November Field Day: Chiala & Nestor's Place
Time & Location
26 Nov, 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm Bolton Point, Bolton Point NSW 2283, Australia
About the Event
The house on Korekoba place came under the care and attention of Chiala Hernandez & Nestor Gutierrez in the early months of 2019. Back then the couple was at the very beginning of their journey into the various aspects of observing and attending to the natural world.
Chiala, a Civil Engineer by academic formation and Nestor, an Accountant, began examining some of their habits in 2016 and decided to remove in as much as possible single use plastic in their food and food related products; their journey have taken them into permaculture, urban gardening, natural system and regenerative agriculture.
The main idea behind their practice, is aiming to achieve a pleasant, natural way of farming, which results in making the work easier instead of harder. As expressed by Masanobu Fukuoka, on his One Straw Revolution, realising there is no need to plough, no need to apply fertilizers, no need to make compost, no need to use insecticide; allowing the land the ability to become self dependant and not dependant on traditional Industrial agricultural practices; bringing forward a natural balance that enables the idea and the possibility of a beautiful home garden, that provides not only food, but also habitat to many other animals.
The house is located on a north facing, 600sqm lot, of which around 300sqm have been adapted to grow a varieties of trees and plants to provide habitant and sustenance to as many animals as possible. Some of the biggest challenges for the couple have been growing and planting trees on a greater than 20 degrees slope terrain, generating new soil with greater microbiology and preventing soil erosion.
Systems and Practices at #Korekobaplace
- No dig gardening
- Chickens & Ducks, promote soil health and provide food to residents
- Inter-planting
- Heavy Use of woodchips for soil creation
- Composting of animal manure (Dogs)
- Water preservation techniques
- Use of Vetiver grass as hedge and support against soil erosion
- Planting of Cassava to break and aerate hard soil
- Leaving of root system after harvesting of fruits / Vegetables to maintain soil biology
- Chop and drop
- Planting of nitrogen fixer i.e. Acacias
- Neighbour involvement – provide cardboard and other materials
If you wish to see their garden you are welcome to visit them on Instagram under the handle KorekobaPlaceGarden or the tags #KorekobaPlaceGarden #Korekobateam #Korekobafamily on Facebook and Instagram. Schedule 2pm Arrive and start with a cuppa (bring your own mug) 2:30pm Tour of Korekoba Place Garden by Chiala and Nestor 3:30pm Afternoon tea/dinner. Bring a plate to share and celebrate another year of gardening & HOGS 6pm Estimated end of festivities (feel free to leave at any time) Please Bring A plate of food to share, your own plate/cutlery/mug, a chair and any surplus produce, seeds or seedling you'd like to bring for the swap & share table
How to book... You need to be a current (financial) member to book this event. Log into your account (top right of the website) and you'll be able to book via the members only tab or the RSVP link below. Please get in touch with us if you would like to attend but are having any issues booking the event.
