Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Starting a backyard veggie patch workshop


On Saturday the 10th May we finally had our “Starting a backyard veggie patch” workshop at the Kiama Community Garden. We had been thwarted by the weather on the previous two attempts so it was wonderful to finally get it underway.

 
Listening intently to Maria in the theory part of the workshop



As you can see the workshop was well attended and very well organised by Julie from Kiama Council. Kiama Council had organised the workshop in response to interest from residents in the area.

 

As we sat on the seating circle Maria imparted her considerable knowledge about starting a veggie patch in a clear and readily understood way.  Maria went through the theory of starting a backyard veggie patch including, site assessment, design, concepts of soil health, and the no-dig process, among other things. She was delighted by questions from the participants. We then had a lovely tea break and happily chatted amongst ourselves.

Spreading the layers of the no-dig "lasagne" in the raised bed
 

After the tea break we made two no-dig beds in practice. The first no-dig bed was in a raised garden bed. This showed how the no-dig system can be adapted to smaller sites, sites on balconies etc,  or site needing to take into account accessibility. It also was a manageable way to explain the layering of the different elements of the no-dig “lasagne”.

 
We then moved on to the upper terrace of the garden to build the on-ground no-dig garden. This was a much bigger area. Maria explained how no-dig gardening can help build up poor soils with out tillage. It also has advantages in gently managing pests and nutrient issues.

 

Making the on-ground no-dig bed before the rain comes

 

We used the same “menu” for the on-ground no-dig “lasagne”. Once the beds had been prepared we pocket planted some seedlings.

 

Thank you Julie from Kiama Council and the community gardeners who volunteered their time to make the day such a success. We would also like to thank the residents/participants for their interest and patience through the unavoidable rescheduling due to the weather.

 

Keep checking this blog site for more posts, workshops and events.

 

Also, keep an eye on our new facebook page:

 

https://www.facebook.com/KiamaCommunityGarden

The finished on-ground no-dig bed