Biointensive Vegetable Gardening Workshop

This 1-day workshop focus on Permaculture gardening concepts, teaching you the techniques, to get you started with organic vegetables year round. From urban gardens to rural farms, this workshop teaches you how to grow more vegetables in less space than you ever imagined.

Design strategies will give you an inspiring insight into how permaculture can redesign your thinking, our future, and our gardens. The course is partly practical and theoretical. There are many tasks that need to be done to ensure that at Terganic we have an abundance of fresh organic produce, and these tasks will form the basis of our experimental learning.

Key course topics will include:

● Cultivation Methods:

Learn about the “No Dig,” “Double Digging,” and “Biointensive” gardening techniques, among others, that can help you create extraordinarily healthy and productive gardens, even if you start from damaged soils or an overgrown neglected plot!

● Integrated Pest Control:

The ecological garden aims to accommodate a diverse range of plants, animals, and insects, mimicking a natural ecosystem to provide services such as pest control and pollination. Learn how to create habitats that attract beneficial insects. Identify the root causes of potential disease and pest problems to create a harmoniously integrated edible ecosystem.

● Vegetable Garden Holistic integration:

Apply the science of permaculture design to map, plan and organize all elements of your garden to maximize efficiency and productivity. No matter the size of your garden, permaculture can help you get the most out of it, in terms of production, energy efficiency, economy, and pleasure.

Day Schedule:

• 8h00: Check in and breakfast
• 9h00-10h15: Ecosystem and Integrated Pest Control
• 10:15-10:30: Coffee break
• 10h30-12h00: Practical Session:The “Double Digging” method.
• 12:00-1:00: Lunch
• 1h00-2h15: Practical Session: Guided Tour.
• 2h15-2h30: Coffee break
• 2h30-4h30: Garden Planning, and garden workflows.

Drinks and finger snacks will be available at the bar as from 4:30 pm at affordable prices.

Camping facilities can be arranged on site for the night before the workshop, and on the Saturday night after the course.

⚠️ Workshops are French spoken but we can arrange English courses for a minimum group of 5 participants on week days. You can send us your requests via our contact page.

● Lunch :

Enjoy Lunch at our Ecovillage Table D'hôtes, and have a farm-to-table experience with Olivier & Anaïs as they will be most happy to introduce you there own experience and philosophies of a resilient lifestyle in connection with the natural ecosystems of their own farm gardens. Lunch includes:

• A Welcoming homemade Juice
• A Buffet lunch (Veg/Non-Veg)
• A Dessert
• And Coffee/Herbal Tea

● Outfit :

Plan a casual outfit to go to the gardens with ease. Boots, hats, and gardening gloves would also be recommended on the farm, as well as sunscreen, and a mosquitoe repellent.

● Accomodation Options :

• For people who wish to stay on-site over the weekend, accommodation is camping style on our camp ground.
• There is one powered container cabin family dormitory glamping style available at La Petite Ferme within our Ecovillage (to be booked for a fee). Contact Olivier on Whatsapp number: ☎ 5963 3495.

● Course location :

Terganic Permaculture Garden Farm forms an integral part of La Meule Permaculture Ecovillage.

Located near Bambou Virieux, this 5 acres magnificent farm has been created from bare ground and managed since 2015 as part of La Meule Ecovillage. It is the first ecovillage farm of its kind in Mauritius designed entirely with the permaculture design methods, where people and nature live in harmony. La Meule Ecovillage is a unique place of 27 acres including energy-independent dwellings, cultivation areas, ponds, enclosures for animals, and much more. The valley of Anse Bambous is a place of permaculture and agroecological experimentation and development of green agro-tourism. Please respect the place and its inhabitants.

● Access to the farm :

Please note that we have about 1 km of agricultural road (chemin cane) before reaching the farm. If you have a very low height car, please arrange accordingly. SUVs, 2x4 and 4x4 would be more appropriate.

● The Training will be animated by:

Thierry Guimbeau, our farm manager and resident teacher: Born in Mauritius.  Thierry is certified in permaculture by Geoff Lawton (A world reference in the permaculture movement). Thierry completed his training in 2012 with a PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate), followed by a 2-month Internship at the Permaculture Research Institute, Zaytuna Farm, Australia. His Training included the following:

• A Biointensive Gardening Course (by Kay Baxter),
• A Seed Saving Course,(by Kay Baxter)
• A Compost Soil Biology & Natural Fertilizer Course (by Paul Taylor),
• A Permaculture Urban Landscape Design Course (by Geoff Lawton/Nick Huggins),
• A Permaculture Earthworks Course (by Geoff Lawton),
• A Permaculture Project Aid Works Course (by Geoff Lawton),and
• A Permaculture Teacher Training Course (by Geoff Lawton).

In addition to his teaching, Thierry also practices consulting and design services in permaculture.

He is a co-founder of La Meule Ecovillage and and founder/manager at Terganic Permaculture.