Saturday 16 October, 33 eager volunteers transformed the front yard of our school into a thriving veggie patch full of sunflowers, climbing beans, chilli plants, leek, chives, passionfruit and gourd vines, cucumbers, zucchinis, nasturtiums, lettuce, tomatoes, oregano, sage, chervil, sorrel, turmeric, lemongrass and dill. Permaculture design specialist, Charlie Brennan (Sacred Places) and a hoard of supportive parents, children and teachers spent the day digging, weeding, laying paper and cardboard, mulching, shovelling sawdust and manure and planting hundreds of healthy seedlings amongst the citrus grove. The sun was out, the day ran smoothly and we all enjoyed a delicious salad supplied by the existing veggie patch! There was tremendous community spirit and ‘Permablitz' enthusiasts from the wider community also assisted on the day. Timber framed beds have extended the food growing capacity of our already prosperous garden and we look forward to sharing the produce with our school and wider Bellingen community.