David Holmgren and Su Dennett take Costa for a wander around Melliodora - the legendary permaculture demonstration garden in Victoria's semi-rural Hepburn. Check out Costa's extended interview with David: • Extended interview wit...
6:00 David and the late Bill Mollison devised the term 'permaculture' in the 70s, to describe a set of theories and a model for sustainable living based on 'permanent agriculture.'
“In a way it’s a theory of everything,” says David. “It starts with gardening and how we provide basic things for ourselves [and leads to] a deep sustainability framework for how we progressively reorganise our lives and, through that, society.”
1:15 As well as David and Su, Melliodora has two other households; one where Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar live with their child, Ashar, and a tiny house that is home to Brenna. They all share the labour of the property. Costa also visits Nick and Kirsten's place to learn how to grow oyster mushrooms at home. • Grow your own oyster m...
3:52 At Melliodora there are animals as well as vegetables, fruit and nuts - chickens free range, bees occupy hives by the dam, geese control the orchard and goats provide milk for cheese and yogurt. “All the animals are producer animals rather than consumer animals,” says Su.
5:10 The goats help eat out fire-prone blackberries, and about 20 bunya pines (Araucaria bidwillii) have been planted to try to shade them out as well. They’re now about 30 years old and have finally started producing cones that David hopes will be full of nuts.
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