Grow. Gather. Graze. – Edible Gardening With Laurie Green

Edible Gardening With Laurie Green

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What We Do.

Grow.Gather.Graze is committed to empowering individuals & communities to produce local & sustainable food – no matter how big or small their space.

We educate across a wide range of topics & our design work covers all aspects of edible gardening, from urban backyards, larger properties & corporate spaces, to schools & community gardens.

Every project is different but all of our work centres around a love of sustainability, a passion for homegrown food & a deep belief in fostering communities that create resilience in a changing world.

We’ve designed humble herb gardens, school veggie patches, food forests & chicken coops; built community through Crop Swap Australia, our own share economy; constructed produce stands, taught students about the origins of popcorn, integrated passive watering solutions & even catered a sustainable hens party complete with a natural dyeing workshop.

We truly believe in the work that we do & would love to help you live a more sustainable life. Here are some ways to work with us.

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About Laurie Green.

Proud recipient of three Better Business Partnership Sustainable Business Awards in 2023!

Purpose & Impact Category Winner
People’s Choice Award
Second Overall Better Business Partnership Sustainable Business 2023

Laurie Green, director & lead designer is based in Sydney. She is a strong community advocate in the field, has an engaged online following & 15 years of edible gardening experience that ranges from small scale indoor patches, to balconies, schools, community gardens & off grid acreage.

Originally trained as a graphics & textiles designer, she started her permaculture training in 2012 through well-renowned Milkwood & completed her Permaculture design certificate through Limestone Permaculture in 2021.

Acknowledging the different needs of every client, & working with the challenges of each site, she endeavours to return nature to the forefront at every opportunity.

These days Laurie channels her creativity into community food projects, urban permaculture, low waste living, organics & into her writing for The Sustainable Living Magazine.

In 2015 she founded a share economy named Crop Swap Australia which facilitates the swapping of homegrown produce, seeds and plants through local, cashless markets. These groups have proven to successfully build local community, increase awareness around sustainable living practices, reduce food waste & help people to eat better for less. The initiative currently operates over 30 national groups with an additional one in Vancouver Canada, and has an audience of over 50k.

Most recently, she wrote and designed an international corporate gardening program for Vegepod. As part of this program Laurie will present the Sydney based workshops to businesses to help them grow and learn as a team, encouraging creativity, strengthening relationships and promoting healthy eating habits.

Professionally, Laurie also runs sustainable events, consults for ethical brands, facilitates the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability’s Sustainable Food Production education program, supplies unusual produce and edible flowers to Sydney restaurants, does speaking engagements, designs permaculture gardens, and is a founding member of the team behind the Sydney Edible Garden Trail which launched in March 2020.

At home, she has two children and a passion for low-tox living where she makes yoghurt, sourdough, kombucha & soft cheese. When she’s not foraging or in her own urban permaculture garden, she can be found making natural products from homegrown ingredients, such as inks, dyes, spice mixes, teas, bath products, kids spinning tops & musical shakers.

Laurie has worked with organisations such as Pocket City Farms, Pukka, Vegepod, The Swag, local councils, community gardens, schools & Permaculture groups. Her work has been featured in a range of publications and was showcased at the 2018 Google Food APAC conference, but this write up by The Planthunter digs deep & talks about more than the dirt under her fingernails.

She’s traveled, met some amazing people, eaten good food, and hopes to continue that way of life for a long time yet.

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Our Services.

1. Education.

– If You’re Starting Out –

Consultation

For those wanting to start their patch from scratch we provide consultations to give you some direction & inspiration before you dive in. These sessions can be used to discuss what’s possible on your site, or to simply bounce ideas around about a smaller project (such as helping you to create a seasonal planting calendar based on what you like to eat.) This time can also be used to form a brief as part of a larger design project.

Get in touch for a quote based on your space, project aspirations and location.

Ongoing Mentoring

Some of the best time spent learning is within your own garden. This is why we offer mentorship where we can join you for a few hours on site to discuss seasonal planting, talk about natural pest control, chicken management or any other tasks that you feel you’d like to learn about one on one in your specific environment.

These sessions can be scheduled weekly, monthly or seasonally for as long as you require. If this sounds like what you’re after then get in touch.

2. Design.

– If You’re Scaling Up –

Garden Design

Maybe you have some ideas about what you want, or you already have a garden that needs some work, re-planning, or you’re expanding! Then we’d love to work with you in this way. We can help you turn any patch into a productive & purposeful one.

Our design work is based on permaculture principles that we use to analyse & assess spaces before designing them. If you don’t know anything about permaculture that’s ok. This set of principles can be used to design a herb garden or a large farm. They help us to see your space as part of a larger system (taking into account it’s surrounding environment), inform how you will interact with it & enable it to perform to maximum efficiency.

Click Here to See Some of Our Recent Design Work

Click Here to Read More About Our Permaculture Garden Design

The satisfaction that comes from creating a tailored, site specific design that also makes a space more productive and functional, is a wonderful thing.

In order for us to understand your needs, and put together a brief, we start this process with an onsite visit at a consultation rate as above.

During this time we:

Undertake a full site analysis
Consider the elements of design for inclusion
Gain an understanding of how you would like to use the space
Discuss the time you are able to commit to the finished product
Understand how you like to eat & therefore what you would like to grow

Next a base map is created. Then we consider the brief, your lifestyle and site specifics which allow us to divide the space using the six permaculture zones. These relate to the amount of attention and space each area requires, and informs how you will interact with the design elements. The zone closest to the house, which may include a herb garden, is used intensively, but an area of bush at the base of a block may only be visited sometimes.

