Ongoing activities

PepperGreen Farm engages people with a disability in supported employment activities. Workers contribute to the development and operation of the farm for the benefit of the community.

Opportunities also exist for volunteers and students to gain work experience and training while making a worthwhile contribution to benefit the community. For example, students from Catholic College Bendigo participated in a pre-apprenticeship construction and building project.

A range of production and sale activities also help to generate income for the farm:
Organic vegetable production, cleaning, sorting and packing.

Water wise plants

The solar propagating house will be used to propagate water-wise garden plants (native and introduced) and seedlings for the market garden.

Water-wise garden beds consisting of drought tolerant plants will be established on the site. The gardens will form part of the water-wise educational program.

Landscaping for biodiversity

A wetland will be constructed at the low point of the property to collect water runoff from the car wash bay, toilet grey water and storm water. Water plants in the wetland will clean the water, enabling it to be reused in the food forest (pumping by solar pump up to a holding tank).

A wildlife corridor along the farm’s boundary will conne carct with the wetland area and Bendigo Creek. Locally occurring indigenous trees, shrubs, understorey and grasses will be used to enhance the biodiversity value of the property as well as the adjacent creek bank. These plants will also serve as an economic resource for the harvesting of wildflowers, foliage and bush food.

Future plantings and ongoing maintenance of the revegetated areas will be undertaken by the workers and volunteers.

Car washing

A clean and water wise car washing service provides employment opportunities as well as income to assist future development of PepperGreen Farm.

Environmental education

Water wise

Other aims include the demonstration of ecologically sustainable practices and techniques in production horticulture, energy use, water use, and biodiversity enhancement.

A water-wise program will be developed in collaboration with WaterWatch (North Central Catchment Management Authority), SaltWatch (Department of Primary Industries) and  Waterwise (Coliban Water). School students will be able to study Bendigo’s water catchment issues of rising water tables and salinity, stormwater runoff and litter.

Energy wise

The energy wise building demonstrates low cost methods of reducing energy use for home heating and cooling. The building was retro-fitted with the financial support of the Department of Sustainability and Environment (Victorian Greenhouse Strategy Community Action Fund) and Sustainability Victoria.

An Energy and Arts Park will complement the building with a range of outdoor interactive energy exhibits for school students to learn more about the principles of energy. An educational program for school children will be developed to promote energy efficiency techniques as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the home.

Chinese industry heritage awareness

The farm will showcase two significant contributions by the Chinese to Bendigo’s development after the gold rush of the 1850s. A unique brick-making kiln was built by Chinese potters in 1859 and shortly after a market garden was also started.

The kiln and market garden interpretation program will form part of the Chinese Heritage Precinct for Bendigo.