Our garden (and house) has a permaculture heart, with a focus on harvesting the maximum energy available from the sun and the surrounding natural environment.
We have:
• European Honey Bees
• Chickens in a fully council compliant coop
• Aquaponics system containing 25 Rainbow trout and some goldfish
• Wicking vegetable beds
• Extensive compost system
• Worm farm
• 6KW solar system
• Solar Hot Water
• 6000L rainwater tank
• Wood fired heating (powered exclusively by kerbside foraging)
Our vegetable garden is in our front yard to harness the sun and to inspire others to grow veggies. It’s opened many conversations with people in the neighbourhood and its location means we enjoy it as part of our daily lives.
We’ve created many meals entirely produced from our garden. We focus on maximum productivity with minimum waste. We produce more vegetables, honey, fish and eggs than we can eat, sharing and selling the excess with family, friends and Crop Swap Sydney (Facebook).
We are 100% organic, thriving on manures, compost and worm juice, without the use of herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. The nutrient-rich water from our aquaponics system cycles through the two large grow beds, feeding the veggies which in turn cleans the water, producing abundant leafy greens and fish fresh from the pond.
Our house is called The Hive and the hive theme has been carried through to the design of our hexagonal hardwood wicking beds – a nightmare to build, but beautiful to behold. Wicking means that they are self-watering through a reservoir beneath the soil that is topped up monthly at the most. This efficient system results in no surface evaporation.
Our family of five love our garden, it’s set up to be abundant with minimal effort. We hope you like it too!
See more at https://www.facebook.com/BeeHappyinLaneCove and on instagram @bee_happy_in_sydney
SATURDAY 10am – 4pm
SUNDAY 9am – 4pm
