Transforming Unproductive Landscapes into Productive, Food Sanctuaries
A rare opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind oasis that reflects your unique style and preferences!
Our experienced team is excited to provide you with our complete food solution to help bring your vision to fruition!
Edible Food Landscapes are extremely healthy and beneficial for all life, growing into complex, ecological systems where people, plants and animals interact symbiotically for mutual benefit!
Let’s work together!
- Updating your old garden
- Renovating your home
- Developing for restaurants, cafés
- Farming and homesteading
- Designing for public spaces
From small spaces to large acreages – we can help you!
Services
Our friendly team of food revolutionaries are here to help create YOUR FOOD PARADISE!
Superior Plant Performance!
We encourage the evolution of balanced ecosystems, maximising fertility in the soil and supercharging your garden’s performance!
This is like hitting the accelerator!
2, 3, 4x the growth and nutritional content of conventional agriculture – all while making our lives easier and healing the earth!
You can be harvesting thousands of dollars worth of the rarest and freshest foods, all year long with a stable FOOD ECOSYSTEM that takes the stress out of your life, and grows in value every year!
More About Us
My name is Ben Thatcher,
Rare Fruit Tree Collector, Lead Permaculture Designer,
Edible Landscape Architect and CEO of LivingFoodscapes™
I have always loved fruit trees.
Fruit is the perfect food – ready to eat, delicious, so hydrating and nourishing. Fruit trees provide abundance year after year, sometimes for centuries!
Connecting with Nature – especially in a garden context – is enormously therapeutic, supporting well-being mentally, emotionally and physically.
I was introduced to Permaculture in 2012 and was immediately hooked.
Studying within a Permaculture Design framework gave me needed direction and hope that a better life was possible.
After years of study, trial and error, I eventually gained access to neglected farm-land, and began developing my first large Food Forest.
This was the hot, semi-arid Mediterranean, and the landscape was harsh – exposed to strong sun, wind and frost.
- Australia experienced a nation-wide drought, as such the site received an average of only 30cm of rainfall every year
- The site experienced many deadly heat-waves with consecutive days over 45 – 48⁰C
- When I began my journey the ground was very low quality – like terracotta – compacted and full of rocks!
The combination of scorching sun, strong wind and slope had caused the gradual erosion of the top soil layer, with visible cracks that went deep into the earth.
It looked quite inhospitable.
After years of study, trial and error, I eventually gained access to neglected farm-land, and began developing my first large Food Forest.
This was the hot, semi-arid Mediterranean, and the landscape was harsh – exposed to strong sun, wind and frost.
- Australia experienced a nation-wide drought, as such the site received an average of only 30cm of rainfall every year
- The site experienced many deadly heat-waves with consecutive days over 45 – 48⁰C
- When I began my journey the ground was very low quality – like terracotta – compacted and full of rocks!
The combination of scorching sun, strong wind and slope had caused the gradual erosion of the top soil layer, with visible cracks that went deep into the earth.
It looked very inhospitable.
Despite these challenges,
The DESIGN Worked!
BEFORE AND AFTER
In four years the system had grown so prolifically that I was harvesting a diverse assortment of seasonal, organic food, every single day of the year!
The forest had not even reached maturity, and already I had effectively transformed the barren landscape into a productive ecosystem with a layer of rich, dark, humus soil – smelling like a fresh forest!
I was able to fit hundreds of fruiting species in amongst a support network of dozens of nitrogen fixing and native Australian species, looking truly beautiful!
The sequence of blossoming was constant throughout the year, and it was fascinating to observe the rhythms of my own patterned design!
- Bees and butterflies arrived in large number!
- Rare wildlife returned to the area!
- Volunteer seedling trees began emerging everywhere!
- Fruits and seeds were created in absolute abundance!
This forest quickly grew into a beautiful environment for me to meditate and reconnect with life, breathe purified air and eat the most nutrient-dense, flavoursome, fresh, living foods!
In four years the system had grown so prolifically that I was harvesting a diverse assortment of seasonal, organic food, every single day of the year!
This forest had not even reached maturity and already I had effectively transformed the barren landscape into a productive ecosystem with a layer of rich, dark, humus soil.
I was able to fit hundreds of fruiting species in amongst a support network of dozens of nitrogen fixing and native Australian species, looking truly beautiful!
The sequence of blossoming was constant throughout the year, and it was fascinating to observe the rhythms of my own patterned design!
- Bees and butterflies arrived in large number!
- Rare wildlife returned to the area!
- Volunteer seedling trees began emerging everywhere!
- Fruits and seeds were created in absolute abundance!
Adelaide Permaculture offers enormous untapped potential! Our climate can be elevated from the desolate, hot and dry into a luscious, productive oasis!
EVERYONE deserves to experience the benefits of a Permaculture lifestyle!
Having seen first-hand just what is possible, I know with a bit of hard work we can facilitate a true paradigm shift!
A Permaculture transformation would make Adelaide a MUCH better place to live!
It's amazing how quickly Nature responds
once you harmonise with Natural Law!
Choose fresh, whole, living foods!
Take control of your health and live your BEST LIFE!
Featured Adelaide Permaculture Gallery
Certification
Geoff Lawton has been the most influential Permaculture teacher on my journey, really inspiring and catalysing a lot of my growth as I studied Permaculture.
After studying Permaculture Design video courses with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton, I am grateful to have received this official certificate with the Permaculture Research Institute in 2021.