarden.com.au
TREAD LIGHTLY PERMACULTURE, Dunnstown,
PDC, CERT III, Intro to Permaculture, Glass House
Design, Compost Loo Construction & Design,
Compost, Mulch, Plant Propogation & Seed Saving,
Beekeeping, www.treadlightlypermaculture.com.au,
0400 261 233, info@treadlightlypermaculture.com.au
VERY EDIBLE GARDENS, Brunswick,
PDC, Biointensive Gardening, Edible Weeds, Rocket
Stoves, www.veryediblegardens.com,
(03) 9005 6070, veg@veryediblegardens.com
WA
AHAM VRITTI HERBAL, Perth, PDC, Organic
Gardening, Creative Facilitation,
www.ahamvrittiherbal.com.au, 0406 449 369,
info@ahamvrittiherbal.com.au
CANDLELIGHT FARM, Perth, PDC, APT,
www.cfpermaculture.com.au, (08) 92951933,
rossmars@waterinstallations.com
FAIR HARVEST, Margaret River, Beekeeping,
Cheesemaking, Introduction to permaculture,
PDC, www.fairharvest.com.au/, (08) 9758 8582,
info@fairharvest.com.au
MERRI BEE ORGANIC FARMACY, Nannup,
Nourishing Soil… regenerating topsoil for a safe
climate, www.facebook.com/merribeenannup,
0478 602 545, beewinfield@westnet.com.au
PERMASEED, Bunbury, Intro to Permaculture,
PDC, Aquaponics, Wicking Beds,
www.facebook.com/peppalucisediblelandscapes,
0427 456 699, georginawarden@bigpond.com.au
TERRA PERMA DESIGN, Perth, PDC, Soil, Edible
Weeds, Food Forests, Watering & Irrigation, Chooks,
Nutrient Cycling, www.terraperma.com.au,
0466 633 275 , info@terraperma.com.au
ONLINE
GEOFF LAWTON, PDC, www.geofflawton.com,
(02) 6688 6578
PERMACULTURE VISIONS, PDC,
www.permaculturevisions.com,
(02) 4228 5774, sampsms@ozemail.com.au,
info@permaculturevisions.com
SPIRAL GARDEN, Hobart, Seedlings Permaculture
for Families e-course, spiralgarden.com.au,
0401 438 668, hello@spiralgarden.com.au
BEEKEEPING
ACT
BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION OF THE ACT – CIT,
SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE, Bruce, Backyard
Beekeeping, www.actbeekeepers.asn.au,
(02) 6282 8112, enquiries@actbeekeepers.asn.au
NSW
BEEKEEPING NATURALLY, Bermagui, Natural
Beekeeping, www.beekeepingnaturally.com.au,
adrian@beekeepingnaturally.com.au
 MILKWOOD PERMACULTURE, Sydney,
Natural Beekeeping, www.milkwood.net,
(02) 5300 4473, info@milkwood.net
NATURAL BEEKEEPING AUSTRALIA,
Sydney & Mudgee, Natural Beekeeping
(in conjunction with Milkwood Farm),
www.naturalbeekeeping.com.au,
tim@malfroysgold.com.au
SAGE PROJECT, Moruya, Beekeeping
& Hive Building, www.sageproject.org.au,
0439 032 038, education@sageproejct.org.au
SYDNEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Sydney,
Beekeeping for Beginners, (02) 8752 7555,
www.sydneycommunitycollege.com.au,
customer.service@scc.nsw.edu.au
THE URBAN BEEKEEPING, Sydney, Beekeeping,
www.theurbanbeehive.com.au, 0411 191 232,
bees@theurbanbeehive.com.au
QLD
SAVOUR SOIL PERMACULTURE, Laidley,
The Art of Balanced Beekeeping,
www.savoursoilpermaculture.com.au,
(07) 5465 1399, savoursoils@hotmail.com
SUGARBAG, Brisbane, Sugarbag Beekeeping,
Stingless Bees, www.sugarbag.net,
04 3441 6053, tim@sugarbag.net
TAS
GOOD LIFE PERMACULTURE, South
Hobart, Small-scale Beekeeping, www.
goodlifepermaculture.com.au, 0418 307 294,
hello@goodlifepermaculture.com.au
VIC
VICHONEY, Upper Beaconsfield, Beekeeping, http://
organichoney.melbourne, anna@vichoney.com.au
THE PRACTICAL BEEKEEPER, Thornbury, History
of Beekeeping, Getting Started with a New Hive,
