Courses for 2008
Forthcoming workshops I will be leading in 2008
May 10 & 11th 2008 at Corraig Dulra, Co. Wicklow
Permaculture Design – an Introduction
Weekend €170 [Please note this date has changed; the date given in the printed catalogue is incorrect]
NB- Booking strictly through the Organic Centre
Permaculture is a sustainable design method based on an understanding of natural systems. This introductory 2-day course will show how the principles of permaculture design can be applied in the garden, the home and the community in both rural and urban locations. Participants will gain some practical hands-on experience as well as learning how to apply permaculture in their lives as an empowering response to social and environmental issues.
May 31 Saturday €90
Permaculture Garden Design – an introduction
at the Organic Centre, Leitirim
Permaculture design aims to bring a variety of different plants together to work as a self-sustaining and low maintenance whole. We will explore a variety of ways to apply permaculture ideas to create a productive garden including: Using perennial edible plants and vegetables, forest gardening and creating an instant mulch garden, edible landscaping.
Practical sessions in the afternoon in the center’s forest garden.
July 12/13th 2008 Yurt Wheel Making Workshop, CELT Summer in the Woods at Bealkelly Woods, near Scariff Co Clare
Come and make your own yurt wheel from steam-bent ash in the beautiful Bealkelly woods. Full instructions on making the rest of the frame will be provided along with the wheel to take home with you.
JULY 27th 2008 Permaculture Gardening a Growing Awareness Workshop
Venue: Derryduff Mor, Coomhola, Bantry, Co. Cork Cost: 40 euros Booking: graham@zone5.org
See a permaculture garden in practice; learn about the Instant Mulched garden, perennials and tree crops, and Forest garden Design.
Comments»
Hi there! Website and courses on offer - great!
Also looks like Graham is doing the 3 day Yurt Wheel workshop at Bealkelly Woods, East Clare for CELT - CHECK with him about it and would be great to post it onto your List / Site and possibly, if you’d like to, a link to our CELT site : http://www.celtnet.org
Instant mulch garden with instant slug protection
Hi Graham,
Like to get your input on how to get those lovely mulch plots away from the slugs in the all too important early weeks.
Animal control not an option really, though am always interested in ideas/experiences here.
Cheers
Thanks Niels
The permaculture way is always- “the problem is the solution” and “minimum effort maximum output” which in terms of slugs and mulch means:
1)grow things slugs don’t favour- alliums such as garlic, onions, leeks; are generally a good bet;
2)try growing other seedlings to a larger size before planting out- I might grow squash in up to a three-litre pot for example;
3)otherwise you have the full gamut of slug-prevention measures at your disposal from copper strips to slugging at dusk to encouraging frogs and biodiversity, beer-traps etc.. The dryness of the season and availability of other cover for the slugs such as long grass in the paths is also a consideration.
Slugs can certainly be a bigger issue in straw mulch; seaweed with its salt content may not be so bad. Be aware and happy gardening!
Rather than limiting your diet to alliums try the following.
- If you have deep beds with wooden sides, slide the sides up and check them for slug eggs on a fairly regular basis, then remove the eggs
-check for slugs once it goes dark with a headtorch, put them into a tub perhaps using a twig for the squemish and empty them somewhere well away from your garden.
We live on the wet and windy Isle of Skye which is slug heaven. Using these methods we have very limited and acceptable losses.