Permaculture Out West

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Hello peri-urban farming friends!

Supercharge your diaries for a special event at 40k farm! We’re overdue to rock the front paddock with summer vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, herbs and beans.
And we’re very lucky to have special guest Kirsten Larsen to report back after her extensive visitation of CSA‘s in North America recently. A great opportunity to learn more about Community Supported Agriculture, and the various models employed overseas. Naturally we’ll be discussing how that applies to both you, and us.

We’re also toasting summer rains, our wonderful supporters (you), the ever amazing basalt plains, and our two new moo cows, Bobby and Stella!

40k Farm Planting and Christmas Party
Sunday December 18
10.30am – 4pm
178 Highett Road, Melton
Ph 9746 7031

So whether you’re up for some relaxing farm time, learning more about CSA’s, or putting some veggies in the ground, we do hope you’ll come along; there’ll be plenty happening on the day. BYO hat/gumboots as suiting weather on the day. A small contribution to a shared lunch also most welcome, but not obligatory.

But don’t fret if you can’t make it – we’re now opening the farm every Sunday, and inviting our members to come any (or every!) Sunday that suits them. Open to prospective members too. We’ll try and keep the website updated so you can see what’s on, week by week.
This way, something will always be happening, that will happen faster with your help. And if you ever feel like a trip to the farm, now you can, without waiting for open days, exclusive visits from The Queen, and the like.

For directions to the farm check out MeltonCSA (its true, the site hasn’t been updated lately..!)

Hope to see you there!

Carey, Nick, Ellen and Dan.

Urban gardeners bring your excess home grown goodies & homemade produce to swap and share. Meet other locals, have a cup of tea, share gardening tips & recipes or just have a good old chat….

What’s in season?
Broad beans, lemons, limes, grapefruit, lettuce, rhubarb, strawberries, Warrigal greens, lettuce, carrots, spinach, silverbeet, garlic, herbs (small bunches) … basil mmm, spring onions, leeks….& more!
Other goodies to swap & share…
Fresh eggs, something you’ve baked (bread, cake, biscuits), preserves (jam, chutney, pickles, olives), cordial, ginger beer. Don’t forget worm juice, compost, coffee grounds, seeds, seedlings, cuttings & flowers.

Western Urban Harvest Swap Meet
Saturday 3rd December, 10:00am to 11:30am
Bristow Reserve, Pilgrim St, Seddon (Cnr of John St)
walk from middle Footscray or Seddon station | Map

All Welcome!

Helen
From The Good Seeds Gardening Group Inc.

Due to the Big West Festival, our usual booking at the Dancing Dog has been changed. Please note, if you are planning to come to the POW/Future Footscray Masterplan workshop, it will now be held at West Footscray Neighbourhood House, 539 Barkly St, West Footscray.

See you there, 3-5pm Sunday!

Two free upcoming workshops run by the My Smart Garden program.

Gardening in small spaces
Thursday 17 November, 6.30 – 8.30pm
Newport Community Education Centre, 43 Mason St, Newport
With a bit of creativity you can grow a feast in your courtyard or balcony – come along and be surprised at just how abundant these spaces can be.

Potted herb gift making workshop
Saturday 26 November, 1.30-3pm
Bowes Avenue Community Centre, 27-31 Bowes Ave, Airport West
Why not give your loved ones a living, edible gift this Christmas? You might also reap the benefits of tasty summer herbs at their barbecues! Join the My Smart Garden program and come to our free gift making workshop. You’ll create a beautiful easy-to-grow potted herb and learn how to care for them.

To register email: contactus@mysmartgarden.org.au or call 9932 1142.

The My Smart Garden program, run by Moonee Valley and Hobsons Bay City Councils helps residents use their gardens to adapt to climate change by growing food, sheltering the home from heat and wind and using water wisely. More information at: www.mysmartgarden.org.au

Melton CSA is looking for people to get involved and become members and supporters of this local-to- Melbourne farm.

Our newly leased 30 acre farm has chickens, almonds, olives, and bees, with potential for more vegetables, and for grazing animals. The farm is also an excellent resource for education, with a series of great courses running throughout the year, but also for members, and community groups to make use of and enjoy.