These zone designs include:

Base map of the space which denotes key existing features
Zoned map using the 6 permaculture principles which are based upon time spent, usage and specific practicalities.
Individual breakdowns for each of these zones are also provided in annotated map form.

All of these details are then accompanied by a comprehensive document which provides:

Product recommendations
Plant lists
Suppliers
Specifications
Inspiration images and more.

The detail provided in your final document allows you to bring your design to life on your own, with our help or with a combination of the two. This can be done at whatever pace works for your budget, time and lifestyle. Some designs are not expected to be fully realised for up to 5 years or more. A garden is an ephemeral being and is never really finished! We don’t try and up sell anything further, we just believe that planning is money well spent.

As the scale, detail and needs of every client are different, we provide custom quotes for this process based on your brief.

Click Here to Read More About Our Implementation Capabilities

As the scale, detail and implementation of every job is different, we provide custom quotes through a streamlined process. Please get in touch and tell us about the specifics of your project (include photos where possible).

3. Community.

– Where We Come Together –

Since 2015 Laurie has been gathering people to celebrate local food. From starting the Crop Swap initiative, to running workshops, and as a co-founder of the Sydney Edible Garden Trail, community is something that she is truly passionate about.

Join your local Crop Swap community!

In 2015 Laurie started the first Crop Swap Australia community in Sydney. This not for profit network now facilitates swapping between over 50,000 Australians in local communities. It has also inspired other like-minded groups around the country & world. There’s even a Crop Swap Vancouver, Canada!

Crop Swap facilitates the swapping of homegrown produce, seeds and edible plants through local, cashless markets, connecting like-minded people. These groups build community, reduce food waste and help people to eat better, for less. Join your local group, or start your own, to meet the growers of your food, get local growing tips, share recipes & a bounty of sustainable knowledge.

Depending on the group swapping is available via face to face events, or online via your local Crop Swap Facebook group. Get more of what you want, and less of what you don’t, without wasting the fruits of your labour – literally.

Attend or run a workshop!

Events can be run virtually or in person for private enterprise, community groups, local councils or individuals. Please get in touch to discuss your needs further.

Click Here to See Some Workshops We've Run For Clients and Councils

We’re always open to ideas & are happy to tailor events to specific requirements.

Be inspired by backyard growers!

The Sydney Edible Garden Trail, is an urban agricultural trail, celebrating the many ways that Sydney residents are creating food security and building self-reliance, saving money and the environment, while enjoying the health benefits of homegrown fruit and veg.

Our aim is to encourage and inspire growing edible produce in street gardens, home gardens and public spaces across Sydney.

This physical & virtual community event also showcases sustainable practices such as mulching for water conservation, recycling & composting to increase soil fertility & reduce landfill, planting to encourage bees, home food production to increase food security, & organic growing techniques to reduce chemical use.

This is a volunteer run, community not-for-profit event with profits going to a grants program that facilitates the building & improving of school & community edible gardens.

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Media & Publications

Over the years, we’ve been featured in, & contributed to, an extensive list of publications & programs for individuals, schools, corporations & industry.

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Experience and Clients

We feel very lucky to have worked with a broad range of pioneering brands, truly genuine industry professionals & organisations working for good in our changing world.

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Testimonials

Emma Treadgold

“Laurie has a unique energy that encourages you to think a bit more carefully about how we are living on this planet. Her passion for growing edible plants, community engagement and sustainability is infectious and fun. Combined with a professional attitude, she creates meaningful experiences for her clients that will have a lasting impact on our communities.”

Lucinda Coates

“I wholeheartedly recommend Laurie. I have been practising Permaculture for over a decade but even so, Laurie was able to help me coalesce some rather vague ideas about incorporating chickens into my growing systems. She was able to think outside the parameters I had subconsciously set myself and recognised that, in my townhouse garden, an alternative (quails!) would probably work better. Laurie also helped me out with suggestions for housing systems, useful poultry fodder/ medicinal plants.”

Luke H.

“While a commitment to detail was the basis of Laurie’s approach, it was soon clear just how creative she would be (a function of her training as a graphic designer).

That rare combination — of functionality, care and imagination — shone through in every aspect of the garden design she produced.

Laurie’s knowledge of permaculture’s six zones was remarkable, and every single aspect of her carefully thought through plan was met with surprise and delight. I recommend her without reservation to anyone considering designing the garden of their dreams, in harmony with the natural world.”

Early childhood educator

“Laurie was an excellent presenter and we appreciated her bringing many trimmings, off cuts, samples, accessories and books to further enhance her highly informative talk. I would have loved to have seen photos of her own garden and see the plants growing in different positions. Overall, I was extremely impressed and would highly recommend Laurie for other talks about gardening.”

Rachel Jelley

“What a privilege it is to use Laurie’s incredible edible flowers on our dishes here at Hearth & Soul. Not only are they absolutely stunning and utterly delicious, I know that they have been grown by someone with a deep connection to the earth and nature, and that makes them extra special. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to have these delicious beauties gracing our plates – thank you Laurie for nurturing them for us.”

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Where to Find us

We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land that we now call Sydney. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Email us at:

hello@growgathergraze.com

Grow.Gather.Graze