Food For Free - Learn how to grow organic food for free

Food For Free

Learn how to grow organic food for free
A 2-day weekend course with Paul Taylor (17-18^th March 2012)

(click to view/download PDF)

Food costs are rising by more than 20% per year and quality is going down, if we want vital food for our families and friends, then this is a workshop that will give you the essence of vital soils, the basis for growing vital foods for our vital families.

In this workshop we will learn how to make quality ‘smell good’ compost from local products and how to use compost and soil health to grow vital foods. This gives you an understanding of how we can have fun growing fresh food, reduce costs and energy while we increase production and quality. 

Participants will have a genuine, classroom and ‘in the field’ understanding of the science of beneficial soil biology and how biological management will reduce input costs while maintaining or increasing production of food production systems. An important element of this workshop is that the participants will have a hands-on understanding of how to grow, manage and apply beneficial soil microbes as high value compost and compost tea on the farm or in your backyard.

This is a system that is not just sustainable but a system that gives you a genuine understanding of soil management where year by year you increase your topsoil and improve production.

This workshop is focused on presenting an introduction to the complex science of soil microbes and the principles of soil biology in an easy to understand form so that attendees can embrace the benefits, prepare for climate change, and achieve sustainability and profitability while enjoying working on the land.

At the end of this workshop, you will have the tools and understanding about how to make high value compost, compost tea as a ‘soil pro-biotic’ and understand the basics of making valuable bio-fertilizer, where the gardener/farmer/producer can now realistically be more self reliant and ‘go to the shed, not to the shop’.

About Paul Taylor:

Paul Taylor has been an organic farmer and has extensive experience with returning non-productive soils back into profitable systems for more than 30 years. He's the managing director of Trust Nature Pty Ltd. Paul works as a soil health advisor, an educator, and a Permaculture designer and consultant.

Paul is an energetic, easy to understand speaker with a wealth of practical, hands on knowledge, promoting the practical understanding of beneficial soil microbes as the basis of a productive management system. He has taught in Australia, New Zealand, USA, the Middle East and India over the past three decades.

Timings and Venue

The Food For Free Workshop by Paul Taylor, will run on the weekend of the 17th and 18th of March 2012. Workshop hours run from 9am - 5pm. You will need to attend both days.

The course will be held at Bibra Lake Urban Farm, Cnr Gwilliam Drive and Progress Drive, North Lake, Perth. Some parking is onsite but main area will be the Adventure World car park.

Formerly a wedding and function centre it is now being converting by Peter Rattigan into a market garden, and holistic living education centre. Permaculture Education, Organic Gardening, Sustainable living, Yoga and other programs will run from the venue in 2012.

Accommodation

There is no accommodation offered with this course, but there are ample accommodation options around Perth. If you are from out of town and need assistance please let us know.

Catering: Morning and afternoon tea and lunch are supplied to all participants. Given the tight 9-5 timeframe Breakfast and Dinner cannot be provided.

Course pricing / bookings

Price is $300 Australian dollars for the weekend.

$100 dollar deposit is required to lock in booking.

Limited number of 50 places will be offered, meaning after PermacultureWest members are catered for it will be first in best dressed until spots are full.  While the venue can take larger numbers the detailed information and demonstration sections of the course require lower numbers.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Direct Deposit (preferred method)

• Bank: Bendigo Bank
• Account Name: Permaculture Association of WA
• BSB: 633-000
• Account Number: 111195988

Make sure to put your name as the comment when making the transfer, and notify us of the payment on info@permaculturewest.org.au

Otherwise post a cheque/money order to:

PermacultureWest

PO Box 164, Innaloo,

WA, 6918

What You Will Need

It is likely to be quite hot in March and there will be a combination of indoor class based presentations and outdoors practical sessions. Therefore it is recommended you bring:

• Sun Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, water bottle
• Reading and looking glasses for both book reading and projector based presentations.
• Casual and comfortable clothing, consider long-sleeved for when outdoors.

For further information for this course please contact info@permaculturewest.org.au