The Fair Harvest Gardens were established in 1995 using Permaculture Principles
When we first moved onto the land it was cleared farmland with poor soils and plenty of weeds (just waiting for some enthusiastic young permaculturalists). We chose a site of gently northern sloping land in front of the old farm buildings to start our project. Being a cleared and windswept site, the first plantings were windbreaks and shelter belts as well as green manure crops and pioneer plants that would improve the soils.
Many years later (and with many hands work) the established food gardens spread over half a hectare of land and produce a wide assortment of fruit and vegetables. In the early establishment years the garden was often overwhelmed by insects and pests, but as the biodiversity has increased and the soil quality has improved the gardens have become a place of abundance.The health and vitality of these gardens is of absolute importance to us and many hours are spent building healthy soils, propagating, tending plants, mulching and watering our gardens.
The gardens are surrounded by our poultry systems that help in pest control, waste management and fertilizing. The fencing surrounding the gardens is part poultry management and part rabbit proofing as these guys have discovered what deliciousness lies behind the garden gate.
The gardens are open for visitors on the farm to enjoy and learn from, they are a vital part of our farm and our educational facility. The fresh, seasonal produce harvested from the gardens is used in our cafe, for events, catering, cooking classes and can be found in our shop. The two week live in Permaculture Course has always been the highlight of our year and it is during this course that students get to learn every day in the garden as well as eating three meals a day from the harvest.
The gardens evolve and change with the seasons, as new challenges arise we turn to the principles of permaculture to look for creative and innovative solutions. We often consult our co teachers to advise us in their areas of specialty and enjoy learning from our community of local gardeners. A lot has changed in the over thirty years since we first planted in bare farmland and a huge amount of food has been enjoyed by our family and community.
