SAGE is excited to be offering Backyard Veggie Gardening - a series of three, half-day workshops created to teach how to establish a successful self-sustaining vegetable patch at home. Starting and maintaining an edible vegetable garden isn't really that hard - it requires some time, good guidance and a plan. Alison Walsh – a successful home gardener will be your guide through this series – designed so you are learning and working on what’s appropriate throughout the season. Backyard Veggie Gardening is perfect for a beginner to gardening and wants to learn how to grow food, and is also ideal for those who have a garden but want to learn efficient practices and useful skills to make their garden thrive. These workshops are very practical, so be prepared to get your hands in the dirt. Session 1 – PLANNING ~ Sunday 10 September 2017 (SAGE Garden, 110 Queen St, Moruya) In the first session, you will formulate a plan – a plan of your garden and a plan of what to grow. Having a plan will help you get organised, be more efficient and grow quality produce with greater success. The plan you develop will be specific for your veggie patch at home, and will taking into consideration: • Location and size of your garden, • Different types of garden beds, • Time commitment, • Construction of new beds – pros and cons, • Protection from wildlife and insects, and • What you want to grow. Session 2 – PLANTING ~ Sunday 15 October 2017 (Alison’s Garden, Araluen Rd, Deua Valley) In the planting workshop, you will look at your garden in more detail. Using Alison’s property will give a great reference of a perfect example of both a kitchen garden for everyday produce and a larger garden for more substantial plants. You will learn: • Soil health and ideal growing conditions, • Sowing – seeds vs seedlings, • Support structures, • Watering, • Compost and feeding methods, and • Bed maintenance and hand tools. Session 3 – PROBLEM SOLVING ~ Sunday 11 February 2018 (SAGE Garden, 110 Queen St, Moruya) With three months between workshops, this last workshop will be a review of the season and work through solutions to some of the common problems you may have experienced through the summer growing season. In this workshop you will learn: • Pests and diseases – how to prevent, • Green manure and soil maintenance, • Managing gluts and preparing for the hungry gap • Preparing for the cooler months, and • Lessons learnt and planning for the next season. About your Presenter Alison Walsh, is passionate about gardening and growing quality produce. Gardening since childhood, Alison love of growing food and feeding people continues today. Her wealth of knowledge is seen in the quality of the food she grows. Using natural growing techniques, and a plan, Alison has a constant supply of food that feeds three neighbouring families regularly, with an abundance for the frequent visitors and preserving. In her spare time Alison is a successful Herbalist at Moruya Natural Therapies.