Extracting Honey, 0418 863 884,
www.thepracticalbeekeeper.com.au,
benedict@thepracticalbeekeeper.com.au
J BEEKEEPING SCHOOL, Diggers Rest,
Beekeeping, www.jbeekeeping.org.au,
secretary@jbeekeeping.org.au
ii
Join us at …
Permaculture
Australia
Support permaculture’s community development
by donating to Permafund
permacultureaustralia.org.au/permafund/
AMAZING BEES, The Basin, One-on-one EARTH BUILDING SOLUTIONS, St Georges
Coaching, www.amazingbees.com.au, Basin, Building with Mudbricks, Making Mudbricks,
0414 558 400, dietmar@amazingbees.com.au Wood-fired Earth Pizza/Bread Ovens, www.
earthbuildingsolutions.com.au, 0408 425 855,
BEC’S BEE HIVE, Kallista & Flemington, Various mail@earthbuildingsolutions.com.au
Beekeeping Workshops, Mentoring, Supplies
& Field Days www.becsbeehive.com.au, LAGUNA EARTH HOUSE, Laguna, Earth/Straw
0409 850 735, bec@becsbeehive.com.au Building, www.facebook.com/lagunaearthhouse,
(02) 4998 8072, lagunaearthhouse@gmail.com
BESWICK BEES, Ringwood East, Beekeeping,
STRAWTEC, Jervis Bay, Strawbale Construction,
beswickbees.com.au, (04) 3305 3358,
www.strawtec.com.au, 0408 415 806,
info@beswickbees.com.au
strawbales@bigpond.com
CENTRE FOR ADULT EDUCATION, Melbourne,
A Year in the Garden: Backyard Beekeeping, SA
www.cae.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx, AGARI NATURAL BUILDERS, Adelaide
(03) 9652 0611, enquiries@cae.edu.au 3 week strawbale round house with recipricol roof
www.agarifarm.org, 0434 169 349
KINGLAKE RANGES PERMACULTURE, Kinglake, dani@agarifarm.org
Bees, 0430 637 748, foggyforge@gmail.com,
taylor.daryl@yahoo.com.au FOOD FOREST, Gawler, PDC, Organic Vegetables
and Poultry, Preserving, Natural Building, Fruit &
MELBOURNE CITY ROOFTOP HONEY
Nut Growing. (08) 8522 6450
Beekeeping, hosting, courses, mentoring & tours
www.foodforest.com.au, foodforest@bigpond.com
www.rooftophoney.com.au
THE PERM-APICULTURE BEEKEEPING VIC
GROUP, Melbourne, Natural Beekeeping, www. AGARI NATURAL BUILDERS, Mornington
naturalbeekeeping.org.au, pcm.apisig@gmail.com peninsula, 1 week strawbale wall raising
www.agarifarm.org, 0434 169 349
TREAD LIGHTLY PERMACULTURE, dani@agarifarm.org
Dunnstown, Beekeeping, 0400 261 233,
www.treadlightlypermaculture.com.au, THE Strawbale HOUSES, Axedale,
info@treadlightlypermaculture.com.au How to Build a Strawbale House,
www.straw-bale-houses.com,
0428 246 868, brian@anvill.com.au
WA
FAIR HARVEST, Margaret River, Beekeeping, THE WALLABY’S ROCK GARDEN, Garvoc,
www.fairharvest.com.au, (08) 9758 8582, Natural Building, Appropriate Technology,
info@fairharvest.com.au www.wallabygarden.com.au,
PHARMCO PTY LTD, Perth, Intro to Beekeeping,
andrew@wallabygarden.com.au
0412 136 945, rob_mckrill@yahoo.com.au
AUSTRALIA WIDE
MUDMOB, Natural Building, Cob Building
NATURAL BUILDING for Animal Shelters, www.mudmob.net,
mudmob@gmail.com
NSW
AREC, Bombira, Sustainable Building,
arec.com.au, (02) 6372 3899, info@arec.com.au
Permaculture Australia
Photo: Emily Gray — big flowers, big ideas. ©Russ Grayson pacific-edge.info
membership brings you…
a subscription to Pip magazine
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Accredited Permaculture Training™ through our website and social network
permacultureaustralia.org.au/apt/ permacultureaustralia.org.au
 COURSE PROVIDERS

