08/08/2013 - Organic Unit 10325 and Permaculture Unit 21041

Actual Temperature
13 degrees Celsius
Humidity : 71%
Rainfall : 0.00mm
Wind : Light wind

Today the morning class was with Lisa Burton on Organic Unit. She was teaching us on Farm Biodiversity Plan. This plan aims to introduce the concept of biodiversity to the farm by establishing native and introduced plantings on field margins, shelters for beneficial insects, enhanced populations of wild food plants. 

Biodiversity is short for biological diversity. It means the variety of all living things : plants, animals, and micro-organisms, the genes they carry and the land and water ecosystems of which they are a part. Biodiversity has been evolving since the beginning of life. It provides us fresh air, clean water and fertile soil and is the basis of the interconnected web of life on earth. It is essential for the survival of all species, including humans. Biodiversity is the source foods, medicine and industrial raw materials. 

Lisa also elaborated on a sample of Biodiversity Canterbury Farmland on Kowhai Farm map. She also took us to show the samples of  all kinds weeds that some can be eaten,  organic plants and vegetables behind O Block and in Living Campus. Class adjourned at 12.00am.

New Zealand's bush is variable in appearance, but generally the term connotates densely forested areas in Botanical Garden. 

       
   Afternoon my class was with Kim regarding Permaculture and discussion on Ecosystem - Exploring the Wilder Garden. Permaculture is based on what happens in a natural ecosystem and then applied to a cultivated eco system.  We need to observe and interact with water, soil, climate and plants. We also extract and understanding of how these elements work together and then transfer those observations to create a sustainable design for your site. Observation and institution is the key to this exercise and will also be very important when you apply these skills to analyse your site.

These are exercise in observation and enquiry when you are doing the exercise ask yourself "Why is this like this?" The forest is a great teacher. What you learn from a forest bush visit will inform the design processes for your cultivated ecosystems.

By entering the forest we stop and observe what is going at the edge what sort of plants are growing there, what they looks like, Leaf shape, texture, size, colour (look on both sides), structure of the plants - open, dense, tall, low-growing, stems or bark - rough, smooth, dark, light, Soil - its colour, texture, moisture , mulch and air, temperature and moisture and quality of light.

We was given a homework to complete your base plan for your chosen site on a A2 or A3 piece of paper. Draw everything on the site. A base map is a drawing that captures everything that is already on the site. It should includes building, fences, trees, hedges, pathway and driveway, power lines and services. Pay attention to boundary, areas, temperature, winds, types of living organism, anything that i can notice about the space. (Observe and interact using a notebook / scrap book to record the observation.

We went to L Block Greenhouse to plant the seeds with organic composting and seedling raising media  for  Silverbeet Ruby Chard, Tomota Tigerella (Lycopersicon esculentum) and Celeriac Prinz (Apium graveolens rapeceum).