"You can solve all the world's problems in a garden”
- geoff lawton
Enter the magical realm of the Wellness Garden and learn how to grow your own food in a healthy and sustainable way using permaculture techniques.
Starting late March, the BIG House hosts weekly afternoon gardening classes as part of the 'Wellness Garden' program with award-winning permaculture teacher Dan Deighton. One of the friendliest teachers and guides you'll ever meet, Dan will step you through a variety of permaculture techniques in bite-sized chunks that you can then take home and integrate into your own lives and gardens.
Anyone is welcome to join whether it's for one session or you're a hardcore fan who'd like to come every week. There's always something interesting to learn whether you are a complete beginner or a little way on your gardening journey.
getting involved
Join us in the Wellness Garden! Meet like minded people and join our growing gardening community.
When: Mondays from 3.30 pm - 5.00 pm To register: please email letsconnect@welcometothebighouse.com.au Exchange: $15
Promoting safe spaces for DV survivors, all Wellness Garden activities are free for those either affected by or working within the field of domestic and family violence in the Gympie Region. Sponsored by Kath's Gift, and managed by WCNAA Inc, a local charity dedicated to the support of DV survivors. Charity Reg: CH3136 www.kathsgift.com.au
what will we learn?
Every season is different and shapes the focus of each weekly session. Last season we explored how to become a "Citizen Composter" with our focus being on in-depth composting techniques and the 12 Principles of Permaculture. This season we will focus on how to become a "Citizen Farmer" with a focus on the foundations of food gardening.
meet dan, dan our gardening man
With a passionate love for ‘the garden’, and a deep connection for Mother earth, Dan heeds the call for meaningful connection and belonging in community through Permaculture. He has been pushing the ‘wheelbarrow’ of school & community gardens, community art, Landcare action programs, and social enterprise initiatives to engage people in community-driven cultural growth. Dan is award winning for the "Living Classroom" program, and his love of the land is palpable.
Inspired by fun, creative & participatory group processes and the effectiveness of learning by doing, Dan has been engaging culturally diverse groups in Permaculture since 2003. Dan and business partner Aaron Sorensen developed the 2016 nationally awarded ‘Living Classroom Program', engaging young people from K to year12 in life long learning through a school Permaculture program.
As well as the PDC training, Dan also engages adults, families, and school children in ongoing training and mentoring programs throughout the year. Dan leads a weekly class exploring the joy, art and insights of pioneers, past and present, to support fledgling gardeners to grow nourishing wholefood gardens, and renew the tradition and benefits of growing food together in community. Both theory and practice are the teaching tools of Dan's wellness gardening program. Soil and compost are his passion, and growing healthy organic vegetables is his wellness medicine.
Check out Elemental Permaculture's website for more details about other courses interstate. Dan and Aaron were awarded a "Recognition of Community Service" at the 2016 Australian Permaculture Convergence, for significant contributions to community over at least ten years through their ‘Living Classroom’ School Permaculture Garden Program.
citizen composter
The 2020 12 week course was designed to enable people to attend all or any of the sessions with ‘Citizen Composter' offering an in depth practical training program in the fundamentals of making and using ‘proper’ compost and an exploration of the 12 Principles of Permaculture.
Each week the group set up different systems and practices to manage and convert a full range of plant and animal wastes into compost.
The course ran over winter and lead into and supported the ‘Foundations of Food Gardening’ program in Spring.
An illustrated guide to the theory & practices was provided for each session and participants were also able to gain credits towards attaining their Permaculture Design Course as part of our ‘'Perennial Permaculture Program’.
‘Citizen Composter covered:
site planning and design
static compost heap construction
incremental composting
turned heap production systems
compost diagnostics and DIY thermometer
food waste bin and worm farm systems
compost support plants
leaf mould baskets
‘no-burn’ wood & woodchip application
integrating small animal systems
using compost and compost teas
The program creates a community of Composters and connects urban & rural waste streams back to the soil and sustainable food production.
For anything permaculture, please contact Dan phone 0411 490 340 email deighton.dan@gmail.com