Urban Adventures: Site Visit One – Matt’s Place

As an introduction to a small-space approach to permaculture, you couldn’t really get better than this. Not only is Matt’s yard an abundant, multipurpose community space, but for me it’s also Matt’s attitudes and intentions towards creating abundance that made this visit a great place to begin.

So what was there – well, let me list it so I don’t miss anything: an aquaculture system, greywater (4 stage) reed bed filter, super productive vegie garden, irrigation system, two worm farms, compost, a few subtropical fruits, native plants, two beehives, a wine co-op, pottery area, wood workshop, brew-making, tons of preserves, a nature-strip in transition and plenty of good vibes. All this on a regular, suburban block. There's photos to check out too.

So what does that all mean for me? Well, as I’m moving soon onto a similarly sized block this visit was a call to action, received loud and clear. I’m so excited that I’m moving in with Geoff and Tan (another permie) and we get to create and grow in their new space. There’s tonnes to decide – should we keep chickens on such a small block? Is aquaculture the way to go? Are all these subtropical fruits just a fad or would I really eat loads of them if they were around as much as apples and oranges? Will I get away with amaranth and corn on the nature strip? How much can we achieve in just one year...

ready, set... grow!

There's nothing like a deadline to get me going, so the recent arrival of my Canadian work visa has lit a little fire in my world: 1 year left here in Melbourne to learn all the lessons I can before hitting those BC shores once more.

I'll be blogging about everything I'm learning as part of my diploma of permaculture as well as in life in general (as it relates to permaculture). At this stage, I imagine it's a pretty personal document, though it's open to everyone to read and comment.

So here goes, deep breath, jump...