Welcome to Purple Pear Organics
Overview
Purple Pear operates on 14 acres just outside Maitland in the Hunter Valley. The aim of the farm is to produce sustainable outcomes on a small scale agricultural endeavour. We have a market garden designed along the principles of a mandala garden and are establishing table olives and grapes as well as nut trees to supplement the food boxes we distribute in a community supported agriculture box system to the local community.
The operation
To make the system function to its potential we practice permaculture, through design and striving to follow the ethics and principles, and biodynamics through the application of the biodynamic preparations and use of the planting calendar. The aspects of organic growing inherent in permaculture and biodynamics have been practiced here for many years especially through association with the Hunter Organic Growers.
Education
We share the knowledge we have gained and the model we have produced at Purple Pear, through education sessions run as field days, permaculture design courses and guided tours of the property. We will soon add biodynamics.
Conclusion
Working at Purple Pear is very rewarding, although the return on investment in time and money is slow. We acknowledge the contribution of friends in the Hunter Organic Growers and in the Hunter Biodynamic Group and the efforts of WWOOFers. Without these communities it would not have been possible to achieve the levels of development we have achieved.
Testamonial
Having fiddled around in my garden for many years with varying degrees of success, I realised I actually didn't understand how growing food really worked... and neither did my friends. So I gathered them up and together we did the PDC course with Mark and Kate. It was a fabulous experience on many levels. Not only did we begin to understand the process but we applied it as well. Through practical projects on the farm and ceating designs for our own backyards, the principles of permaculture slowly took hold in our minds and our imaginations. Mark's teaching style may be laid back but it's built on a base of extensive knowledge as well as practical wisdom and experience. Too bad about his jokes, but hey, you can't have everything. All that should have been enough but there was more. We also spent time hanging out on the verandah eating Kate's delicious home-cooked food, having a cuppa or three and talking through ideas with other like-minded souls. The course was a truly satisfying experience on many levels and the practices I've learnt have helped me enormously in designing my gardens and growing food organically. When the course was over, we formed a group to continue the experience. The Gardening Goddesses gather each month in someone's garden and work on a project together. We've built frogponds, a rock wall, chook domes, compost heaps, many raised vegetable beds, planted out heaps of seedlings and given TLC to neglected plots. We've shared seeds, cuttings, seedlings, successes and failures. So the tradition lives on and so of course do the delicious morning teas. Thanks Mark and Kate for so generously sharing your knowledge and your home. The ripples in the pond continue to spread as a result.
M Beckett
