Permablitz #196 – Brunswick
It was a beautiful autumn day when a dozen or so blitzers gathered at Lenka and her family’s place in Brunswick.
Well actually… no, it was not. It was Melbourne’s weather at its finest: when it didn’t rain, it drizzled and when it didn’t drizzle it was just plain cold. However, even though Mother Nature might have stopped Dodos in their tracks it was no match to the race of the mighty Permablitzers!
On the agenda was a conversion of a narrow but roomy inner-north backyard into a perma-productive garden.
The blank canvas – awaiting a blitz!
Raised Garden Bed
Raised garden beds are a great and worthwhile idea for all your veggie growing needs (annual and perennials). By adding about you 30 cm of soil of your choice enables soil control which helps with crop rotation and improves irrigation.
Helping with the raised-bed construction
By the addition of the raised garden bed the wasteland around a tree and its roots was converted into a productive space for the years to come. Save time with designing and check out our final product (see pic below).
The finished raised garden beds. Nice, eh?
Grey Water Irrigation System
For those of us who live in Melbourne and appreciate how fickle rain can be it’s essential for the happiness of you orchard to provide a consistent water supply to those thirsty trees.
The grey-water system going in
Installing a grey water irrigation system is not as hard as it looks! You just need a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers ie permablitzers and the will. Youtube yet again proved to be a great resource. Go people power!!!
Alexander vs Tree or How to Prune Your Orchard
One of the highlights of the day was Alexander pruning of one of the trees in the backyard. I don’t recall the name of it, but it looked like one of ubiquitous Melbourne trees that apparently have been classified as a noxious weed in NSW. All trees, however, have a purpose and this one provides shade for the social area of the backyard in summertime. In winter, however, it was overshading the yard.
Alexander obviously had a personal vendetta against the tree. Whilst on the other hand, Fergus, the host, had obviously enjoyed many social gatherings under it and as such was sentimental and reluctant to have it heavily pruned. Being a professional designer, Alexander did leave one branch behind promising that it will come back even more beautiful and lush just in time for a cold beer in the backyard.
Alexander vs The Tree
By the end of the day there was a massive transformation with more light pouring in despite miserable day, helping the newly planted winter veggies to flourish in their newly constructed garden beds
Alternative lawn.
There have been a lot written about the benefits of an alternative lawn, which can be a combination of thyme, various mints and many other ground-cover plants. Brooke the designer-extraordinaire lead the team in the creation of a beautiful and productive lawn that is perfect for kids of all ages.
Planting the alternative lawn
Wicking bed.
The darling of permablitz. Lenka and the team decided to follow permablitz principles and position the upcycled bath tub right next to the laundry/back door for a very easy access (see pic).
Preparations underway for the bathtub wicking bed
The blitzers were unstoppable and keen to go on into the late afternoon despite the weather. However, crisp cold beer in the warmth of Lenka and Fergus’ living room at 5pm proved hard to resist.
A well-deserved beer at the end of the day
Thanks the hosts for their incredible hospitality!
To check out more action snaps from the day, check out the full gallery here!
