Field experience
- Preparing, planting and maintaining garden beds
- Setting-up nurseries and preparing seedlings
- Small construction works (not subject to licenses or engineering), e.g. herb spirals and chicken areas
- Setting-up compost, compost tea and worm farming systems
- Soil visual assessments, sampling, lab testing interpretation, amendments and regeneration work
- Establishing agroforestry systems including silvopastures, food forests and wildlife corridors
- Installing mobile electric fencing (rotational grazing)
- Pruning, trimming, hedging, brush-cutting and other gardening work
- Installing pathways, irrigation lines and other landscaping work
- Caring for farm and domesticated animals
- Various other works for environmental NGO’s including pest control, tree planting, bush regeneration, etc.
- Supervising third-party service contractors for agricultural or engineered work (earthworks, cultivation, etc.
Project implementation work
Here are a few examples of project implementation work. Once the work is done, it usually takes a few months to a few years for the plants, especially trees, to grow and fill the space. As such, one can only imagine what the system will look like once properly established.
Early stages of pasture renovation and silvopasture implementation for goats. The in-field soil tests show significant improvements for colour, texure, root penetration, earthworm count, pH and infiltration rate. The tree lines have been formed and include a variety of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. The electrical fencing was recently added and cell grazing is about to start. You can check our vlog update for more info: https://permaculturejourneys.com.au/pj/vlog-updates/
Pasture renovation project featuring swales on contour, sub-division of the paddock into smaller grazing cells with permanent amd mobile electric fencing, implementation of rotational grazing, various soil renovation practices, planting of nitrogen-fixing and fodder trees, and the creation of a wildlife corridor (with pond) in collaboration with the Yarra Ranges Council’s Ribbons of Green program.
The soil visibly improves in colour, texture and root depth and has also shown an improvement in pH and biological life. The establishment of a dense and diverse ground cover has however been slowed-down by intense pressure from wildlife who have feasted on our freshly germinated seed blend, reminding us of our connection to the ecosystems beyond the pasture fence and teaching us patience as well as valuable lessons learnt.
Creating a design around existing fruit trees and pond. This project has included the improvement of chicken management, various soil renovation practices, the establishment of a ground cover, the landscaping of the pond as wildlife habitat, and increasing food production among other objectives.
Converting a boggy and unused space into a chicken run. This area is currently being completely renovated to enrich the soil, grow greenery and plant shrubs, flowers and medicinals for the chooks, and add a dust bath. More photos to come in spring 2023.
Continuing the development of a food forest by managing the canopy via chop-and drop of the nitrogen-fixing trees, adding the sub-canopy layers with more food plants, medicinals, pollinator-attracting flowers, a safe watering area for birds and bees, and more. This woodland is now 7 years old, counts more than 45 species of food plants and we are in the process of adding more in between now-established plants.
Implementing a humble design to respect tight timelines, budget and minimal ongoing labour. This project has included the creation of low maintenance pathways, a herb spiral, a small veggie patch, a bird bath, and the planting of a few trees, berry shrubs and many flowering plants to attract beneficial insects in a dry region dominated by vineyard monocultures. The bare, dry and compacted soil is slowly coming back to life and I can’t wait to take more recent photos next time I have the chance to go back to this small village in the mediterranean south of France.
Establising a mini food forest from scratch. The picture to the right includes almond, apricot, prune, hazelnut, olive and fig trees as well as feijoa and some native nitrogen-fixing shrubs. The ground cover is getting more lush even in the mid-summer (northern hemisphere). Once the canopy starts to form in a few years, we can add shade-tolerant species such as berry bushes and perennial leafy greens, etc. You can read more about this project on our blog.