An unused soccer pitch at Bellarine Secondary College (BSC) will be transformed into a 1.5 acre permaculture market garden in 24 hours, but no shovels will be needed.
The no-dig festival is taking place at BSC Drysdale Campus on October 1 and 2 and is the brainchild of BSC, Bellarine Community Health (BCH) and Farm My School Ltd (FMS) founders Ben Shaw and James McLennan.
“A no-dig garden is one you don’t have to dig,” environmental and sustainability education expert James McLennan said.
“Although this event is ground-breaking, we won’t actually be breaking any ground.
“Also known as a lasagne garden, it involves layering organic material to build diversity and soil health. To build our farm we will be using renewable resources which have been generously donated from local businesses, such as newspapers, straw, manure, cardboard, and coffee grounds. This delicious melting mix of goodness results in the perfect growing environment for vegies.”
Community members can take part in the ‘farm built within a school’ project.
“Come along and be a part of the largest and longest no-dig project ever to be undertaken in the universe,” local permaculturist Ben Shaw said.
“We are planning to build a farm in 24 hours. Yes, you heard that right.
“Schools are mostly under-utilised outside of school hours. We want to activate these spaces and transform the school into a vibrant community hub all-year round.
“We believe schools can help realise the vision for better food security and accessibility for families while also mitigating the impacts of climate change by localising food production and reducing the carbon footprint of the food we eat.”
The commercially viable market garden will provide regular produce to school families through affordable weekly organic vegie boxes and supply fresh food to the school canteen.
BCH and BSC believe the project will strengthen the local food system and increase access to locally grown healthy and affordable food for families in the community.
Participants are being asked to pay what they can for a ticket up to the cost of $20, with proceeds contributing to the cost of running the workshops. Children are free. Visit farmmyschool.com/build-a-farm-in-day to book.
