Earth & Soul Permaculture

18/10/2026

Today was workshop 3/4 of my Growing Veggies Organically and Sustainably course, and it was Soils and Compost.
We built a hot compost pile at Belgrave Food Garden and talked a lot about everything including the uses of Comfrey and Banana peels ☺️
What these things can add to the soil and different veggies from leafy greens and fruiting veg.

We then had a tour of permaculture farm, What the F'arm in Monbulk where the group could see organic growing and permaculture systems at work - everyone enjoyed the workshop and tour, very proud of their developing knowledge!

Big thank you to Gill for hosting such a great tour, as always 🙏🥰🌱

17/10/2026

No more sleepless nights worrying about the solar battery on the west side of the house
(That was the only space)
Nice and cool under there!
Fantastic job by Lachy from L.I carpentry 😊

16/10/2026

We’ve been gradually getting the veggie beds ready for the summer crops and beyond.

Chopped and dropped green manure crops, leaving patches around because I love the flowers! Added lots of compost and manures then mulched with straw.

As per usual, I’ve got lots of seedlings and I am not sure I’ll have room for them all … I do this every blooming year 🤭🤭🥰

Still deciding where the pumpkins will be planted, but I think everywhere!!! 😂
I’ll plant them in mounds of compost and poo because they are heavy feeders.

The orange tree is in full blossom currently and I see next year’s little fruits beginning to appear.
This whole property, is like some sort of Eden, I can’t believe how beautiful it is and abundant.
I truly love it 💜

14/10/2026

I did some garden work a little while back with a wonderful artist whom I admire greatly.
I already have two pieces of Maggie’s, a watercolour and a beautiful clay face that I can plant in the top of.

The most talented Maggie Hubbard , based in the Dandenong Ranges, shared the most gorgeous sculpture of a garden goddess a little while ago and mentioned she would love to have the opportunity to make one of a kind pieces for people.

I contacted Maggie and we had a chat, this is my very own one of a kind goddess for my garden, made just for me 🥰
Maggie, I love her so much and can’t wait to see her in person 🙏
Thank you so much 💜
Beautiful sculpture by Maggie Hubbard - Maggie Hubbard 🦋🌾💜

13/10/2026

Cannot wait to identify the apples in our garden that we were lucky enough to inherit with our beautiful property 🥰

Just going by the flowering/budding alone, I know we must have early and mid season varieties. We also have two late season varieties 🍎 🍏

This is perfect because you don’t want all your fruit ripening at the same time.
This goes for our blueberries, apricots and so on …
I’m so super excited for the season ahead, watching our garden come to life has been an astounding experience with all the good feels 🥰

Stay tuned for lots more in my next newsletter coming out at the end of October.
Sign up link is top of page on Facebook and in my Bio on Instagram.

12/10/2026

I’ll be there for the next two working bees for my course … then I’ll be in South Gippsland full time.
Such a wonderful place to connect with locals and chat over gardening 🌱
Hope to see you this coming Sunday at 9:30 for the AGM and working bee.

Belgrave Food Garden seeks committee members and summer volunteers, with locals invited to grow food and connect.

11/10/2026

Today I was invited by the wonderful Liz, to consult on her new 5 acre permaculture property in Willung South.
Incredible, abundant, much loved, beautifully planned … just a brief description of what I saw and experienced today.
Natural spring, beautiful soils, so many fruit trees and fruiting plants, I lost count!!!

Previous custodians of this stunning part of the world, had explored around the entire property and made a map of every single plant, even in the unmanaged bushland areas.
When we walked down to the heavenly glade like orchard, I became overwhelmed by the beauty and energy of it all.
I’ve never seen anything like it.

I hope to go back in the new year and help out with what needs to be done but in the meantime, I encouraged Liz to make small and manageable steps while getting to know this property, not taking on everything at the same time - enjoying the journey of transition.

Concentrating on the veggie patch, espaliers, sourcing mulch from local arborists and starting compost. In time, regeneration of the land will be part of the long term goal. The foundations already in place in some areas with pockets of young Blackwood wattles.

We should take care of the land and soils, leaving it better than we found it, to support future generations of people and wildlife alike.

There is so much more I could say about today but I’ll leave it at this for now, let the thoughts wander … 🥰🌿🌱🦋🪲🦎

10/10/2026

Since moving to South Gippsland, it has become my mission to shop as locally as possible. Locally sourced, made and produced items, organic wherever possible.
We have fantastic farmers markets!

Now that I’ve found all the stores, shopping feels like it might have been many moons ago where we make several stops rather than just one (big supermarket), for example; Fruit and veg shop, butcher and bakers.
I’m really enjoying being able to do this, we have so much on offer here in this beautiful region and we made it a priority to live this way.
I was so happy to find a store where you can take your own containers for pantry staples plus so much more, in South Gippsland, also selling organic produce and locally sourced products.

Of course we will be growing as much food as possible but realistically, we need to shop for some things.
However, this is how connections are made, the people I’ve met and chat with about all things life.
We have also made the conscious decision to pay cash as much as possible, nice to try and support each other in this way, small businesses have it hard enough.

After November, I’ll be freed up a lot more so will be able to do more working bees and activities at community gardens etc, which I am really itching to do.

Anyway, just wanted to share a little, more in my next newsletter.
We both LOVE Toora and South Gippsland, so so lucky 🩵

10/10/2026

Lovely morning at What the F'arm yesterday 🍀
We found a four leaf clover! The clover we sowed over a year ago is doing well in the orchard as are patches of plantain.
The cute duckies are doing a marvellous job in there, having the time of their lives munching on the grass, pooping, eating snails and relaxing without fear of foxes in the foxproof enclosure.

The raspberries were producing long into a milder winter but they had a good prune and thinning out in time for the warmer spring days.
Apples have put on quite a bit of growth and forming some good fruiting spurs now 🥰

The berry tunnel looks fabulous with the youngberry finally looking like it will fruit 🥳
Pictured also is an Amazing Elderberry 🌿