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DAY 0: Getting to Permaculture Design Certificate Course 2010 with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton

Slow Travel by CountryLink

The day has finally arrived for the 2010 Permaculture Design Course with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton. What lied ahead was a journey from Sydney to Melbourne to meet and learn from these two extraordinary Permaculture teachers. I suppose the natural thing would have been to travel by plane, but I chose the “slow travel” instead and opted for a train.

And so, at 7:30 am I boarded a CountryLink train and we were off.

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What to Plant in September: 59 Spring Vegetables to Plant Now in Sydney (Temperate zone)

September is a big planting month around here, so let’s get right into what to plant in September in Sydney. Here is a whopping list of 59 spring vegetables, herbs and flowers to plant right now.

1. Amaranth

amaranth (194/365)
amaranth (194/365) by jenni ripley

Where: sow in garden after risk of frost has gone
Harvest: from January

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Food Get Inspired Get Started Kitchen Gardens Plants Stories Sydney Local

Photographs and Stories From Two Sydney Community Gardens

sydney community gardens
Newtown Community Garden

I woke up on Saturday morning to the sounds of howling wind and rain. I though, “Oh man, this is the day we are visiting Sydney gardens!” I was tempted to crawl back under the warm blankets, but to my surprise the day turned out to be very mild, and even cozy.

On Saturday, September 4 2010, few gardeners from Glebe Community Gardens (including myself) visited two fellow Sydney Community Gardens in an effort to research their methods and understand what successes can be applied at our garden.

Angel Street Permaculture Garden and Newtown Community Garden are a mere 10-minute walk away from each other, but they could not be more different (described below) in their approaches to community gardening. Both are successful and productive, and both have lot’s to teach us about community and abundance.

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Five Ways to Beautiful and Productive Balcony Gardens

Rastafarian Balcony Garden - Jamacian radio station
Rastafarian Balcony Garden – Jamacian radio station by cecilia macaulay

Like millions of people, I live in a city apartment with limited access to land. Fortunately, like millions of people again, I have an outdoor balcony, and it’s a growing opportunity not to be missed.

This weekend I really took the time to clean my balcony, take stock of what pots I have, and decide what I want to grow this summer. My main objective is to produce the most food possible, but also to create a beautiful sanctuary, where I can enjoy my morning tea or read a book.

I wanted some inspiration for this project, so I went looking around the web for ideas on how other people created their balcony getaways. Here you go, a gallery of beautiful and inspiring balcony gardens we can learn from.

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Food Galleries Get Inspired Get Started Kitchen Gardens Plants Sydney Local

What to plant in August around Sydney (temperate zone)

August is the time to bring out seed catalogues and start to envision what the garden will look like in the summer. Exciting! This year I am ordering my seeds and seedlings from Diggers, and I would highly recommend it to those looking for quality organic and heirloom seeds. Give your garden a strong and natural start!

On to the planting/planning list, graciously provided by Gardenate.

1. Asparagus

Asparagus
Asparagus by Bianca

Where: sow in garden, or plant as crowns; frost tender
Harvest: from 24 months (!!!)