We run on a Community Supported Agriculture model, which directly connects producers to their community. This is better for both people and the land, giving farmers a fair go and rewarding good land management. We all know that supermarkets crunch farmers with raw deals, and how this flows on by limiting farmers’ ability to care for the land. By being part of the global CSA movement, we can circumvent this, and rediscover how healthy soil, plants and animals can sustain a vibrant community – yours.

Traditional Community Supported Agriculture models ask members to invest at the start of the season in the resources necessary for that season’s produce. That’s a big outlay for you, and above what we can presently offer. Here’s an option that not only reduces risk, but has distinct advantages for both parties. If we can share the load a little, we come a big step closer to realising the dream, and putting food on your table.

Currently we pay $400/month rent, and we would like to raise the rent money through weekly memberships. We are aiming for 40 memberships at $2.50 per week. Any memberships above this amount would be put back towards improving the land with more food plants, infrastructure, resources for soil care, and native plants as shelter and habitat for wild birds and other animals.

Membership of our Melton CSA includes: ? ? ? ? ? 20% off eggs (from $5 to $4 per dozen) 20% off other farm produce e.g. almonds, vegetables, olives, meat 25% off farm courses, such as pruning, irrigation and animal care members only events a chance to be involved in decisions about farm activities

Membership can be paid weekly, monthly or annually. With this overview, we invite expressions of interest, from you as individuals, households, groups or businesses; does this sound like a worthwhile investment, and is the price right for what you get in return? These things and more, we invite you to comment on, and with your feedback we can develop our own unique CSA model – one that works for you, and us.

For more information contact Carey on 0423 554 398 / 9746 7031 or email careypriest@yahoo.com.au. Or try the websites www.meltoncsa.org or http://www.organicfoodcoop.org.au/farm/

Don’t forget this month, instead of EmPOWering Community Drinks, POW will be joining with the newly formed Future Footscray Group to conduct a public workshop around Maribyrnong Council’s Draft Masterplan for the Footscray CBD.

Future Footscray is a community group of people living in and around Footscray who choose to see the earmarked redevelopment of Footscray as an opportunity to create a vibrant, sustainable and people focused place to live – one that sets benchmarks in urban design and planning around Australia and even the world.

They have come together to make this opportunity a reality whilst at the same time preserving the things they currently love about the inner west of Melbourne – its diversity, its character and its sense of community.

If you would like to find out more about Future Footscray or would like to explore ideas about the future development of Footscray, please join us at the Dancing Dog Cafe, corner Albert and Raleigh Streets, Footscray from 3-5pm on Sunday 20th November.

Copies of the Draft Masterplan will be available at the event, but we recommend having a look beforehand if you can.  A copy of the plan and details of public consultation times can be found here.

Hey did you know we are on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tinyman#!/groups/232421223455251/

An instantaneous way to swap ideas and Catch up with fellow permies out west

Maribyrnong City Council has released its Draft Masterplan for the CBD of Footscray for public consultation.

A copy of the plan and details of public consultation times can be found here.

Instead of EmPOWering Community Drinks this month POW will be joining with the newly formed Future Footscray Group to conduct a public workshop around the Masterplan.

Your input will be used to develop Future Footscray’s written response to the Masterplan, which will be submitted to Council.

This event will be held at the Dancing Dog Cafe, corner Albert and Raleigh Streets, Footscray from 3-5pm on Sunday 20th November.

For more information about the event or Future Footscray, please email Katerina: keasli@gmail.com

The most vulnerable road users in a collision are pedestrians and cyclists. This group also causes the least harm to other road users and the environment.

We are in the process of developing a new Safe Travel Plan that will ensure all road users are as safe as possible, especially these vulnerable road users.

We would like your input. What would help make your journey safer, easier and more relaxed?

Please complete our Safe Travel Survey online by the 28 October.

For more information, click here.

Do you love agriculture, organics and community?

Melton Community Supported Agriculture

Open Day

11am – 2pm, Sunday October 16 178 Highett Road, Melton

Melton CSA is looking for people to get involved and become members and supporters of this local-to-Melbourne farm.

Our newly leased 30 acre farm has chickens, almonds, olives, vegetables, and pasture for grazing animals.

Native grasses and wild birds galore.

Come get amongst it at the open day: farm tours, farm name competition, tree and vegetable planting, compost turning competition, egg and spoon race, bird watching

Kids welcome. Call Carey on 0423 554 398 or 9746 7031 or email careypriest@yahoo.com.au

For more information on this project please see http://www.organicfoodcoop.org.au/farm/