Limestone Permaculture

At Limestone Farm, we have been prepping over the whole of Winter for what will be a another dry Spring & possibly another dry Summer. It is officially the lowest rainfall in NSW since 1965 so make drought proofing a priority..... Now!! - More Windbreaks (Fast growing plants/trees as a front line for slow growing plants/trees) - More Shade Trees (Evergreen & deciduous) - More shade & protective structures (tunnels, awnings etc)... - Heavy mulching (Hay is in short supply so mulch with what you grow) - Use hardy Cover Crops / Green Mulch (Annual & Perennial) - Utilise natural weed ground covers (like chickweed & purslane etc) - Drip irrigation (no sprayers or sprinklers) - Smart earthworks (water harvesting) - Aim for maximum water storage (tanks, pools etc)
Over the coming weeks we will post up various methods of 'Drought Proofing' your Garden, Homestead & Small Acre Farm. This is also covered in depth with our upcoming 'Permaculture Design Certificate' course - https://www.limestonepermaculture.com/… /permaculture-design…
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Growing Potatoes - Limestone Farm style {now this is a 'Big Read' so go grab a drink}
I always find great joy in observing our farm environment, the seasons, various growing system outcomes, farm & gardening techniques and and most of all, the surprises mother nature throws up regularly, you just have to be vigilant & sometimes lucky to be in the right place at the right time :) So we had been experimenting with various green manure & edible cover crops throughout our farm ...over the last 6 years and last year we noticed rogue potatoes coming up in one of our cover crop beds in the middle of winter and after many frosts. Now these potatoes didn't seem to be frost damaged and we all know potatoes hate frost, so in that same year we set about immediately trialing more potatoes in that cover cropped bed with good success. This year, we were ready :) We planted out our favourite Dutch Creams and at the same time applied a cover crop of Daikon Radish, Rocket, Mixed Lettuce & a little BQ Mulch. As expected the cover crops took off through winter being totally unaffected by frost. They became a dense bio-mass, so when we started hunting through a couple of weeks ago, we were pleased to find the potato plants 'snug as a bug in a rug' and starting to power their way through to the top :) These potatoes had literally survived over 20 frosts with some mornings -2 & -3 degrees. Now the fun doesn't stop there! Did i mention that Daikon Radish, Rocket & BQ Mulch are bio-fumigants and assist with making the soil around the potatoes uninhabitable for specific nematodes & assist with warding off some diseases! Daikon is also a bio-tillage plant that can be beneficial for no-dig growers or for growers who are looking to reduce tillage. The Daikon then decomposes quickly in the spring, leaving large holes & providing aeration and access for water & nutrient to infiltrate the soil. Another benefit of Daikon is that it is an excellent scavenger of nitrogen (N). It can be used to capture excess nitrogen left from previous cover crops etc. And finally the lettuce :) we had saved so much lettuce seed that we simply use it to fill the voids (Green Mulch) & we do love our salads :) :) In summary, my advice is research > trial > observe > research and repeat! Teach yourself about green manure crops, cover crops, plant guilds, dynamic accumulators, nitrogen fixing plans and so on...... then have a go! Here is a good article from an American Organic Farmer site about Daikon, its based more around commercial but still interesting! https://articles.extension.org/…/radish es-a-new-cover-crop-…
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Our Part-time (12 days) Permaculture Design Certificate {2 days every fortnight over 10 weeks}. Understanding Permaculture Ethics, Principles & the Design Process will empower you to live a more environmentally sustainable & health driven lifestyle on your Urban or Rural Homestead and in a variety of landscapes & climates.

Welcome to Limestone Farm... BamBam & Buttercup😍 (Breed = Boer x Australian Miniature)

This is our last two day 'Introduction to Permaculture Course' for this year.
Our ‘Intro to Permaculture’ course is designed to educate you on the basics of Permaculture Principles, Ethics & Design. This 'two day' course will inspire you to create your own sustainable space, living a healthy & more natural way of life. https://www.limestonepermaculture.com/… /introduction-to-per…

The permaculture connectivity & creativity in our greater Midcoast Region is booming and now a chance to work with some more forward thinking, passionate people over Nabiac way.... yesss :)

Looking forward to presenting at Permaculture Sydney North on Monday night (20/8/18) For our friends in Sydney, if you have the time, come over for an informative night and meet like minded people :) Details below.

