Funky February, Farm Friends,

Our first full ENews is back for 2024!

There's plenty in the works already for this year, from our Permaculture Design Course, to school tours, and professional development workshops for educators.

Gav's even thrown us another plant quiz, and the Nursery staff have shared some vital info on how to grow a bumper fruit crop!

Be sure to check out our current job openings too! Applications close soon, so get in and apply, or send to friends/family who might be suitable for the roles.

NAME THAT FRUIT
Gav's been busy harvesting from the trees in the orchard and food forests around the Farm! 

Can you identify all the produce pictured below? Answers will be at the end of the email under the Get Involved segment!

(Note: You may need to click 'View entire message' to see the bottom of the email).

ADULT EDUCATION SURVEY 

Win a $75 workshop! Survey here.

FARM EXCURSIONS

Did you know we offer tours for school groups from prep to year 12, catered to their current learnings?

One of our most popular school tours is our Biomes and Food Security Tour, where Year 9 Geography classes come and get firsthand experience of the ways permaculture can contribute to food security on a local level, and learn about how it can be applied in any context and biome around the world.

Activities can be catered to your needs, and might include composting, learning about chickens and bees, harvesting and tasting fresh food from the garden to make salads, or planting seeds and propagating edible plants.

For more information and bookings, visit www.nscf.org.au/home/learn/youth-education/school-activities/

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

We also have two professional development workshops for teachers be held this year, 'Successful School Gardening' and 'Outdoor Learning and the Curriculum'. Find out more here.

POLLINATION TO INCREASE FRUIT PRODUCTION

As a general rule of thumb, the more of a type of tree you have, the better your fruiting will be, as there's more opportunity for pollination. However, some plants may need some extra help, while others are perfectly happy to fruit solo.

For example, avocados need an A and B variety to pollinate fully and fruit prolifically. An A variety would be a Hass, while a B is a Shepard. This is because the male and female flowers on the one variety open at different times of the day, so by having two varieties, there's a better chance of the male and female flowers being open at similar times to allow for pollination. 

On the other hand, some plants, like pawpaw, are bisexual, meaning they have both male and female flowers on them that open at roughly the same times, so they can self-pollinate! So you only really need one pawpaw tree to get a good crop of fruit.

And don't forget to plant plenty of pollinator-attracting flowers. More pollinators = more pollination = more fruit!

JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT THE FARM

We've got some exciting roles available for the right candidates! We're looking to fill the following roles:

MARKET COORDINATOR

FARMING COORDINATOR

EVENT COORDINATOR

YOUTH EDUCATOR 

Please be sure to add a cover letter addressing each of the selection criteria individually, alongside your resume.

LOOKING FOR: WHIPPER SNIPPER

Our awesome Site Coordinator, Neale, is chasing a 4-stroke (preferably commercial) whipper snipper for the Farm to use to tidy up our edges!

If you've got a spare one you can donate or sell at a reasonable price, please email us at info@nscf.org.au.

FREE PRESENTATION

Community Composting, Here and Abroad

Come along to this free presentation to find out more about community composting both in Australia, as well as overseas. 

Sunday 24^th March, 9.30 - 11am

https://events.humanitix.com/community-composting-here-and-abroad-free-presentation

Earth Arts is a FREE playgroup that runs at the Farm from 9am on Tuesdays and Fridays, and 6am Sundays. Children and adults alike can experience clay making, creative writing, music, painting, and more!

For more information, visit our website here.

Bob is now also offering adult Earth Arts sessions for educators looking to incorporate natural artistic expression into their teaching. These run on Wednesdays from 9:30am.

BECOME A FARM MEMBER

DONATE

PAY-IT FORWARD PLANT PROGRAM

VOLUNTEER WITH US

NAME THAT FRUIT ANSWERS:

Image 1: Pecan and Macadamia nuts

Image 2: Casimora (white sapote), Carambola (star fruit), and Wax Jambu