Hi everyone!
I have a bit of an update on the CNC Community Garden “Growing Friends” group and the mini-workshops we will be holding.
For $15 a month, $30 a term or $100 a year you can come along to a fully structured mini workshop each month followed by 'working bees’ that are designed to provide all the knowledge you need to be a highly successful gardener or horticulturist.
Each month builds on the previous one, so that by the end we will not only have a brilliantly rejuvenated Community Garden for everyone to share, but also a group of participants who are highly knowledgeable and confident in their skills.
Or, you can just come along to sit and watch, talk, drink tea and direct proceedings. It’s up to you. Everyone is welcome!
Sign up at Creswick Neighbourhood Centre's web page, or I can sign you up on the day.
This is the plan:
AUGUST 2nd 9am – 1pm (ish)
Mini workshop learning how to take cuttings (propagate). We will walk the gardens of the Neighbourhood Centre and discover exactly what to look for when sourcing cutting material. I will also bring in some plants from my garden for us to work on.
We will then be preparing the cuttings and growing them on for later sales to help fund the community garden. If you come along each month you can watch as they grow and be guided through all aspects of the process from cutting to potting up to growing on and then preparing the plants for sale. Let me show you how you can do this yourself to make some extra money on the side or just fill your garden with lovely things.
Working Bee: Today we will be setting out and planting the new perennial bed. I have some plants ready to go in and by participating today you will have a direct influence over the design and layout of this important new addition. We will also be adding to it over the year as we source and propagate new plants.
SEPTEMBER 6th 9am – 1pm (ish)
Mini workshop learning everything about seed sowing. We will be sowing various seeds that we can later sell (including flowering annuals and perennials), we can also add some herbs and annuals to help fill out the perennial bed we planted last month and we will be direct sowing a range of veggies into some of the current raised beds.
Learn some tips and tricks to help give your own seed sowing at home a higher germination rate! We will then check in on our cuttings from last month, and tend to a bit of weeding in the perennial bed if needed.
Working Bee: Today is the big day for building the new raised beds. We will be tackling this in two stages, with about 10 beds to be created in stage one and another 10 or more in stage two. Remember: If you sign on for a term or a year, you will be allocated a raised bed for personal use for that period.
OCTOBER 4th 9am – 1pm (ish)
Mini workshop learning about the importance of soil and how the underground microbiome works to support plant health. This will include some hands-on activities assessing different soils around the gardens as well as in the raised beds. Learn how to assess and improve your soil at home – it really is the key to success in any gardening endeavour.
We will work together on a plan to improve the soil if needed and then implement that plan. This month we start planting out the new raised beds, either direct sowing or transplanting some of the things we have propagated in previous months. We will also check on our cuttings and begin potting them up into tubes.
Working Bee: This month we will be putting in a brand-new nursery area, learning how to erect a simple, cheap and effective shade structure and building some benches to hold our plants for sale. If you have ever been out to my nursery you will be familiar with these – let me show you how to build some for yourself!
Workshops for the rest of the year look like this (but, I am more than happy to adjust based on what everyone is wanting to learn or do):
NOV: Plant Nutrition including how to diagnose deficiencies
DEC: Pests & Diseases
JAN: No Workshop
FEB: Botany for Gardeners
MAR: Compost Making & Worm Farms
APR: Seed Saving & Autumn Cuttings
MAY: Pruning Perennials
JUN: Pruning Fruit Trees
JUL: Propagation by Division
Can't wait to see you there!
Janie
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