
Brogo Permaculture Gardens
View our 2018 video, then see how we built our off grid permaculture home,farm and business
Brogo Permacuture Gardens
Brogo Permaculture Gardens is on Yuin country in the far south coast of NSW.
The property features an off grid, solar powered ,owner built house and permaculture gardens that started to be planted nearly 30 years ago.
Water and solar are harvested on property and greywater and human waste utilised within the closed system.
A range of permaculture gardening techniques are used; mulch is grown to use on the farm, certified organic farming is undertaken and there are examples of raised beds, composting and kitchen gardens as well as poultry systems and a food forest .
At Brogo Permaculture Gardens we want to inspire others to develop an understanding of permaculture and to look to permaculture to promote self and community resilience. We also aim to run some of the best permaculture courses in NSW and as John has just completed teaching his 50th Permaculture Design Course we think we are doing something right!.
Living permaculture, we know that it works.
The Early Years
Our first years were spent designing the permaculture farm we wanted and working on our owner built, off grid, mudbrick home while raising our 5 children

In 1985 the land was purchased

Cattle farm to become permaculture farm

Solar access and gravity for water was critical

Tree houses are a necessity for permaculture kids

The mountain that brings us home

Good access is critical, driveway taking shape

Earthworks can be confronting for owner builders

The plan started to become reality

4000+ bricks, a never ending job

Did we ever mention when we thought we might give up?

Owner building can take time.

Off grid living. Water collection and solar access.
Starting Brogo Permaculture Garden
Our aim for the property was to raise our 5 kids in the most sustainable lifestyle possible. As wel as our off grid owner built home we wanted to develop permaculture gardens to feed our family of seven and to demonstrate what could be achieved with permaculture

Developing the shelterbelt was critical for wind protection as well as a barrier for traffic noise and dust from the road

During the building phase we took time to establish our fist orchard

We did make the decision to cover the orchard as we moved on

Prior to fencing the tyres allowed the trees to grow despite the attraction for wallabies

Slow beginnings and a long drought impacted on the citrus orchard but now we have an oversupply

Walk in anti-aviary covered orchard works well for us

Because you can never have enough fruit right

Our third orchard with espaliered fruiting trees

We grew vegetables from the beginning but once the building was completed we moved on to a more permanent garden

Scavenged fridge boxes -perfect for reuse

In drought prone country it's important to use all water storage options

No town supply where we are so we have a number of small dams and ponds as well as tank water