Happy National Permaculture Day!

Hurrah! Today is National Permaculture Day meaning lots of permaculture events and permaculture gardens are open around Australia for us to poke around in and get inspiration from.

This morning I went to help set up an amazingly productive garden in a normal suburban block sized home (Ashburton in Victoria). Petra has an astounding number of fruit, vegetables, nuts...rare and interesting types some like strawberry spinach that I've never even seen before! The entire space was used. Sadly I didn't take many photos, got too caught up getting busy and getting ready. I did take a photo of her avocado tree for anyone who doubts avocados can grow down here...look at her tree! It was laden with avocados.

Also made me rethink passionfruit in my shady garden, hers is growing in a relatively shady spot but it is HUGE look at it and it was covered in passionfruit even down the bottom where it gets no direct sunlight.

Back in my backyard...I planted a white sapote that I picked up from Diggers yesterday, I hope to look back on it in a year's time and remark that it has grown because right now it is so tiny!

The babaco I planted this year has grown a little bit and looks like it's producing tiny babaco fruitalready! Look closely, they are there! Shame the winter is almost upon us and it'll die back...

A much much younger babaco I picked up from Petra's garden today planted here too, hope it survives. Babaco cannot be grown from seed, only from suckers. I also planted alpine strawberries I got from Petra:

Don't know how I missed it but the cape gooseberry also planted very late this year has produced a few fruit:

Pomegranate is also very new and just flowering now:

Our chilli plant is so generous just keeps on going and keeps on giving:

Starting to get sugar snap peas:

I'm so excited that the covered seed beds are working! Can you see the spinach sprouting inside them (next to the pot of garlic)? It's keeping the chickens OUT hooray!

Speaking of chickens, Astrid is back outside roaming with the flock today although I'll bring her inside again shortly. Poor Astrid. She looks mighty uncomfortable with me shoving that huge tablet down her beak but she still came and sat on my lap afterwards for a cuddle. And here I am, a large human with the inability to swallow a panadol let alone a vitamin tablet (just thinking about it makes me gag).

I opened the gate to the area where the water tank is kept because I'm too lazy to weed it - I'm getting the chooks to do it for me and they are so delighted to find a new area to forage in. See that open gate behind the almond in the wine barrel? That door is usually closed.

Astrid joined in the scratching with gusto so she's obviously feeling much better even if she still can't see out of one eye:

Hope you've been able to make it to see a permaculture garden today!