Permaculture Hawkesbury to hold 9-week Gardening School for Teens

Starting 17th July 2023, Permaculture Hawkesbury Valley Inc. will begin an extensive 9-week gardening program for teens ages 12 to 17.

Program tickets can be availed online via Eventbrite. The program costs A$240.00 (for A$255.43, including the A$15.43 Eventbrite fee). 

Program reservations can be accessed here: Permaculture Hawkesbury Home Schooling Teens Permaculture Gardening School. 

PHVI advises the interested attendees to bring enclosed shoes, a water bottle, morning tea, a hat, an A4 workbook, coloured pencils, and a lead pencil or a pen. In addition, students need to bring “seedlings to plant in personal garden bed on the first day only.” They advise attendees to get four punnets with different vegetables.

Permaculture Hawkesbury mentioned that “beans, peas, lettuce, spinach, silver beat, broccoli, cabbage, celery, chilli, beetroot, kale and onion varieties are good suggestions for this time of year.”

The extensive list of the program curriculum, obtained from their event announcement, is as follows:

Week 1 (17th July)

• At the heart of all permaculture design and practice is a set of ethics of caring for the earth, caring for people and fair share. This week we will delve into what permaculture ethics are and how we can implement them in the garden. We will sow seeds to raise seedlings for ourselves and to share with the community.
• Feed and water chickens and ducks, collect eggs
• Carry out weekly garden chores to maintain the garden
• Free gardening time

Week 2 (24th July)

• Living soil! All life depends on soil. This week we will learn the importance of soil and what we can do to build healthy, nutrient rich soil. Practice sustainable practices of gardening and soil maintenance. We will conduct a soil analysis and learn how to analyse soil for best food growing results.
• Feed and water chickens and ducks, collect eggs
• Carry out weekly garden chores to maintain the garden
• Free gardening time

Week 3 (7th August)

• Food security in your home garden. this week we will learn how much, what and when to plant for a household, how to make the most of the space you have to grow food, companion planting, community food trading and more.. we will plant a mini food forest in the garden.
• Feed and water chickens and ducks, collect eggs
• Carry out weekly garden chores to maintain the garden
• Free gardening time

Week 4 (14th August)

• Recycling in the garden. This week we will delve into all things worms, worm farming and compost! We will make worm towers for the garden and learn many different ways to compost.
• Feed and water chickens and ducks, collect eggs
• Carry out weekly garden chores to maintain the garden
• Free gardening time

Week 5 (21st August)

• Pest or guest. This week will learn how to use biological controls to manage pests in the garden and avoid nasty pesticides. We will learn how we can work with nature and encourage good bugs [in] the garden to help control the bad, plant selection, biodiversity and how to design a resilient garden. We will plant a beneficial bug garden.
• Feed and water chickens and ducks, collect eggs
• Carry out weekly garden chores to maintain the garden
• Free gardening time

Week 6 (28th August)

• Water Harvesting. fresh Water is necessary for the survival of all living organisms on [Earth]! This week we will learn how to catch and store water in the garden. How to recycle water. the importance of clean, unpolluted water. We will create a water habitat by making a frog hotel.
• Feed and water chickens and ducks, collect eggs
• Carry out weekly garden chores to maintain the garden
• Free gardening time

Week 7 (4th September)

• Zero waste garden. This week we will learn about closed-loop garden systems. How to redirect lost resources in the garden to reduce/eliminate waste. We will investigate how to put this into action and produce no waste in the garden. We will redirect lost garden resources to make fertiliser for the garden.
• Feed and water chickens and ducks, collect eggs
• Carry out weekly garden chores to maintain the garden
• Free gardening time

Week 8 (11th September)

• Zones & Small animals. Permaculture zones help us map out our garden design for ease of usability. This week we will learn about permaculture zones and where small animals, like chickens, ducks, bees, rabbits and quails fit into our zones. We will make a chicken swing for our garden chooks.
• Feed and water chickens and ducks, collect eggs
• Carry out weekly garden chores to maintain the garden
• Free gardening time

Week 9 (18th September)

• Harvesting and cooking. For our last lesson of the term, we get to feast on all our hard work, by harvesting food from our garden to cook and eat. We will harvest eggs and veggies from the garden and cook them up together to eat around the campfire (weather permitting). We may even get to toast a few marshmallows!
• Feed and water chickens and ducks, collect eggs
• Carry out weekly garden chores to maintain the garden
• Free gardening time

The Permaculture Hawkesbury program will be held at Australiana Pioneer Village 10 Rose St., Wilberforce, NSW 2756 Australia.

Image credit to Permaculture Hawkesbury Valley Inc.