We certainly have been bouncing back over the last few weeks, and we hope that you are doing well and recovering from any flood, health, or other life events which may have impacted you recently.

We are immensely grateful to everyone who has rallied around the Farm with monetary and other donations.  And volunteers, we can't speak highly enough of those who showed up and helped with the immediate clean up.  There's still quite a bit to do and more on that below.

It's Mothers Day on Sunday 8 May, so it's a great time to shop at City Farm Nursery for living flowers or the Market for a whole range of interesting goodies.

BIG news is that the Cafe is reopening this coming Sunday.

Preparation is well underway for the Winter Solstice which is going to knock your snuggly winter socks off this year.

The Homeschool Earth Kids program starts next week and a heads up that ticket sales close on Sunday 8 May.  There's a great Outdoor Learning opportunity coming up for educators too.

Check out what else is on and read about one special young fundraiser below.

Thank you for supporting Northey Street City Farm.

Elaine and the Yoke Kitchen crew are back this Sunday for Mother's Day!  Bring mum, grandma, and the whole family to the Chai Cafe for a delicious and nutritious organic breakfast, paired with Elaine's famous warming hand made spiced chai.

There's something for everyone at the Sunday markets.  The kids love the Earth Arts stall and that free nature connection play on the green.  Mum will love the great gifts on offer, from living plants, and natural hand lotions, to ethical fashion.  While Grandpa will enjoy an organic breakfast and coffee while sitting in the dappled sun under the shady fig trees.

The atmosphere at our markets is delightful and a great way for the family to enjoy Mother's Day.

When the most important mother is mother earth, the atmosphere of our organic farmers' markets set in a community garden, with bird song and nature abounding, is a delightful place to spend quality time with your family.  See if the kids can find the green tree frogs in the nursery ponds!

See you this Mother's Day and every Sunday in May for ethical shopping and nature connection.

Management Committee

Farewell Pia - we will miss you. 

The Management Committee and Farm community wish to thank Pia Wrafter for her valuable contributions as an MC member and MC secretary.  Pia has also been a volunteer with the tree team and was a valuable part of the Australasian Permaculture Convergence in 2021.  Pia has been snaffled up by CERES in Melbourne and we all wish her well with this exciting new chapter.  They are blessed to have her on their team with her skillfulness and warm nature.  She will be hard to replace.

We welcome any current Farm member who would be able to fill in till the end of the year.  Or maybe you have a friend that may find the experience rewarding.  

Please contact us to find out more: info@nscf.org.au.

Have you visited the Nursery lately?  We're back up and running with all the quality plants and products you've come to expect from us which will support your garden to flourish. 

This week we've especially selected a range of plants you can gift to Mum on Mother's Day.  Emma, Roberta, and Lizzie offer their expertise to help you make your best garden design, plant selection, pest control & soil nutrition decisions: because we're all committed to growing a community of successful gardeners.

We've felt such a lift from the energy you've all put into getting us back on our feet after the flood and the appreciation you've shown for what we do, that we want to expand what we do & can give back to you all.  We'd love to bring you more of those hard to find, easy to grow, subtropical, useful permaculture plants to add to your productive gardens!  We love yacon, jicama, pandan, cassava, taro, pigeon pea, jerusalem artichoke, vetiver grass, mushroom plant, turmeric, galangal, tulsi, neem, moringa, radium weed & so many more delightful plants we can't buy in for you but need help to propagate.

Do you have some spare time on Wednesdays, want to learn some tricks of the trade for successful propagation techniques, or want to learn more about different unusual edible/useful subtropical plant crops?   You might be just what we're looking for to put together our new Nursery propagation crew!  Work alongside other like minded folk to increase the biodiversity of our suburbs & make more of these precious plants available throughout our community. 

Contact belinda@nscf.org.au with your phone number if you're interested in joining in with us to make this happen.

People around the earth have celebrated the Winter Solstice as an astronomical event, marking the longest night of the year, since ancient times. Our Winter Solstice Festival invites the Brisbane community to celebrate our relationship with Nature, to listen to First Nations knowledge, attend permaculture and sustainable living talks, appreciate local music and multicultural performances, and be a part of a ceremony that models setting intentions for the new year, as the new sun cycle sees the days get longer.

We are very excited about this year’s program with Malyangapa, Barkindji woman and hip-hop artist Baarka, as the headline act.  Bruce Pascoe, Mary Graham, Ross Williams, and Jacob Birch will also share their perspectives on food and agriculture within Indigenous knowledge systems.

There will be a host of talks around the themes of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share and loads of arts activities from Twirling Workshops, Lantern Making, and Origami Stringing. Nana Magic, Tilly and Friends will take the under 8’s on an unforgettable outback adventure, learning very important environmental lessons along the way.  Our Solstice Ceremony, Lantern Parade, and Bonfire will kick off after sunset, so the kids can join in the fun. Afterwards you may enjoy a tea ceremony.

