What a beautiful day!, The day of our open garden, was filled with joy of the 30 people who came from different parts of Melbourne to experience our project: Garden Wisdom. Thanks for celebrating with us The Urban Agricultural Month!.
Open Day
We decided to do open de garden to the public in november because of the Urban Agricultural Month, our month, Urban Gardeners-Farmers!.
We were happy to showcase to our tribe, what we have been working on, because as you know, involves a loooooot!: vision, planning, lots of time, care and energy, but the result is extremely rewarding, is priceless. Also, is an excuse to meet you all, AMAZING HUMANS! :).
As I mentioned, our aim was inspire our neighbours to see what's possible, when you want to have a highly productive garden. We are connected with Sustain Australia, institution is organising the @Urban Agricultural Month, they have been working about Food Policy and Education to generate a space where people -passionate about food systems can connect- and engage community with the topic. We are also part of the Degrowth Network Australia and worldwide moment called @ Local Futures (based in QLD) .
We want to thanks, everyone came to be part of our journey, we had visits from Hampton, Sandringham, Moorabbin, Mount Albert, Parkville, Menton, Bentleigh. Our pride, as we wish a stronger community reunited around gardening, let's comeback the food systems to our local communities. As we mentioned we are connected the local network of growers , and we exchange our home grown produce, check the group @Bayside Food Swap (Facebook), the meetings are one's per month, always in a different garden, so everyone can share what they are gardening during that part of the season.
Our visitors, all the gardeners, asked us about the soil, managing pests, irrigation systems, sowing seeds, building-having a greenhouse. We got lots of stories to share with them, and everyone came back home with a new learning process, about the gardening, about communities in the southern suburbs, a new learning about community empowerment and community sufficiency.
Garden Wisdom
Garden wisdom is a collaboration between Karen Pohlner (Chinesse Medicine Practitioner) and Ninna Mar (me-Educator-Art Therapist). I joined to work in Karen's garden as I finished I one year community project in Brighton East, and at home, I didn't have space to garden and for permaculturists, is common the idea of garden in someone else's property, idea more used in the north of Melbourne and in farmland, but here in the south we are writing history, yes, I am gardening in a friend's place and feels natural and organic, like our gardening way.
I highly resonated with the holistic gardening style Karen has, due her principles and vision of energetics of nature. I could felt in my cells, the call from this healing garden, and I started collaborating with Karen growing our own food on 2023, now, seasons has past and we are escalating our impact in the world to facilitate spaces for healing and wellbeing- at the garden- because the only way to heal the world and bring systemic change and radical hope, is healing first ourselves, making peace with our past and discovering who we really are.
And because we truly believe, this is not just about food, this is about nourishing the body, the mind and the soul, trough: connecting with the land and creating community. Now, we are building our nature based wellbeing brand : "Garden Wisdom", yes, the same name of the garden! We are designing workshops to facilitate space for deep connection with nature, reflection and art therapy.
We will have our first workshop on December 8th. Ask us directly for bookings. Spots are limited because we want to keep a small and intimate group, having a safe space to explore our year, towards closing 2024.
Thanks everyone for celebrating the Urban Agricultural Month with us!!!
I wish you a great harvesting season on summer!!
Let's keep changing the world empowering communities trough food systems and wellbeing!
Lots of Love!!!
Karen and Ninna!
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