Experiences

Permaculture Farm Tours

• Available from June 1 to November (or snowfall).
• Tours are 1 hour in length and are tailored to your interests but otherwise can briefly cover water management, fruit tree health, soil health, plant functions, garden development methods, ecological gardening, integrating ducks/chickens, root cellars, growing mushrooms etc.
• $40 per ticket (covers 1-3 people), each additional person is $12
• Please park in the drive-way at the house
• Email to book a time
• To confirm your tour appointment please send an e-transfer to rootedbythebluffs@gmail.com. Cash will also be accepted upon arrival.

“My wife & I had the privilege of taking an on-site visit to Julie Lambert’s permaculture farm following enrollment in her on-line workshop about restoration and pruning techniques for old apple trees.  Julie’s teaching skills are most educational and eclectic.  She shared her knowledge in a professional teaching format and also made available a video format of these procedures from her own old fruit trees on the property.  This workshop then led us to our tour of her permaculture farm.  I was totally enthralled once again, with her knowledge, but more so with her friendly teaching skills and responsiveness to our group’s questions.  Seeing on-site what she spoke of through her workshop and learning how things were designed and for what purpose was the “icing on the cake”!  I would highly recommend connecting with Julie to explore her various topics that might interest or benefit you on your property.” Darrell Belrose

“Meeting Julie in her gardens was an immersive, deeply inspiring and encouraging experience. Julie shares her comprehensive, hands-on and detailed knowledge with generosity and joy, and allowed us to take it in with the eyes of curious children while literally smelling, seeing and even tasting the various leaves and berries of her native gardens. We came back with eyes wide open and eager to improve the soil and the biodiversity of our farm!" Iris Haeussler

Workshops 

Workshops focus on empowering people with knowledge and hands-on experiences so they can develop a more direct relationship to affordable and sustainable food sources. This is about learning how to thrive as sovereign beings among the broken systems.

All workshops are offered with sliding scale pricing to assist those struggling financially. Please pay what you can afford. By contributing towards the higher price range, you are helping others and helping me to sustain my work and livelihood.  

* Please note payments for all workshops are non-refundable but registration is transferable to another individual.  In the event of cancellation due to low registration or other unexpected circumstances, refunds will be issued within 30 days.  

Learn how to create patches of thriving plants that readily yield food, medicine, beauty, and habitat! A guild has a few different definitions, but we will focus on creating a patch of a variety of plants that support each other and a central or key plant, in this case a fruit tree or shrub. Our designs will aim to emulate the patterns of healthy habitats creating an ecologically balanced, and resilient ecosystem.

The goal of this workshop is to work with you to design your very own guild for your property.

Part 1: Guild Preparation & Planning, Sat. February 24, 2024, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Workshop will take place indoors. Snacks and tea will be provided.

• Guild location considerations
• Suitable fruit trees/shrubs for success on your site
• Site preparation
• Plant species and their functions for support the fruit tree

What to bring: knowledge about your property’s climate and micro-climates (e.g. soil type, sun, wind, moisture in different areas) and what you might want to plant – some general ideas will be helpful for your progress in Part 1. Also bring a notebook, writing utensils, water bottle.

$45 to $65, sliding scale pricing for Part 1.

Part 2: Tour & Design, Sun. June 2, 2024, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Workshop will take place partially outdoors, so please dress for the weather.

• Tour will focus on demonstration fruit tree guilds, what worked and what didn’t work. It will also focus on short-term and long-term guild maintenance needs.
• Reviewing your plant selections
• Building your design 
• Guild succession
• How to implement your design

What to bring: Please bring along coloured pencils, notebook, water bottle, appropriate clothing to be outside.

$45 to $65, sliding scale pricing for Part 2.

Maximum 8 people. 
Email to register. An e-transfer will be required to confirm your registration. 
Plants will be available for purchase after the June workshop. 

This workshop will teach you:

• How to assess the health of fruit trees
• Is it worth restoring your fruit tree vs planting a new one?
• Pruning at different times of the year
• Fruit tree structure & growth
• Pruning techniques
• Different tree forms - their benefits and drawbacks
• Tools needed
• Most of this workshop is applicable to other fruit trees too!

BONUS - In-field practice opportunities available!

Additional important info:

• This workshop will be entirely on-line, at your own pace.
• On-line training will be provided through videos. Videos include methodology, processes, and detailed images for explanation, as well as in-field demonstrations covering all techniques learned. 
• Your individual link will be provided to you after registration via email. Videos are accessible until March 30th.

Email to register. An e-transfer will be required to confirm your registration.

In this workshop we will practice grafting on wild apple trees at Keppel Croft Gardens. This will help you get a feel for the practice. Pre-order rootstock and scionwood to graft your very own apple or pear tree ($23 per tree, valued at $40). You will learn what to look for when collecting scionwood, how to store scionwood, grafting care, the keys for successful grafting, and the importance of timing.

Additional important info:

• This workshop will be entirely outdoors, please dress for the weather.
• Bring a clean, very sharp grafting knife, or a thin knife with a single bevel, and a pair of clean, sharp pruners.  (If your knife is new, it still needs to be sharpened). A pair of cut-resistant gloves would also be great to bring.
• You are welcome to eat your lunch on the Keppel Croft Gardens, after the workshop.

We cannot graft in the rain, so if it is rainy, we will reschedule to the same time on Sunday, April 28. 

Email to register. An e-transfer will be required to confirm your registration.

HERBAL TEA WORKSHOP WILL BE HAPPENING AGAIN IN JULY 2025!