The Organic Markets will provide incredible organic food and stallholders who sell unique hand made ethical gifts and products to support sustainable lifestyles.

As a not-for-profit organisation and charity, all the funds raised on the night go back into the Farm and support us to run permaculture education and events for free.  We will have a raffle on the night, a food stall, and a fundraising Jungle Bar so you can enjoy an evening ale with your organic meal.

To find out about our incredible program and secure your tickets CLICK HERE.

FEATURED WORKSHOP

Get hands-on building a self-contained wicking planter full of seasonal plants.

Wicking beds are a smart way to water plants from below, providing consistent damp conditions.

These self-watering systems allow water stored in the base to ‘wick’ up through the soil. Having water readily available at the roots helps healthy plant growth and reduces mildew or fungal problems.

In this workshop, you will be shown how to build your own wicking bed.

What you’ll learn:

• how to build your own wicking planters

• essentials for organic container growing

• tips for edible gardening

Tickets can be purchased here.

The next Permaculture Design Course commencing in August, is now open for bookings.  The PDC always fills up very quickly so don't delay securing your spot.  Details and bookings here.

Learn practical skills and how to live sustainably by attending our half day / full day / weekend workshops.

NB: onsite workshops will observe social distancing requirements.

Youth Education

Call out for book donations

Sadly we lost some of our Earth Kids books in the flood. We are especially keen to stock back up on Australian Field Guides like ‘Wildlife of Greater Brisbane’; ‘Wild Plants of Greater Brisbane’; ‘Mangroves to Mountains’; ‘Spiders of Australia’ and ‘Tracks, Scats, and other Traces’.

Please contact Emma at education@nscf.org.au if you have books you’d like to donate.

Earth Kids

The term 2 Homeschool Program is running on Wednesday mornings from 11 May to 15 June.  Several casual places are available each week as well as full program tickets.  We are excited to have Bruce from Murri Tukka joining us to share his knowledge about native foods on 25 May. Tickets close this Sunday, 8 May.

Tickets are available here.

Bookings are open for the Winter Earth Kids School Holiday Program. Earlybird tickets are available until 12 June.

Tickets are available here

There are two parent volunteer places available, with discounted tickets for their children. Part-scholarship places are also available for parents holding Health Care Cards.  Contact Emma at education@nscf.org.au if you are interested in these options.

Teacher Professional Development workshops

Outdoor Learning and the Curriculum: A Professional Development Workshop for Educators

Saturday 21 May, 9am – 4pm

with Emma Brindal and Bethan Burton

This practical workshop draws on place-responsive pedagogies and nature connection practices which connect students to place and foster a care of the natural world.

More information and tickets here.

Successful School Gardening: A Professional Development Workshop for Teachers and School Community Members

Saturday, 6 August, 9am to 4pm

with Jenny Kato and Emma Brindal

This workshop will introduce the practicalities of establishing and maintaining a school garden using permaculture practices and principles and how this can be linked to the curriculum.

More information and tickets are here.

Tours and School Visits

We are taking bookings for tours and school visits for 2022. As bookings are not paid for until after each visit, there is no financial commitment to make a tentative booking.

For more information and bookings for school visits, click HERE

For more information and bookings for group tours, click HERE

We run free farm tours on Tuesday mornings for groups of 4 to 8 by arrangement only. This is a great way to learn more about Northey Street City Farm. Please contact Ronni: educationandsupport.mgr@nscf.org.au if you would like to arrange a guided tour.

We also have a free farm tour for individuals on the first Tuesday of each month. Please arrive by 9:30 am at Chai Cafe to meet your tour guide.

FARM MEMBERSHIP

Did you know you can get a 10% discount at our Nursery by becoming a member of our Farm?   We love to see people supporting the Farm by becoming members. You can become a member via our website, at the Nursery, or by contacting the Office on 07 3857 8775 or at info@nscf.org.au.

FARM DONATIONS 

The Farm does not rely on Government Funding for its operations. We operate as a social enterprise running the City Farm Nursery, Sunday Organic Farmers Market, and Permaculture Education.  We appreciate the financial support of our community, if you are able please donate by visiting our website.  

We also have an Australian First Nations Scholarship Fund and if you wish to donate to this please donate HERE and then contact Adnan, E: finance@nscf.org.au to confirm this is where you would like your donation to go.

As a not for profit charity, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Pay-It-Forward plant program.  Donate any amount to this program to add to the collection of native plants we will donate to First Nations groups on your behalf.

VOLUNTEERS

You can get involved with our vibrant Farm community by becoming a volunteer.  Volunteer areas include farming, nursery, construction, and kitchen.  We also occasionally need people with professional or trade skills (even off-site help, if you can’t get to the farm): building, electrical, plumbing, welding, accounting, legal, to name a few.

Expressions of interest can be sent to: info@nscf.org.au

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