Bellingen Seedsavers Excursion to Djangbung Gardens

Djangbung Gardens is located just out of Nimbin NSW.  Bellingen Seedsavers travelled north in July to discover new plants and new ideas.

Eel and Fish Pond: The clay soil holds water

Ready to start the 90 minute tour.

Food producing Lotus Pond in Winter

Resident Tawny Frogmouths

Peach Palm (Bactris gasipaes)

Branch from large White Mulberry provides summer shade

Chicken House

Construction bamboo and edible bamboos abound

Permaculture educator Robyn Francis is proud of her edible bamboo.

Bamboo is converted to biochar annually

When visitors arrive, a low fence of bamboo and mesh is used to pen geese and ducks in the citrus orchard.

A 'hot' compost pile near the chicken shed.

Bedding from the chicken yard is composted conveniently alongside the chicken yard.

A large Magnolia flowers near the cafe.

Polly Pig

Polly Pig works the soil in these fenced gardens. This bed has over-wintering Jerusalem Artichoke plants

It takes Polly Pig a day to dig one of these beds. The lone dead stem marks an overwintering Jerusalem Artichoke.

Polly's urine is captured and her manure collected from a cement floored pen.

A simple plastic bin filled with sawdust is regularly emptied and the sawdust composted

Human urine is collected as well.

A type of Pomelo fruits well.

Shiitake

Shiitake inoculated logs

Shiitake Mushrooms are a successful crop.

A 20m timber stand along one boundary

A stand of timber provides material for mushroom logs and construction.

Garden visit to a developing food forest at Gleniffer

Click on a photo to enlarge.

Afternoon Tea in the garden

 We always have a sumptuous afternoon tea after our garden tour.

Afternoon Tea in Gleniffer

date & walnut cake

Pumpkin muffins; a great way to use pumpkin

Candlenut Tree

 We will post recipes in a later post.

Candlenut on the tree

Carambola Tree with fruit

Compost heap

Ginger patch

Every plant pictured grows well in our warm temperate/sub-tropical climate. Ginger (above) is very useful and loves our heat and water. You can start with a chunk from the greengrocer or market. Make sure each piece planted has an eye.

Hawaiian Guava

Lab Lab Bean and Elder flower

Mandarin

As we wended our path through the food forest we came across a huge flowering mandarin laden with fruit.

The Lab Lab bean grows along fencelines and trellises.

Mushrooms

These mushrooms sprang out of the horse manure David had collected.

Newly constructed path

Pineapple guava

Plant table

Pomello

Mushrooms growing from horse manure mulch

 Saba Nuts shoot underneath the tree

David's garden has grown so much since our last visit. He hopes to host a permaculture course with Rosemary Morrow later in the year.

Banana

Rhubarb is useful in desserts or in savoury stews.