Joe's Connected Garden
We are permaculture gardens of neighbours connected by gates . There are around 20 gardens connected, in three locations, growing well over a thousand varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs. We experiment with adapting plants to our changing climate and are engaged in educating people in growing food and sustainable living. School children and volunteers come regularly during the week and we hold frequent courses and workshops for the public, which our international visitors can also attend. While the Gardens are available to be viewed as a private tour by arrangement, we host a big open garden event in February which attracts up to a thousand visitors on the weekend. Travellers can expect to be involved in all aspects of urban farming, including propagating, pruning, preserving, weeding, grafting etc depending on the season. They can also expect to be involved in a wide range of construction and repair tasks, and if they come from November onwards, they will assist in preparation for the open garden. We are a socially engaged community, so visitors will also get to meet our network and participate in activities such as harvesting and distributing surplus produce to food charities when in season. If visitors stay for more than 3 weeks, they will have an opportunity to spend a few days on an off-grid semi-desert property and even learn earth bag construction. Joe, Rosanne and Andrew and the other garden owners welcome visitors to join them on their sustainable living adventure.
Note that the gardens are in the outer suburbs of Adelaide, within easy reach of public transport and that Adelaide is known for its many festivals throughout the year. It is in the top 10 most livable cities in the world and its botanic gardens are in the top 20.
We have accommodated over 40 international volunteer visitors over the past 18 months and have loved the experience. Generally volunteers will cook their own food which we provide. We have many projects in progress and travellers may be able to assist us during the week according to their skills and our needs. We currently have friends of the gardens who assist us during the week, but the garden owners feel that we also have much to offer to people who come from different cultures, climates and soil types and that we can learn much from them as well, especially in adapting to our changing climate.