Food Blitz 5

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With 35 energetic volunteers, Permaculture Hunter Region (PHR) created its first food garden for 2010 for a refugee family in a one day Permaculture Food Blitz on Sunday, 18th April, 2010, incorporating many easy-to-maintain elements for healthy organic produce and natural pest control.

Side before BlitzSide before Blitz

The garden at Georgetown was sponsored by the Sustaining Our Suburbs program (“SOS”), a joint venture of PHR and Adamstown Uniting Church, and by Penola House’s Refugee Program at Hamilton.  SOS is supported by Uniting Care Ageing (Hunter, Central Coast and New England).

 

 

 The Blitz also was supported generously by donations and discounts from:

  • HansBuilt furniture,
  • Sharpe’s City Gardener, and
  • Maitland Timber & Hardware

 

Children Finishing the SwalesChildren Finishing the Swales

 

 

We built swales to slow the water run-off, raised, no-dig garden beds, a pond for fish and to attract beneficial insects, a compost heap and planted trees and edible plants.

 

 

Georgetown Blitz - Filling Raised BedsGeorgetown Blitz - Filling Raised Beds

 

 

We built 3 no-dig vegetable gardens, and filled them with horse manure, grass clippings, organic soil and hay mulch before sowing seedlings.

 

 

Georgetown Blitz - Working at Side of HouseGeorgetown Blitz - Working at Side of House

 

 

 

We improved the area around existing citrus and Bay plants, taking away the grass around them and mulching the area.

 

Georgetown Blitz - Helen at Front - Soil DumpGeorgetown Blitz - Helen at Front - Soil Dump

 

 

We bought some organic soil mainly for the raised garden beds, and it was all-hands on deck to remove it quickly from the kerb.

 

 

 

 

 

The finished side had 3 raised beds for veggies, a compost heap, side fence garden for creepers, and a rejuventated area around existing plants.

 

 

Georgetown Blitz - Front AreaGeorgetown Blitz - Front Area

 

 

At the front, here is the installed pond with protective grill, and latticework to grow more vine plants, and in the background, a large mango where we added bananas and paw paw.

 

 

Georgetown Blitz - Catering Ladies

 

 

The catering team provided great refreshments and a bar-b-que lunch with salads keeping the workforce more than happy.

 

 

Permaculture Hunter, Uniting Care Adamstown and Penola House would like to thank all our Volunteers especially the refugee family and its friends, business sponsors and the landlord for making this such a successful Blitz, which was carried out mostly according to plan.