Two days ago Dan and Will returned to a large VEG permaculture design and implementation project that was completed about five months ago. Take a walk about the front yard then the back yard, warts, ducks, giant silver beet, gorgeous connected multidimensional abundance and all!
We recently compiled some photos of our recent projects into a bit of a portfolio. It's a big PDF file (37.8 megs!) so be warned, but you are most welcome to download it and check it out - just click on the image below.
During a hard day's work at the VEG warehouse, creating VEG beds, chook houses, and the like, we've learned it's important to stop for a nice healthy lunch. Yesterday Carey, Felipe and Dan did just that, enjoying a hearty casserole with veggies from Dan's garden.
Over the last few weeks VEG has been lucky enough to install the new Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden at Auburn South Primary school in Hawthorn South. Phase one includes twelve large roughsawn cypress VEG beds and four long beds in which fruit trees will grow up over arches. The original design was done by Paul Bangay, and with a little fine tuning to fit the sloping site and the little arms that will be reaching into the beds, it has come up beautifully! Some of the next phases will include more veggie beds, a chook system, compost bays and a few other bits and pieces. Deb is the name of the garden coordinator, and with her at the helm - look out! Deb has been at Weedon Heights Primary for a while, and if her work there is anything to go by, Auburn South will be taking some great strides towards leading the way in sustainability, food production and generally greening up. We've really enjoyed assisting with the design and implementation of edible gardens in schools lately (Some recent ones being Carrum Primary, Williamstown North Primary, Weedon Heights Primary, and Auburn South Primary), to the point where we think we'll make it a focus. It is so satisfying putting in a garden that hundreds, indeed thousands of different people will enjoy over the years. If you are a primary school needing some help with the edible garden design - please get in touch!
In June 2011, Yarra City
Council adopted Urban Agriculture Guidelines to help local residents grow food
in public spaces. These guidelines provide a structured process for the
development of community gardens, streetscape planter boxes, nature strip
plantings, and productive tree plantings. The Guidelines seek to make
Yarra a healthy, sustainable, and delicious community for all people.
Since their establishment,
Council has been actively engaging with residents and community groups to
explore the potential for appropriate community-based food production
throughout the municipality. But urban agriculture can’t
happen without you, so we need local residents to get growing in public
spaces and help create a vibrant and engaging food-growing culture
throughout the neighbourhoods of Yarra.
This is the third big bunch of bananas harvested in the last 12 months from Adam and Annie's garden in Brunswick! How do they taste? Wonderfully sweet and tangy and possibly the best bananas we have ever eaten! The variety is Ducasse, AKA the sugar banana. Watch as Adam almost drops them... (Oh for those that don't know it, the reference in title of this article is explained here.)
The VEG team spent an amazing Melbourne four seasons in one day weekend
at the Sustainable Living Festival at Federation Square on Feb 17-19, setting up a garden with Pete the Permie. It was here in 2009 that we officially launched VEG! Why does it feel like a lifetime ago?
The festival garden had a few new pieces in the show case, a
big gorgeous golden VEG duck pond. We also had the premiere
VEG Bee Hive on site too, this baby is still being refined but keep an
eye out for them on the website soon if you are keen to keep bees! As
usual we also took along our VEG topself beds. Dan
and Adam held some great talks on all things permaculture and chook,
that were recieved with many a compliment.
As a rule we like to make each trip in the VEG ute count, but on Sunday evening, having packed up after a wonderful 2012 Sustainable Living Festival, we set a record. We'd set up a demo garden including a duck pond, chook house, four different VEG beds (one mounted on a cargo bike!), a chook tractor, a bee hive, many plants, about six bales of lucerne, some banners etc etc. It was a bit of a logistical challenge but we got there and got home in one piece. Here's a photo followed by one of Adam delivering a talk on edible garden design in the "under the gum" talk tent, our stall, Dan talking chooks in the garden, a visit from the lovely Tony from the permaculture beekeeping group, and some lovely comments folk sent through after coming along to our talks.
Some Lovely Feedback - Thanks All!
"Hi Guys,
My partner and I drove from Adelaide for the SLF over the weekend - we
attended quite a few of the workshops and presentations and can safely
conclude that your guys ROCK!!
You have knowledge and passion in abundance and both of you know how to pass that on in a light hearted way.
Well done" -- Shayne and Jennie
"Thank you for the abundance of information you provided in the talks you gave.
I honor the work you an your team do in offering simple workable solutions to add value to our earth and people's daily living.
In appreciation," -- Lauren
We're going to be at Sustainable Living Festival at Federation Square in Melbourne this Friday, Saturday and Sunday Feb 17-19.
We're setting up a garden, with the latest VEG team members, our new ornamental ducks and chickens! We'll be holding workshops, giving away VEG vegetable beds and generally just trying to be excellent. Come say hi and take in the sustainable ideas all around.
In the garden space down on Birrarung Marr we're doing daily workshops along with Pete the Permie (see timetable to the left) and we've also got this talk on in the tents:
Also, on Saturday tune in to 3CR community radio on 855 on the AM dial for a live broadcast. Adam will be interviewing Nicole Foss and Steve Keen, visiting radical economists on Saturday around 11am.
NOTE: ALL THESE FREE BEDS HAVE BEEN SWIFTLY SNATCHED UP SO THIS OFFER IS NOW CLOSED. IF YOU MISSED OUT DON'T DESPAIR - FEEL FREE TO BUY ONE FROM US AS YOU'LL STILL COME OUT AHEAD IN THE LONG RUN ;-).
We're back on deck here at VEG central and looking forward to a cracker of a year. One of the first items on our to do list was to clean out our warehouse to make it easier to build our chook houses and kitset beds which we're getting more and more requests for. As a result we discovered a pile of brand-new kitset steel VEG beds that we have decided to give away - yes for FREE! In addition to being strictly one per person or family, there are just four minor catches:
First, you have to be either a past or current VEG customer or a school, community group or similar. It doesn't matter if you did a two-hour workshop two years ago, bought a book off us, or are a design, VEG bed or chook house customer. We have a free VEG bed with your name on it.
Second, you have to come and collect your bed from our warehouse in Braybrook on any Tuesday between 10am & 2pm. We're not delivering these ones (unless we are coming to your house for another reason). Most of them will fit in a station wagon, the larger ones need a trailer.
Third and finally, as we're giving these beds away (each worth several hundred dollars), we need to eliminate any admin. The deal is first in first served. Contact Carey on the above details then come to our warehouse on any Tuesday between 10am & 2pm with proof that you meet the first criterion and load up your free bed. There are heaps there (about 30) and we'll make it clear on this page when we start to run low. We have red, green and silver beds at 40, 60 or 80cm high and either 1.2x2.2m or 1.5x3m width/length. See below for a sample picture of the largest size we have.
The beds require some simple small screws and nuts to assemble which we're out of. They will cost you a few dollars at any hardware store. Assembly will take you about 30 minutes.
The VEG team spent an amazing Melbourne four seasons in one day weekend
at the 