Upcoming Course @ Limestone Permaculture: Part-time 'Permaculture Design Certificate - Spring Weekend Course' commencing on the 22nd Sept & running fortnightly to 2nd Dec. https://www.limestonepermaculture.com/… /permaculture-design…
Limestone Permaculture demonstration farm is the back-drop for all our workshops & courses!... We strive to provide an understanding of Permaculture Principles & Ethics, working with the natural environment to design & implement systems that work with nature to provide resilience & self-reliance for family, food, shelter, and community. We balance onsite practical examples with theory elements providing you with the confidence to get started on your own journey towards sustainable living.
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Its about time! Warning! To all those persisting on still using Round-up, this is not a solution to your problem, only a pathway to ill health & possibly death!

I regularly have people ask me at our catered events if i eat this way all the time? I then go on to explain that eating fresh, nutritious food is part of our way of life and lucky for me... Nici's passion! So yes, i always eat this way & so can each and every one... think slow food :)

Our upcoming Spring 2018 PDC is our short course which runs over 10 weeks (1 weekend every fortnight) and includes amazing guest teachers, site visits & of course Nici's catering :) https://www.limestonepermaculture.com/… /permaculture-design… We still have a few places left for this life changing experience and the satisfaction of coming away from the course with skills for resilience & self-reliance! We strive to build your confidence in using what you have learnt, to make t...he leap towards Permaculture Principled Urban or Rural Homesteading and most importantly your very own design to get you started!
Here is a look at our 'Limestone Farm' Design :) It is set to scale at A0 page size so you will have to download & use your zoom function to get a closer look!
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Cheers for the feedback Rebecca Pakalniskis, it was the perfect day in every way :) Love the passion for plants all our workshop attendees have!!

Limestone Permaculture demonstration farm is the back-drop for our 'Introduction to Permaculture' 2 day course, providing an understanding of Permaculture Principles & Ethics, working with the natural environment to design & implement systems that work with nature to provide resilience & self-reliance for family, food, shelter, and community. We balance onsite practical examples with theory elements providing you with the confidence to get started on your own journey towards sustainable living.

This will be an amazing plant reproduction journey! You will learn key techniques & methods to propagate plants from both seed (Sexually) & vegetatively (Asexually), while also developing a deeper understanding of plant propagation & plant husbandry techniques. These are essential tools for anyone passionate about self sufficiency, homesteading, farming, market gardening, backyard gardening and all things permaculture. This will be very hands on workshop with participants re...ceiving a workbook detailing topics covered throughout the day, complete with diagrams, glossary & recommended resources. Your day will be spent at Limestone Farm Farm with a catered Seasonally Inspired Vegetarian Gourmet Morning Tea & Lunch set amongst a country backdrop with Organic Tea's, Coffee and healthy Pro-Biotic Punch. For more detail & to purchase tickets, please go to > https://www.limestonepermaculture.com/… /plant-propagation-w…
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When friends come round to watch you work 🤠

This informative full day workshop steps you through the process Limestone Permaculture undertook to become a successful & Ethical Permaculture Business by examining our Business Plan (Vision, Objectives, Mission), our Marketing Strategies, our Design and our Ethically Diverse Services & Income Streams. Coming up on Saturday - August 4th. Click the photo or tickets button to take you to our website for more detail.

Just helping some good people from up North that have had a run of bad luck on their farm! And this is what we all have to do when times get tough > Bounce Back, Show Resilience, Ask for a little help & Rebuild! We all need assistance at some point!

Farmgate is rockin’ with goodies... get em while it’s fresh 🤠

Pumpkin & Permaculture Weekend @ Limestone Permaculture Farm :)

Amazing tour and insight into what you can do when you listen to - and work with - nature. Thanks Brett and family.

Amazing tour and insight into what you can do when you listen to - and work with - nature. Thanks Brett and family.

Amazing tour and insight into what you can do when you listen to - and work with - nature. Thanks Brett and family.