Edible gardens program returns

HAVE you ever thought about growing food in your own backyard, but never got around to it?

Golden Plains Shire’s Edible Gardens workshops, which debuted in August, are back with a new free webinar series for beginner and learning gardeners, launching later this month.

The series involves three workshops on how to turn any garden into a fresh produce space without the use of chemicals, as well as three workshops teaching amateur gardeners the best techniques to grow and care for tomatoes.

Qualified horticulturalist Craig Castree, who has been growing his own food at home for over 45 years, will present the webinars.

Shire mayor Cr Helena Kirby said the workshops are designed to increase sustainable practices across the municipality.

“The three Edible Gardens 2 webinars and three Growing Tomatoes Online Masterclasses with Craig Castree have been planned based on community feedback about the first Edible Gardens series,” she said.

“The sessions are free and tailored to suit gardeners in the Golden Plains Shire community. As the weather warms up, now is the perfect time to start preparing an edible garden and growing delicious, healthy produce in your own backyard.”

All webinars will explore strategies to deal with gardening challenges, including time and space constraints, and adapting to different weather conditions.

The three Edible Gardens workshops are suitable for gardeners of all abilities and will run at 6.30pm to 7.30pm on Thursdays, 18 November, and 2 and 16 December.

The Growing Tomatoes workshops will run at the same time on Wednesday, 24 November and Thursdays, 9 and 23 December.

The program is part of the Golden Plains Shire Golden Growers and State Government’s Community Activation Social Isolation initiatives.

To register for any of the workshops, head to goldenplains.vic.gov.au/edible-gardens.