Marvellous March, Farm Friends!

The excitement never ends here at the Farm! We've got some fresh faces around thanks to our mammoth round of hiring, so a big welcome to all our new friends.

Our education team isn't slowing down anytime soon, with the Earth Kids Autumn Holiday program and our Introduction to Permaculture coming up soon.

Plus, the Nursery is chocka-block full of delicious fruit trees ready to be planted in the mild Autumn warmth, and Gav's been busy in the food forest and has provided some tips on how to deal with weeds, so read on for that!

ADULT EDUCATION SURVEY 

Win a $75 workshop! Survey here.

SHEET MULCHING

HOW TO DEAL WITH WEEDS WITHOUT CHEMICALS

With all the summer heat and rain, superweeds like Dischoriste, Commelina and Callisia have gone full rampant in the Farm's food forests.

With the help of a cracking team of volunteers I've done a massive ground smothering mission using repurposed builder's plastic, old advertising banners and thick layers of cardboard. Held in place with whatever's at hand - old bread baskets, logs, bricks and cut tropical grass thatch. These 'blankets' will be left in place for at least two growing seasons to destroy the weed seed and rhizome bank in the soil. A proven herbicide-free method that's easy to do.

Later in the year my intention is to propagate hundreds of barrier edge plants - lomandra, vetivar, lemongrass, comfrey. When the time is right, around mid 2025, we'll reestablish the a weed barrier edge, and relocate the plastic sheets on an expanding ring to the outer weed patches.

This approach demonstrates the permaculture principles 'Produce no waste', 'Use small and slow solutions', and 'Use edges and value the marginal'.

Cheers

Gav Hardy

EARTH KIDS - AUTUMN SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

9, 10 and 11 April, 9am to 3pm

The autumn school holidays are fast approaching, and with it, our Earth Kids Autumn Holiday program!

The activities include:

℘ Gardening

℘ Bushcraft

℘ Ecoarts

℘ Indigenous understanding

℘ Storytelling and music

℘ Earth connection

Even if you don't have children yourself, we'd love for you to share the following link with friends and family to let them know about the program and its amazing benefits.

Early Bird ticket sales end Sunday the 17th, so get in quick to save.

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.

Autumn in subtropical Queensland offers a golden opportunity for gardeners to cultivate a lush, vibrant garden. Embracing autumn planting (also referred to as a Cool Temperate Summer) can significantly enhance your garden's vitality. 

The season's cooler, more stable temperatures and moist soil conditions are perfect for encouraging deep root growth. This strong foundation is crucial for veggie gardens to thrive, ensuring a bounty of fresh produce through winter. Similarly, planting fruit trees, natives and flowers during this time prepares them for vigorous foliage growth and a spectacular bloom in spring. Plants established in autumn are better equipped to absorb nutrients and water, further boosting their resilience against pests and diseases.

The Nursery has a spectacular range of exotic fruit trees available, including Lychees, Native Currant, Davidson Plum, Rio Grande Cherry, Grumichama, Yellow Sapote and delicious citrus including Mandarins, Oranges and Limes. 

There’s only a few of each so lucky you’re on this ENews - get in quick!

WELCOMES

You might have noticed a few new faces around the Farm lately. We're lucky enough to have some incredible new staff who've come aboard over the last two weeks, so a mass introduction is needed!

Mitch Keys (left/top) is our new Market Coordinator. Mitch has a background in humanities, the social sciences, and creative arts such as video and music production. He loves connecting with others and having a good chat! Mitch has a deep appreciation for Northey Street and is looking forward to contributing to the community.

We also have a new Event Coordinator: Rachel Hurley (centre). Rachel will be working on this year's Winter Solstice Festival and brings an excellent skillset with plenty of event management experience. Rachel currently runs her own landscape/interior design company, and we're thrilled that she has the capacity to work with us.

Another friendly new face is Manuel (right/below), who's our new Farming Coordinator - a role that hasn't been filled in a little while, so we're excited to have him on board! Manuel will be coordinating the market garden and compost hub here at the Farm. He comes with wealth of experience in coordinating horticulture and conservation projects and is passionate about organic practice.

And finally, we have a couple of new Youth Educators (not pictured) who've come aboard - Jenni and Ari! They've each volunteered on Earth Kids before and have some amazing experience in education and permaculture.

A huge welcome to all our new staff! We're so excited to have you as part of our community. Thank you for choosing us.

FREE TALK AT THE FARM

COMMUNITY COMPOSTING, HERE AND ABROAD

Come along to find out more about community composting both in Australia, as well as overseas. Community composting has the potential to help address many of modern societies' big issues including climate change, soil degradation, social isolation and the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

Tickets are free but spaces are limited, so please book in to avoid missing out!

The focus at Earth Arts this month is mould-making and cottage industry.

And Bob has asked that if, when digging in your garden, you find some colourful clay, please bring some in! We can use it for painting, pottery, and moulding.

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.

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