Biodynamic Agro-food forestry and Swale Design course | May1st
This workshop is perfect for anyone thinking about building swales, or anyone looking to produce food in a self enclosed, life accumulating system that produces all its own biomass, fertiliser and rain water storage, that keeps getting better each year, while increasing health and vitality of the ecosystem.
This is a project that I have designed and built with @coolibahhomestead, Joelene has been great to work with, she has a passion for animals, bees, the forest and regenerating degraded land. There is so much change happening to this landscape in such a small amount of time, and I can't wait to dive in with you all.
Full paddock to plate Biodynamic BBQ Lunch and cold drinks provided. I will be bringing meats, breads and chutneys from certified producers/friends I work with. Please let me know if you are vegan.
You will Learn,
- Where, why and how to build swales
- Design covercrop blends, sow covercrop blends and properly cut covercrops and place them for crop production
- How to grow fruit and vegetables together in a way that tremendously benefits one another
- How to produce your own mulch and fertiliser
- How to build soil, make biodynamic soil preparations and apply them
- How to process banana trunks into fertiliser, weed control, slow release watering, soil life food and microclimate generation
- How to wild harvest organic matter to mulch your beds and fertilise your fruit and veg
- How to design your system, the principles of Syntropics/Agroforestry/high production and management of the system for on-going constant vegetable/berry and fruit supply in a low input, low pressure - semi self sufficient system.
- How to plant fruit trees for 10x quicker growth, deeper vitality, maximum health and disease resistance
- How to plant vegetable seeds & seedlings without shock and straight into covercrop residue, in a way that doesn't have any weeds and needs minimal water
- How to make nourishing liquids/foliar sprays/fertiliser soaks/inoculants and trunk pastes to support the system and keep it thriving
We will be sowing covercrops, managing cover crops, designing systems and understanding the principles of fruit and veg food-forestry. We will be processing organic matter/banana trunks/pigeon pea and woody materials in a way that feeds our fruit and vegetables, while keeping unwanted plants out, conserving soil moisture and habitat for fungi&bacteria.
The property we will be on is in various stages of development & regeneration, so we have a full circle training environment, to fully understand the whole system/whole cycle.