Tuesday 19 December 2017

The Guardian: Using food forests to prevent floods and hunger

Permaculture in Malawi: using food forests to prevent floods and hunger

   Read original story

"Permaculture projects in Malawi are developing sustainable food systems. It is time the development sector took this ‘marginal hippy movement’ seriously."

"Forests regulate water flow and protect topsoil. Restore the forests and you will go a long way to preventing flooding. Design the forests along holistic permaculture principles and you will achieve much more: water harvesting, fuel wood, high-quality timber, indigenous forest restoration and highly diverse food production. In a country where almost half the children under five are malnourished and chronic hunger is common, any holistic solution must consider food sovereignty."  

Monday 18 December 2017

Phil Dudman spoke on Pruning and Propagating Fruit Trees at The Fernmount Food Forest

Phil Dudman presented on a large screen TV

Twenty Bellingen Seedsavers had an excellent guest speaker experience when Phil Dudman (writer and presenter from the Organic Garden and ABC Garden Show) visited the Fernmount Food Forest to speak on Fruit Tree Pruning, propagating fruit trees, and much more.


Thursday 7 December 2017

Very early Summer in the Fernmount Food Forest

A wander in the Fernmount Food Forest at present is refreshing. We have had some good falls of rain and the weather is regularly between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius.


Cranberry Hibiscus
 The Cranberry Hibiscus is putting out new growth. In very wet weather a pruning cut will quickly turn rotten. Some complain that this plant seeds wildly, but not here. Only a few seedlings pop up close by and they are welcome. The raw leaves add a lemon taste to salads. This plant can grow to three metres tall in our food forest.


Wednesday 8 November 2017

Fruiting and flowering in a late Spring (November) garden on mid north coast NSW

The ten year old purpose built house is designed for comfort, space and to save energy wherever possible. It has 2.5kw of solar power facing north and is fully insulated.


Planting at the front gate in Spring (Furcrea, Pentstemon and Bismarck Palm)

The rooms are spacious with high ceilings. The three bedrooms are roomy. Each room has a garden outlook and privacy. The large master bedroom has an ensuite and walk in robe and opens on to the north facing terrace.

The Music Room provides a nook to escape from the Family Room.

A hot water pump circulates hot water to the taps with the push of a button saving on cold water. An instant hot water tap save energy, no kettles are needed. A filtered water tap is situated alongside.

Although the house is connected to the mains water supply a 25000 litre tank collects rain water for the garden taps, the laundry and toilets.

A worm farm sewerage system deals with all black and grey water and pumps water to a thrid of the orchard.






View from the front entrance
View from the front entrance
Across the quiet rural road Fernmount Cemetery is rarely used.


Brunsfeldsia near the spa (under sail) on western terrace.



Walking iris and pool garden below spa terrace



The huge hardwood back western facing deck has blinds.



There is space for a plant nursery and worm farm under the excavated corner of the house.



Steps lead up from the main path, past raised vegetable beds (right) to the north facing terrace.



North facing terrace


North facing lawn with main bedroom window






Front entrance with extra large double garage on left

Front entrance with coreopsis in gravel garden

Music room looking to the north terrace and dining room


Family Room looking to the back deck


Spa and back deck

Bedroom 2



Phil Dudman presented on a large screen TV
Twenty Bellingen Seedsavers had an excellent guest speaker experience when  Phil Dudman (writer and presenter from the Organic Garden and ABC Garden Show) visited the Fernmount Food Forest to speak on Fruit Tree Pruning, propagating and much more.

Saturday 16 September 2017

Early Spring in the Fernmount Food Forest




We need to clear under these trees so that the falling Macadamia Nuts are easily visible. I have made a start by clearing the Pepinos also a useful fruit that flourishes here in our wetter months. So far we have no diseases or major pests attacking the trees. Let's hope the Cockatoos don't find them.


 This pink flowering Macadamia looks to produce a great crop. 'There are two varieties of Macadamia, M. tetraphylla with pale pink flowers, and M. integrifolia with cream flowers.'

Thursday 13 July 2017

Choko or Chayote? - An unappreciated vegetable or fruit?

Chokoes or Chayotes (Sechium edule) grow so easily in our subtropical/warm temperate climate and like many plants that grow easily and fruit prolifically we tend to overlook them as valuable sources of food.

Sunday 25 June 2017

A Winter Solstice Stroll in the Fernmount Food Forest

It is always cheering to suddenly finding an unexpected harvest. 


Last week's rain plumped up some Cherry Guavas. I wasn't expecting this harvest for a while.  I allow a few self-seeded bushes to thrive because they tend to fruit at slightly different times, probably depending on location but perhaps because of genetics.

Selfseeded White Guava
Self seeded White Guava

This White Guava has a slight lemony flavour. 


Friday 2 June 2017

Have you tried Jicama aka Yam Bean?

Yam Bean (Jicama) has a delicious and useful tuber that flourishes in our climate zone.  Its crisp white flesh can be used in stir-fries or as a Crudité. Always skin the root.

This plant is easy to grow and self-seeds easily if the pods are allowed to stay on the vine. Prune your bean pods and increase your crop. We don't bother and there is always plenty of yams underneath our Macadamias.

Note: Its seeds are poisonous containing rotenone so only eat the skinned tubers.

AA
Yam Bean (Jicama) has a poisonous seed and seed pod

Monday 29 May 2017

Ornamentals in our Fernmount Food Forest

Ornamentals ensure the Fernmount Food Forest is not just an unattractive, utilitarian source of food.
Of course many food producing plants are also ornamental and many plants we consider only as ornamentals are also edible. Ornamentals also attract bees and other beneficial insects and of course many birds, especially small insect eaters. There is no reason that a food producing garden can't also be attractive and a delight to explore.

In our climate foliage provides much colour so gold, yellow, orange, copper, silver and bronze foliage plants feature. The advantage is that foliage colour is so easy to provide compared to the work and time required to grow annual flowers. Trees and bushes also contribute many flowers and contrasting leaf shapes also contribute to visual interest.



Large Bromeliad
This Bromeliad looks green now but will turn gold again once gradually exposed to more sun.

Sunday 28 May 2017

How the Fernmount Food Forest Developed




This path, seen here in the morning mist, was the first piece of infrastructure placed on the block. The edges required a concreted gutter to prevent road wash-outs, we had two, from heavy rainfalls. An Eastern low can dump 46mm in an hour.