The Big Planting Weekend(s)

The Big Planting Weekend(s) at Hawkridge Homestead

A collective act of care, labour, and seasonal transition

Every year, there is a moment when the farm turns a corner.

The soil is ready. Seedlings are waiting. The weather is (usually) cooperative. And the amount of work required exceeds what one household can—or should—do alone.

The Big Planting Weekend is when we meet that moment together.

This year, we are offering two planting weekends to make participation more accessible and to spread the labour more sustainably:

• Part 1: May 15-18, 2026

• Part 2: May 23-34, 2026

Participants are welcome to join for one day, one full weekend, or both weekends, depending on capacity and interest. Camping overnight at the farm is available for those who want to stay.

What This Weekend Is About

The Big Planting Weekend is not a workshop. It is a collective work gathering grounded in permaculture ethics, community care, and shared responsibility.

Over these weekends, we will be:

• transplanting thousands of seedlings into gardens and fields

• direct sowing crops for summer and fall

• building and adjusting trellises and supports

• mulching, watering, and stabilizing young plants

• preparing systems that will carry the farm through the growing season

This is intensive labour, and it is also deeply social. Work is interwoven with shared meals, conversation, rest, learning-by-doing, and time around the fire.

People come not just to help plant food, but to practice another way of being together—one where care, skill-sharing, and mutual support are as important as getting things done.

Learning Through Doing (Together)

There is no single instructor for the weekend.

Learning happens through:

• working side by side

• asking questions as they arise

• sharing experience across different skill levels

• making decisions together in response to real conditions

We’ll talk about:

• why certain crops go where they do

• how timing and spacing affect long-term yields

• how to read soil, weather, and plant stress

• how permaculture design shows up in very practical ways

If you’ve never planted at this scale before, you’ll learn a lot.
If you have, your experience is part of what makes the weekend work.

Camping, Care, and Community

Participants are welcome to camp overnight at the farm during each weekend. Evenings are intentionally slower: shared dinners, campfires, long conversations, and rest.

Children are welcome. Care work is part of the system. No one is expected to work at full capacity all day.

We work hard—and we stop when we need to.

How the Two-Part Structure Works

Splitting the planting into two weekends allows:

• more flexibility for participants

• a more sustainable pace of work

• time between weekends to observe, adjust, and respond

Each weekend will have its own focus depending on weather and crop readiness, but both are part of the same collective effort. You do not need to attend both to participate meaningfully.

What to Expect

• Full days of physical, hands-on work (with breaks)

• Tasks adapted to different bodies, skills, and energy levels

• Shared meals and informal learning throughout the day

• Working outdoors in all weather conditions

• A strong emphasis on consent, communication, and care

No prior farming experience is required.

Shared Commitments

This gathering is guided by the same values as Permaclub:

• care comes first (people and land)

• labour is reciprocal, not extractive

• learning is collective and co-created

• we actively practice inclusion and anti-oppression

• everyone contributes in ways that are realistic for them

Practical Notes

• Biosecurity: Please do not wear footwear or farm clothing that has been used on other farms without sanitizing them first.

• Weather: We work in all weather. Please dress accordingly.

• Food: Shared meals will be coordinated; details provided closer to the event.

• Camping: Camping details, accessibility notes, and logistics will be shared with registered participants.

Why This Matters

Planting weekends are where the season is set. They are also where community is made—through shared effort, shared responsibility, and shared time.

If you want to understand what permaculture looks like beyond diagrams and theory, this is it: people, land, and care moving together at the pace the season requires.

We’d love to have you with us—for a day, a weekend, or however you can show up.