Edible Forest Gardens talk with Dave Jacke

Edible forest gardener and permaculturalist, Dave Jacke, came to Daylesford during the week for a brief talk while touring the country giving workshops on temperate climate food forestry. Excerpts from Dave's talk follows...

January working bee, picnic and Boite Singers' Festival

We had a day of diverse activities in our little town today including our regular monthly working bee and Harvest Swapmeet, a community picnic and a forum on permaculture. But first, the working bee and harvest swapmeet:

As part of the 22nd Boite Singers' Festival, Timor Leste singer-songwriter and permaculturalist Ego Lemos performed with his band before joining a local panel, including permaculture co-originator David Holmgren and community gardener Patrick Jones, to discuss permaculture activism, community gardens and global crises ordained by late industrialism:

Patrick presented his take on the communal establishment of Daylesford Community Food Gardens, guerilla style, by giving a live read to his film Gardens of Love.

First design session Rea Lands Park, Daylesford

As we can only garden at the Albert Street garden temporarily, we have started to look for a permanent site, working with council sustainabilty officer Jill Berry and infrastructure manager Peter Reeve.

We had a good scout through the town of Daylesford looking at available sites for permanent food production. We found Rea Lands Park. Perfect site. Deep volcanic soils, North facing, protected from the south, and a site gifted by a Daylesford elder to the community in the eighties for community use.

Here is a topographical map obtained from council that Patrick Jones has added to, drawing up the suggestions made by David Holmgren and the community after the first design session.

Click for bigger.

A second celebration

National Permaculture Day celebrations at the Daylesford Community Food Garden in Albert Street (next to the library).

This event was hosted by Daylesford Community Food Gardeners (DCFG) and Hepburn Relocalisation Network (HRN).

Thanks to our friends SHARE (Sustainable Hepburn Association), Daylesford CFA, Hepburn Council and local residents for their support!