PERMACULTURE
Using nature as a guide to design regenerative, diverse, and abundant ecosystems to create a more resilient, sustainable future…
How it works…
If you can dream it…
If you have ever dreamt of growing your own organic food – of walking outside into your own backyard sanctuary and hand picking fresh ingredients for your family’s dinner – a garden designed through the lens of permaculture can bring that dream to life. It all starts with a consultation where Gardens By Chives will visit your dreamscape to help you envision what’s possible by placing you, the custodian of your land, at the centre of the process.
Whether it’s a single garden bed or creating an increasingly abundant food forest, the ultimate aim is to work and co-create with nature to design a bountiful, regenerative ecosystem right outside your door. We start by reading the landscape and closely observing the natural rhythms within your property – its contours, the sun path etc – and how these interact with the structures and elements already in place. We’ll also take time to walk through the property, taking note of the most commonly used areas and paths, to get an idea of how you naturally interact with the system.
By then discussing how these observations can be interwoven with your goals and desires for the property, we begin to gain a clearer vision of how we can consciously transform the landscape in a way that flows with nature’s (and your) rhythms. It’s all about recognising the relationships between different parts of your land and working to holistically integrate them. Everything in nature is connected. Even we’re not separate from it — we ARE nature.
Once we have a solid understanding of the unique context of each project, we’re able to use this information to properly select and place new elements into the system – from plants to animals (worms, chickens… even goats!) – in a way that enables them all to thrive together. The main focus is to create a self-sustaining system that mimics the patterns, biodiversity and rhythms of a healthy forest.
(And yes, this can even be done in a 2 x 1 metre raised garden bed! The real beauty in permaculture design is that it can be applied at any scale!)
CONSULTATION
Multiple consult options are available depending on where you are in your Permaculture journey. Whether you’re just starting up, or already underway and looking for some fresh perspective, click the link to find out more.
DESIGN
We’ll help you see it…
With all the information gathered during the initial consultation, Gardens By Chives will compile a report including a blueprint for your design, as well as offering a quote for its implementation. This report will allow you, as the custodian of the land, to take your vision and turn it from a dream into a reality. It’s YOUR design, but of course Gardens By Chives will be by your side to offer support and help guide the process as well.
The design we offer in the report won’t necessarily be the final design. As we begin to map things out on the land, different ideas or obstacles that weren’t obvious in the beginning may present themselves. In designing natural systems it is important to pay close attention to what may and may not work, during this stage we can work to revise, adapt and continually improve the design until you are absolutely pleased to move forward with the next phase.
In truth, permaculture design is a process of continuous adaptation to change — as nature’s rhythms constantly ebb and flow we must learn to work with that constant process of change.
IMPLEMENTATION
Then bring it to life…
Once you’re happy with the design – once again, the goal is that it is uniquely YOURS – we can begin the process of implementation. In a world where short term thinking and instant gratification have become the norm, permaculture encourages us to slow down and work with the rhythms of nature, looking to long term solutions. Most natural processes unfold slowly, and since permaculture involves the creation of natural systems, we stay true to this ethos…
THERE IS NO NEED TO RUSH.
Larger property designs may involve many different subsystems and elements, in this case it’s best to roll these out in stages rather than all at once, usually starting small. By implementing the smaller and simpler aspects of a design first, it allows you time to learn from and gain a deeper understanding of how the system will evolve through close observation and interaction with each element as it is put into place. This will mean Gardens By Chives can also provide a more thorough education of how to manage the system without overloading and overwhelming you with information.
Depending on the scope and size of the design, the implementation of a system will generally take a minimum of two to three days, though larger systems may take weeks or even months. The guidelines for each stage of development will be outlined within the initial consult report. Of course, as with everything in nature, the timeline is subject to change should any revisions need to be made at any given stage. At the most simple level though, most small designs can be rolled out over a couple of days.
The first of these days will be to prepare the soil for planting. This is an incredibly important step in the implementation as it allows us to create a solid foundation for your plants to thrive. Healthy soil equals healthy plants, and healthy soil is more than just dirt. It is an ecosystem in and of itself where billions of microorganisms each play a role in exchanging nutrients and minerals with the roots of plant life, as well as conditioning the soil — allowing it to breathe (yes, soil needs oxygen!) and act as a sponge to store precious water. We do this using consciously prepared, amazingly rich organic compost, as well as the addition of potent biological inoculants to help those microorganisms thrive.
The second day arrives at least two weeks after the soil preparation, this time allows the soil to settle, rest and gather energy. This day is full of excitement — it is when the overall vision finally starts to take shape as we plant out the garden beds with all the plants and trees that have been selected to bring your property to life. As with every part of the process leading up to this day, your involvement in sowing the seeds and putting your intentions into the soil is strongly encouraged. Inviting family, friends and neighbours to take part will also help to strengthen and solidify the community around you, as well as your connection to your land and nature as a whole.
CARE TO MAINTAIN
And help you tune in…
After the implementation of any part of the system the ultimate goal is to educate you, as the custodian of the land, on how to manage and care for the system. This may be as simple as taking a few minutes each day to observe how different parts of the system are evolving, what is growing well and where? Why isn’t it growing somewhere else? Or it can be more practical, like knowing when and how to prune or make physical changes while minimising waste output.
Whatever questions you may have, Gardens By Chives will be there to help find a solution.
Basic Consultation
This service will suit anyone looking to take the first steps on their permaculture journey, but aren’t quite sure where to start. We will visit you to discuss and define your goals for the property, the existing resources on your land that can be built upon to achieve those goals, and how this can all be done in a way that meets your time, financial and energy budgets.
What’s included?
A one-on-one verbal consult to define what you want from your land;
Property tour to discuss and identify useful elements already existing within the site;
Post-consult report summarising the options discussed during our visit;
Approx 1-2 hours offsite research on top of 2-3 hours onsite.
What does it cost?
From $250.00 (dependant on size and distance of property)