Dancing, that's what all the trees at MESA HARMONY GARDEN must be doing as I write. All the fresh rainwater soaking down into those swales we were just getting started on this time last year, storing water in the ground to keep things growing abundantly into the new year.

Please join us this Saturday for our regular monthly volunteer workday.

Volunteering is the perfect opportunity to get more hands-on experience of Permaculture in practice – and all in a good cause of supplying the Foodbank with Sustainable, Organic, Local food for people in need.

This month we will be getting ready for our party on October 20th to celebrate our first year, and preparing for autumn planting with regular maintenance: weeding, mulching etc.. Please bring tools (including pitchforks and a wheel-barrow) if you can.

October 8th, 9am–12:30pm Corner of Meigs Rd and Dolores Drive

Hope to see you there!

Hugh

Healthy forests maintain, fertilize, and renew themselves, naturally. Wouldn't you like to grow an abundant food-producing ecosystem like this in your back yard? You can!

Edible forest gardens mimic the structure and function of natural forests through all their stages of development and grow food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizers, and fun. They can meet our own needs and regenerate healthy ecosystems at the same time.

Dave Jacke's talk introduces the vision of forest gardening, including scientific background, a few living examples, and a sampling of perennial edibles you can use in your own garden. Jacke will also touch on ecological principles that lie at the core of forest garden design, and apply equally well to how we might design human social systems.

Dave Jacke is the primary author of the award winning two-volume book Edible Forest Gardens. He has studied ecology and design since the 1970s, and has run his own design firm Dynamics Ecological Design, since 1984. An engaging and passionate teacher of ecological design and permaculture, Dave has designed, built, and planted landscapes, homes, farms, and communities in many parts of the United States, as well as overseas. He is a co-founder of Land Trust at Gap Mountain in Jaffrey, NH, and holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Simon's Rock College and a M.A. in Landscape Design from the Conway School of Landscape Design. -

Mesa Harmony Garden is a food forest in the making, started by a group of students in the Projects in Sustainability class at Santa Barbara City College, who wanted to see a community garden on the Mesa. Located and supported enthusiastically by Holy Cross Catholic Church who leased the land to the group, the project engages members of the business community, church parishioners, student volunteers and neighbors. In addition to teaching sustainable living, it has an intent to ultimately provide food for the needy with the Santa Barbara Food Bank's Backyard Bounty program. Along with many other food producing plants, over 100 trees have been planted so far, 300 are planned, with the local permaculture community providing knowledge and food forest expertise.

Mesa Harmony Garden celebrates its one year anniversary, October, 2011.

Honored at the evening program will be those whose efforts have made Mesa Harmony Garden a reality.

Members of the Mesa Harmony Garden will be available to answer questions about their evolving food forest in the courtyard before the talk begins.

The event takes place on Monday, October 10, 7:30 - 9pm, at the Fe Bland Auditorium, SBCC West Campus, 721 Cliff Dr, SB 93109. Admission $15 garden supporter/$10 general/$5 students, no reservations required. The event is sponsored by the SBCC Center for Sustainability.

SBCC Center for Sustainability http://sustainability.sbcc.edu, sbpcnet@silcom.com, (805) 965-0581, ext 2177

More Info:

Mesa Harmony Garden

www.mesaharmonygarden.org

Dave Jacke/Edible Forest Gardens
http://www.edibleforestgardens.com/