Go Easy
There’s more than one way to shape the land and direct water to your gardens. Most people can’t afford machinery to shape the land and build abundance. So, they usually abandon hope of reshaping their site and work with what is there.
Why bother shaping the landscape?
We can shape the landscape to:
- collect surface water when it rains
- store water in shallow ponds
- provide water for birds, lizards, frogs
- encourage beneficial insects
- improve the soil
- water the plants
- prevent erosion and nutrient loss
What are our no-dig options?
- We can use animals (pigs, chickens, guinea pigs) or
- we can plug up the erosion points and build swales with recycled absorbent material.
- we can encourage the rain water to create channels as it flows
Abundance on a Shoestring
A natural water management system can save you heartache, time and money. Learn how to grow food in a planned landscape. Utilise the different micro-climates. Sculpt the thirsty places and soak up the soppy patches. Mitigate flooding rains and prepare your home for wildfire.
Not all water management systems require pipes, dams, tanks or machinery
. Nor do they require weekends of back-breaking digging, bags of cement, pebbles or terrace bricks.
All Earthworks need a bit of know-how and planning.
With this bit of know-how you can turn you garden into a more resilient and productive space.
With just a home-made ‘A’ frame, simple spirit level, strings, paper and measuring tape you can design and implement a good water management plan.
Sunday Sept 4th 1pm Workshop Program
This workshop includes:
- Functions and benefits of of surface-water management planning
- different options to suit your land slope and soil type
- water behaviour is more than just gravity
- getting the knack of measuring contours
- Making a simple spirit level
- Making an ‘A’ frame
- Identifying points of erosion
- observation and interaction in the landscape
- efficiency and assessment of previous installations
Enjoy learning in our mature permaculture food forest
See our working display of swales (water catchment mounds) and contour-plantings on heavy clay soil. Enjoy learning at Silk Farm – one of Australia’s most beautiful and abundant permaculture gardens.
Get Stuck In
Track the water flow systems and integrated food forest system. Get down and mark out the territory. Construct a no-dig swale and finally, test the water flow.
Make your own model of your site and where you plan the water to go.
You will go home with:
- Your own A Frame
- Skills to measure contours, make swales without digging or power tools
- a water-management plan for your own site in 3D
Make A Mud Pie
This workshop will include handling some bulky materials such as branches, Papier Mâché from recycled cardboard, off-cuts of lumber, compost and mulch.
It is highly likely that you will get dirty in this workshop, please bring gardening gloves, waterproof gloves, hat, safety glasses, safety-boots, an apron or change of clothes.
Adults $30, Bring-A-Friend booking for 2 person = $50 Supervised children free.
Click to book! Sept 9th 2016 4pm
