Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Lucy and Gavin Roberts, featured on Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild, share their innovative approach to off-grid living at Permaculture Island. One of their key strategies involves turning local garden waste into valuable resources for their food forest and animals.
By reaching out to their local community, Lucy and Gavin began collecting hedge cuttings and garden prunings – materials often considered waste. What started as a simple request has now evolved into a community-supported mulch drop-off service, where neighbours regularly contribute clippings and trimmings.
This initiative has been a game changer for their permaculture project. The mulch breaks down into nutrient-rich compost, increasing soil fertility and enhancing water retention. In fact, compost can hold up to eight times its own weight in water, making it a powerful tool for stabilising land, preventing landslides, and reducing coastal erosion.
By using woodchip mulch in combination with a thriving food forest, they’ve created a natural system that absorbs stormwater, limits surface runoff, and reduces the risk of flooding and further erosion. Their approach highlights the vital role of compost and mulch in climate resilience and land regeneration – a powerful example of permaculture in action.
Check out Inside Permaculture Island: Off-Grid Living on the Isle of Wight – Part 1 here! youtu.be/EsK23p-qfoM
➡️ Don’t miss Part 3: How to Care for Chickens, Pigs & Goats | Permaculture Off-Grid Animal Care – youtu.be/BReHUQo5f_8
Then stay tuned for:
💧 Part 4: Re-Using Water With Wicking Beds and a Passive Solar Greenhouse
🔋 Part 5: Solar Power & Building a Refrigerated Pantry for Energy Independence
👉 Read more about Gavin and Lucy's inspiring story in Permaculture magazine:
permaculture.co.uk/issue/autumn-125
Filmed by T.H. Venner
Lucy and Gavin Roberts, featured on Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild, share their innovative approach to off-grid living at Permaculture Island. One of their key strategies involves turning local garden waste into valuable resources for their food forest and animals.
By reaching out to their local community, Lucy and Gavin began collecting hedge cuttings and garden prunings – materials often considered waste. What started as a simple request has now evolved into a community-supported mulch drop-off service, where neighbours regularly contribute clippings and trimmings.
This initiative has been a game changer for their permaculture project. The mulch breaks down into nutrient-rich compost, increasing soil fertility and enhancing water retention. In fact, compost can hold up to eight times its own weight in water, making it a powerful tool for stabilising land, preventing landslides, and reducing coastal erosion.
By using woodchip mulch in combination with a thriving food forest, they’ve created a natural system that absorbs stormwater, limits surface runoff, and reduces the risk of flooding and further erosion. Their approach highlights the vital role of compost and mulch in climate resilience and land regeneration – a powerful example of permaculture in action.
Check out Inside Permaculture Island: Off-Grid Living on the Isle of Wight – Part 1 here! youtu.be/EsK23p-qfoM
➡️ Don’t miss Part 3: How to Care for Chickens, Pigs & Goats | Permaculture Off-Grid Animal Care – youtu.be/BReHUQo5f_8
Then stay tuned for:
💧 Part 4: Re-Using Water With Wicking Beds and a Passive Solar Greenhouse
🔋 Part 5: Solar Power & Building a Refrigerated Pantry for Energy Independence
👉 Read more about Gavin and Lucy's inspiring story in Permaculture magazine:
permaculture.co.uk/issue/autumn-125
Filmed by T.H. Venner
