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3 weeks ago | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
Hello Friends This May, we’re thrilled to launch our Regenerative Landscape Design – Online Interactive Course! 🌎✨Our goal? To equip you with the confidence, skills, and inspiration to design, build, and manage regenerative landscapes, gardens, and farms. Together, we’ll create spaces that produce food and resources while restoring biodiversity and nurturing ecosystems.
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3 weeks ago | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
Hong Kong is often celebrated for its dazzling skyline and bustling streets, but beneath the steel and glass lies a thriving green heart. Despite its reputation as a concrete jungle, nearly 40% of Hong Kong’s land is dedicated to parks and nature reserves, offering pockets of serenity amid the urban rush. In this article, we explore the unsung heroes of the city—its street trees, pocket gardens, and lush green spaces—that keep Hong Kong breathing, beautiful, and alive.
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1 month ago | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
Jujube Ziziphus spp. Chinese date, bears a fruit that has been cherished for thousands of years but still remains somewhat of a hidden gem in the western world of fruit trees. With its sweet, apple-like flavor and impressive nutritional profile, this hardy tree is a must-have for any garden or orchard. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a curious foodie, let’s dive into the world of jujubes and discover why they deserve a spot in your forest garden/permaculture garden/ regenerative landscape.
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1 month ago | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
Wind can be a silent saboteur in your garden, stunting plant growth, drying out soil, and even keeping beneficial pollinators at bay. Yet, with thoughtful design, a well-placed windbreak can transform your garden into a thriving, resilient space—boosting productivity while reducing maintenance. However, a poorly planned windbreak can backfire, creating issues like frost pockets, root competition, and pest infestations.
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1 month ago | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
It's always a great experience running our Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course where we cover how to Design, Build and Manage Polycultures for Landscapes, Gardens, and Farms. It's particularly rewarding getting to know the participants and their projects from all over the world and watching their ideas and designs grow and develop throughout the course and finally be presented to the group.
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1 month ago | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
It's always a great experience running our Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course where we cover how to Design, Build and Manage Polycultures for Landscapes, Gardens, and Farms. It's particularly rewarding getting to know the participants and their projects from all over the world and watching their ideas and designs grow and develop throughout the course and finally be presented to the group.
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2 months ago | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
It never ceases to amaze me what little indoor space you need to rear thousands of seedlings. We have used two 50 cm x 30 cm x 15 cm trays to germinate approximately 150 seedlings from 10 cultivars. When they get bigger we move them into two 1.3 x 8 m beds covered with polythene to rear them before they take their permanent positions in the gardens in early - mid April.
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2 months ago | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
Following the start of the year on the exquisite Arabian Peninsula, it was marvelous to be back on land full of resplendent chlorophyl. Tanzania is a place of breathtaking landscapes, vibrant culture, awesome people, incredible wildlife and unforgettable adventures. During this post I’ll share some observations from the trip and introduce some of the incredible plants and animals I met along the way, from safari up-country to the mangrove shores of Mafia Island.
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Feb 8, 2025 | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
Welcome to another post from our Polyculture Profile Series. For this post we’re going to look at a compact Polyculture for small spaces that can provide fruits, enhance biodiversity, and is relatively easy to take care of. You may wish to look over thePolyculture Profile Layoutpost before or after reading the profile, where we provide a description of the profile layout and some general notes to consider, should you wish to try to grow the polyculture yourself.
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Feb 2, 2025 | 
thepolycultureproject.substack.com | Paul Alfrey
Malta's capital, Valletta, a city steeped in history, boasts golden limestone buildings that whisper tales of empires past. Yet, amidst this urban landscape, another kind of life thrives. Untamed flora, unassuming wildflowers and tenacious climbers, erupt from cracks and crevices, a testament to nature's enduring spirit. During this post, I'll share my observations of Valletta's street plants, exploring the wild flora that sprouts throughout the city, and take a look at a delightful rooftop garden.
