Bathgate Park Community Garden Food Forest – Habitate edible habitats

Thursday, April 24th, 2014

Food Forest DesignA community food forest is sprouting in South Dunedin. In December 2014 Peta Hudson and Jason Ross tutored a Food Forest Design workshop at the school site. Local participants contributed their ideas in the form of designs for the food forest after learning about the possibilities for the area.

I took these ideas and brought them together into a layout and planting strategy design for the food forest. Planting is planned for winter 2014.

The Bathgate Park Community Garden and Food Forest Project has been driven by Grow South, well done team!

Bathgate Park Food Forest

Taste Nature Gardens & Habitate Nursery

Thursday, April 24th, 2014

Garden AbundanceTaste Nature Gardens & Habitate Nursery collaborate on the development of this exciting Permaculture landscape in Waitati, Otago. Owned by the visionaries Mark & Rayna Dickson, this land is both the home of our Habitate Heritage Fruits Nursery and is also their diverse, integrated and intensive small scale market garden that supplies their Organic Shop, Taste Nature, in High Street, Dunedin.

It is an exciting project where passionate people come together to grow high quality nursery plants, organic vegetables, herbs and fruits. It is a team effort, where innovative growing systems are being constantly discussed and improved.

We grow organically and utilise permaculture design for layout and systems design. Biodynamics is used for soil health. Chickens play a major role, being rotated through the gardens using electronet fencing, to clear and fertilise garden beds.

We have our main nursery products (Berries and berry plants, pip fruit and pip fruit trees) certified as organically grown by Oganic Farm NZ – Producer Number OFNZ – 1035

We hold an Open Day mid March each year, which is advertised on our Articles Page and at Taste Nature. Give us a bell if you would like to be on our mailing list for this.

OFNZ-Certificate

Chicken Rotation Systems

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Berries, Fruit Trees & Chickens

Thursday, April 24th, 2014

Perry

Before (Autumn 2014)

Berries, Chickens & ApplesTo keep the maintenance low and the soil fertility up for this couple in Waikauaiti, chickens are playing a key role in our garden design. They have a deep litter scratching yard where they will process weeds etc into compost for the garden. During the summer they will graze in the orchard and in the winter, with the change of a couple of small doors, they will run under the berry fruit bushes in the berry cage. This integrated design has many benefits. The chickens get fresh ground, weeds and bugs to eat, and they help with maintenance by scratching and grazing.

In winter 2014 we supplied the fruit trees from our Heritage Fruits Nursery and completed the planting of them, right down to the companion plants.

Perry2

John (pointing, the garden owner), describing to our planting team the constructed of the the raised beds and berry cage that he completed himself in the autumn months

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Japanese Garden Inspired Edible Landscape

Thursday, April 24th, 2014

Japanese Garden Inspired Edible Garden

 

This full garden design was created for a lovely family who are passionate about not only growing fresh fruit and vegetables but also about Japanese garden style. The solution was a front garden entry through a Japanese garden inspired woodland, dry riverbed and pond, and a back section garden of herbs and raised garden beds near the house and deck and a chicken run and orchard on a steep slope below. A Japanese theme was kept throughout with edible Japanese plants and other edible plants that suited the theme being integrated with the ornamental gardens.

 

Edible Backyard

Orchard Design

Sunday, April 6th, 2014

On Site DesignDuring and initial consult I worked with Ann to create an orchard and path design directly on-site. We used hoses, timber, bamboo and stones to trial alternative layouts. We settled on a series of curved beds containing fruit trees and companion and useful herbs rippling out from the main view point of the house.

“Hi Jason
Thank you so much for your work here on Friday – I feel really excited by the layout & plans. I really appreciated your efforts to ensure I heard you clearly & that you listened so well to what I wanted & together we got to a satisfying result. Now there’s the actual creation!

cheers & thanks, Ann.”

Waikauaiti, July 2012.

“Hi Jason

Just had to tell you I’ve eaten my first apples – Discoveries – & they are juicy & delicious. All yr trees are doing v well & have put on amazing growth in spite of me not being able to resist leaving a few apples on several trees!

Hope yr garden & orchard are doing well

cheers Ann.” Waikauaiti, February 2013.