Beekeeping
• Beginner Workshops • Bee related products
• Field Days • Bee friendly advice
• Mentoring Programs • Hive fresh Honey
• Beekeeping Supplies • And more…
A variety of workshops are held around Melbourne throughout the year.
Check www.becsbeehive.com.au for updates and further information.
  Beekeeping gear is available to order online and delivered Nationally.

 
Get qualified to do  
what you love!  
 
Accredited Permaculture Training    
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We specialise in promoting local knowledge and experience.

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fairharvest.com.au  |   info@fairharvest.com.au  |   Ph. 08 9758 8582

PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE,

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Graham Brookman and guest presenters at The Food Forest, Gawler,
SA for this intensive, life-changing internationally recognised course.
– Gain practical skills in assessing land
92 – Design sustainable homes, gardens, farms, businesses and communities
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 COURSE PROVIDERS

Earth homes sit beautifully within permaculture gardens and philosophy. We can
help you achieve your dream of building a safe, healthy, comfortable, desirable
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Sydney’s premier 5-star permaculture centre providing a full range of

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Practitioners on the land, in business and their community.
permaculturesydneyinstitute.org
Ph: Penny Pyett 02 4568 2036 | info@permaculturesydneyinstitute.org
Teacher Training, Creative Facilitation & Group Leadership Course
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21 – 26 August 2016 at Crystal Waters Permaculture Eco-Village.
Celebrating over 23 years of Training Permaculture Teachers Globally
Fully catered, 6 day residential. Last one in Australia this year.
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E D U C AT E DESIGN C O N S U LT
93
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 • A copy of Polyfaces – a world of many choices DVD A Film by
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• The book Home Cheese Making in Australia by Valerie Pearson,
OR A FRIEND AND GO INTO Green Living Australia. www.greenlivingaustralia.com.au
• $100 gift voucher from Thunderpants; certified organic cotton
THE DRAW TO WIN THESE women’s, men’s and kid’s clothing made in New Zealand.
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• An Opinel Garden Knife from the Pip shop.
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 THE PIP SHOP
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 CD & BOOK REVIEWS
GROWN & GATHERED: TRADITIONAL
LIVING MADE MODERN
by Matt and Lentil Purbrick (Pan Macmillan 2016).
Review by Robyn Rosenfeldt
This book is a visual feast of grow-
ing, gathering, nurturing, trading and
eating. Lentil and Matt Purbrick take
you on a journey through the sea-
sons, sharing their experience of
returning to nature and the lessons
they have learned.
The ‘Grow’ chapter shows you
how to grow vegetables and fruit in
whatever space you have, using the
most earth-friendly practices. ‘Gath-
er’ explains how to forage for things like mushrooms, native
greens and wild fruits. ‘Nurture’ provides guidance on raising
your own animals, from chickens and bees to cows. ‘Eat’ fea-
tures over 100 delicious, nourishing and creative wholefood
recipes, giving you the skills to eat a natural wholefood diet; it
covers everything from how to prepare and sprout grains in a
traditional way, to making and maintaining a sourdough cul-
ture, and techniques and recipes for preserving and pickling.
The pages are illustrated with stunning photography – you
can almost taste the food and smell the earth. This book will
be the next kitchen-garden bible.
GROW DO IT
by Formidable Vegetable Sound System (2016).
Review by Robyn Rosenfeldt
The latest CD by Charlie Mgee and the
Formidable Vegetable Sound System
is for kids of all ages. It’s beautifully
presented, in a hardcover booklet in-
cluding recipes, activities and tips for
reducing plastic, along with the lyrics
for all the songs.
Although Charlie Mgee claims the basis of his music might
be a bit nerdy – songs about permaculture (in the previous
album Permaculture: a Rhymer’s Manual, 2014) and now
songs about making kimchi and not using plastic – the music
is funky, rockin’ and makes you want to groove.
All the musicians who play on this CD are highly acclaimed
in their own right, and when they come together they create a
tight, highly finished sound that will definitely get you bopping.
This is an album that the whole family can enjoy, and it com-
96 municates some important messages that you’ll find yourself
singing about for days to come.
THE NEW WILD: WHY INVASIVE SPECIES WILL
BE NATURE’S SALVATION
by Fred Pearce (Beacon Press 2015).
Review by Ian Lillington
Fred Pearce has been writing for
New Scientist magazine since 1992,
and uses his skills as an investigative
journalist to ‘cut through the crap’
around invasive species. He says
what many permaculturists have
known for years: that nature does not
go backwards, and that the obsession
with ‘indigenous only’ is an expen-
sive exercise in creating museums of
plants and animals that reflect how
some people think an area might have been before an arbi-
trary date (e.g. 1778 in Australia, or 1491 in North America).
Pearce has observed, over twenty-five years, that nature is
far stronger than we give her credit for. Much of the best res-
toration on the worst damaged land is by introduced plants.
Pearce gives examples from dozens of countries, where those
introduced plants support indigenous species as well as, or
better, than the originals.
The book could be seen as an apology for big business de-
stroying the environment. It is, at least, a respected science
writer showing another side to the story. Although disputed
by some ecologists, Pearce says that modern ecology shows
that there is no one single ideal ‘climax vegetation’. Instead
there are multiple options for complex ecological climax, and
nature is always changing. It’s time to get out of the way and
let nature take its/her course …
THE NEW CREATE AN OASIS WITH GREYWATER:
INTEGRATED DESIGN FOR WATER CONSERVATION
by Art Ludwig (Oasis Design 2015), revised and expanded
sixth edition. Review by Robyn Rosenfeldt
This book describes how to choose,
build, and use a simple greywater sys-
tem – it shows that some can be com-
pleted in an afternoon, for under $50.
Going deeper, it explains how to inte-
grate efficient fixtures, user habits, plant
selection and location, rainwater, grey-
water, and freshwater irrigation for your
soil and site conditions. There are pages
of in-depth instructions and diagrams, about how to design
and create a household greywater system to suit your context.
This sixth edition features a dozen extra pages, complete in-
formation on the laundry to landscape system, extensive revi-
sions to every page, and many new photos and figures.
 STUDY PERMACULTURE
AT CQUNIVERSITY
AVAILABLE IN 2017
CQUniversity Australia’s new
Graduate Certificate in Permaculture
Design is available to study from
Term 1, 2017 – the first of its kind in
Australia.
Benefit from the flexibility to study by
distance education with residential
schools hosted by industry partners
offering practical learning experiences.
For more information visit
www.cqu.edu.au/permaculture
or call 13 27 86.

CRICOS Provider Code: 00219C | RTO Code: 40939 | J_AD_160287