Want to learn some practical skills and tips for making the most of your garden space? Then come along to one of my workshops, talks or garden coaching sessions and get some great ideas!  Or book one for your community garden, library, school, event or organisation.

Getting hands-on is the best way to learn – here’s a sneek peek from a recent video sharing a few of my tips on container gardening:

 

Upcoming Events

 

 

Saturday, 22 June @ 9.00am – 11.00am – Growing Your Garden for Free – Propagating & Seed Saving Workshop. Come and see how easy it is to save money by learning simple skills to grow your garden from seed, cuttings and other plant materials. I will share tips and techniques to create your veggie patch on a limited budget with minimal garden supplies and tools. Find out how to select, harvest, process and store seeds correctly so you can grow new plants each season. Free plant material to take home and get started. Venue: Cotton Tree Community Gardens, Maroochy Neighbourhood Centre, 2 Fifth Avenue, Cotton Tree, Sunshine Coast. Cost: $5. Bookings required. RSVP to Mark Ellis, Maroochy Neighbourhood Centre – Ph: 07 5443 6696 to register your interest. Limit 40 people. Click here for full event details.

 

Friday, 5 July – Sunday 7 July – QLD Garden Expo. Nambour Showgrounds, Coronation Avenue, Nambour, Sunshine Coast. Get Tickets to the Expo here. I’m involved in the planning and design of this year’s Giant Kitchen Garden at the QLD Garden Expo, Queensland’s largest garden event and excited to be presenting workshops again this year. This year’s theme is COLOUR so you’ll find eye-popping inspiration everywhere and living food gardens to inspire you with loads of ideas. In addition to the packed program and huge number of displays to visit, come along and join me at my workshops or drop in for a chat in the Giant Kitchen Garden area:

Friday 5 July @ 12.00 – 12.45pm: KITCHEN GARDEN STAGE – I’ll be presenting ‘Maximising Your Space & Yields with Vertical Gardens‘ so if you’d like to learn some ways to do more with less space, make sure you come along!

Sunday, 7 July – 12.30 – 1.15pm: KITCHEN GARDEN STAGE – I’ll be inspiring you with ideas in my workshop ‘Easy, Low Cost Edible Gardens for Busy People‘.

In between, you’ll find me in the Giant Kitchen Garden – look for me at the Centre for Growing Sustainability marquee. Click here for more details.

 

 

Wednesday, 24 July @ 9.00am – 11.00am – ‘Garden Art Workshop’. Have a passion for beautifying your garden and incorporating garden art? Come along to this free workshop to be inspired with ways you can get creative and bring a little character and personality to your garden! I’ll be bringing some of my favourite garden art ideas along and some DIY projects to inspire you to get creative. Make your own garden art or as gifts. Venue: Centre for Growing Sustainability, (the old Macadamia Factory building at The Big Pineapple), 76 Nambour Connection Rd, Woombye, Sunshine Coast. Click here for more details.

 

Monday, 5 August – Friday 9 August @ 9.00am – 5.00pm – Urban Permaculture Course. I will be co-facilitating this course with Tom Kendall, Permaculture Research Institute on the Monday/Tuesday. This course will focus on implementing Permaculture principles in a variety of urban contexts including balcony and high rise gardens; courtyards and compact suburban blocks; community and allotment gardens; rental properties; and nature strip verge gardens. It covers the many challenges of growing in these urban spaces and practical solutions to design high yield, low cost/low energy/minimal maintenance edible landscapes. The course includes practical hands-on learning activities and an urban garden tour of local properties. The content is ideal for people seeking to maximise food production and become more self-reliant; those involved in community gardens and shared residential spaces; people wanting to develop a consultancy business in urban Permaculture; and government, community groups or organisations seeking to implement low cost urban food solutions. Click here for full details.

 

Friday, 9 August @ 12.00pm – 12.30pm – The Art of Seed Saving Workshop. The Garden Platform, The Ekka, Showgrounds, Brisbane. More details soon.

 

Sunday, 1 September @ 8.30am – 10.30am – ‘Seedy Sunday’ & Spring Planting. Join me for a free social morning to discuss spring crop planting in the sub-tropics. Come along and share any surplus produce, seeds or cuttings that are growing well in your garden at this time of year or just soak up local knowledge to learn what to grow and how to seed save. It’s a great way for everyone to grow their garden for free. If the weather is kind and not wet or humid, we’ll process more seeds to share/swap. Venue: Sweethearts Cafe, 2 Anzac Street (cnr Rosebed Street), Eudlo, Sunshine Coast. No need to book – just turn up!

 

Sunday 8 September @ 12.30pm – 1.15pm – Quick, Easy Micro Gardens to Boost Health & Flavour. Nourishing Ideas Venue, Real Food Festival, Stanley Rd, Maleny. More details soon – stay up to date with the festival program here.

 

Sunday, 6 October @ 8.30am – 10.30am – ‘Seedy Sunday’. Join me for a free social morning to discuss spring crop planting in the sub-tropics. Come along and share any surplus produce, seeds or cuttings that are growing well in your garden at this time of year or just soak up local knowledge to learn what to grow and how to seed save. It’s a great way for everyone to grow their garden for free. If the weather is kind and not wet or humid, we’ll process more seeds to share/swap. Venue: Sweethearts Cafe, 2 Anzac Street (cnr Rosebed Street), Eudlo, Sunshine Coast. No need to book – just turn up!

 

Saturday, 23 November @ 9.30am – 11.30am – Upcycled Pallet Vertical Garden Workshop. Yandina Community Gardens, Cnr North & Farrell Streets, Yandina. More details soon.

Workshop Topics

 

I present workshops on a range of topics for Permaculture, community gardens, groups, garden clubs, local libraries, schools and home gardeners including:

• “Balcony, Container & Small Gardens” - Micro gardening in the city: How to grow incredible edible gardens indoors and out. Learn how to make wise use of space and resources; choose plants that meet your needs; and the special requirements of small gardens – fertilising, watering and maintenance.

 

 

• “Gardening with Children“ – workshops on a variety of topics including recycling, Christmas, garden-in-a-box, planting seeds & seedlings and sensory gardens.

• “Micro Gardening for Renters“ with small space solutions for those on the move.

• “How to Maximise Your Space & Yields with Vertical Gardens” - how to grow up or down to maximise growing space.

• “Propagating and Seed Saving” - how to grow your garden for free.

• “Upcycled Planters” - creative ways to reuse and recycle containers & everyday items as micro gardens.

• “Frugal Gardening – How to Grow More for Less” – learn how to: Develop a toolkit of resources and strategies to grow a highly productive edible garden without expensive inputs; Make and grow your own garden supplies; Grow plants that earn their place in the garden by providing high value (save or make you money; are multi-functional; long lasting and tummy fillers);  and Make your own (MYO) fertilisers from household waste and free or low cost resources.

• “Designing Beautiful Balconies and Gorgeous Gardens” – design tips and principles for creating an attractive, edible, fragrant and multi-functional sanctuary no matter how big or small your space is.

• “Organic Gardening for Beginners” – the basics of getting started, simple steps to creating your first garden and how to maintain it.

• “Pest and Disease Management” – strategies for working with nature and easy organic solutions for common pest and disease problems in your garden.

Workshops can include practical hands-on sessions, take home samples and notes.

Contact me for a quote or tailor made workshop to suit your community group, event, organisation or audience.

I also provide one-on-one consultations and garden coaching for individuals and families and provide gift certificates.

 

 

Some Feedback from Participants …

 

“Your ideas and concepts were quite amazing and so simple and easy to do.”

“Informative, sustainable, efficient ideas for a better world.”

“Fantastic facilitator, really useful and practical advice, excellent teaching approach. Thank you so much!”

“Very interesting and inspiring. Very ‘DO’able.”

“Very practical, great ideas – well presented.”

“The workshop was fantastic.  It was interactive, very informative and covered a broad range of topics.”

“One of the best I’ve heard.”

“Brilliant…so much good info, presented in a fun & interesting way, will enjoy the notes.”

“Friendly, informative accessible information.  Good range of topics, a valuable couple of hours.”

“Wonderful display, Anne had so much to offer the gardener in small spaces.”

“Awesome!! This was brilliant – do this more often!”

“I will be heading straight to the shops to purchase a box to start my garden – thank you!”

“Very good presentation, hands on approach, very good detailed handouts (workbook).”

“Great, very practical examples.”

“Very knowledgeable presenter – great work.”

“Great tips, easy to understand.”

“Inspirational, easy to follow – I loved it!”

“Very insightful and loved the practical side.”

“Very interesting. Good tips! And good to see and feel the goodies!”

 

Workshops are ‘hands-on’ so participants learn by ‘doing’ as well as a wide range of interactive displays and props.  You are encouraged to smell, taste, touch and get inspired with the materials.  There’s no getting too comfy in your seat at my workshops – I encourage active participation for maximum learning outcomes. Participants learn how to design productive, beautiful, fragrant and multi-functional gardens in small spaces.

 

 

Design skills, how to use free and local low-cost resources and frugal gardening practices are all part of the content.

Some of the hands-on activities can include:

• Learning how to save money by making your own free fertilisers from everyday resources that would otherwise end up in landfill or the rubbish bin.

 

• How to make your own potting mix and an understanding of the benefits of the various ‘ingredients’.

 

 

• How to make a useful tepee from renewable resources in just a minute.  The tepee is demonstrated on how it can be used in micro gardens to maximise use of vertical space.

 

 

• Other demonstrations include how to make your own container wicking bed to save watering, a bokashi bin and mini compost and worm farm systems that suit small spaces, seed saving and propagating skills.

• There are also a wide range of products and ideas on display to inspire you to go home and get started!

 

 

If you have children and would like to get them inspired to start their mini garden in a box, they are welcome to come along too!

 

 

Check back again soon for next workshop dates or contact me for more information.

Happy planting.

Anne

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