Coast and Cultivate - Cool Season Soil Preparation for Growing Vegetables

Gardens • Habitat • Sustainable Food | June - November 2026

The second of a seven-event series of talks, garden visits and concluding with a shared meal for communities on Ngambaa Country.

Rachel Freeman, Horticulturalist.

Soil management is the most important factor in supporting plant growth. This session will introduce soil composition, water and nutrient availability and provide guidance for best practice soil management for plant production. Understanding these foundational principles will assist in all types of growing systems from in-ground vegetable growing, to pot and raised gardens. This will help you manage your garden to its full potential.

Growing up in the Bellinger Valley, Rachel’s first career was in food.  As a chef in Northern NSW she focused on sourcing local produce and being involved in a kitchen garden on the property that produced food for the  restaurant. Through this introduction of small-scale food production Rachel was compelled to move to Victoria to study at Burnley Campus to further feed her passion and knowledge for food production and plant biology. Now having 10 years’ experience in horticulture, small scale vegetable and cut flower production, regenerative agriculture and revegetation & indigenous plant and land management Rachel has accumulated a well-rounded skill set that supports her philosophy of holistic land management practices.

Open to everyone from seasoned growers to curious beginners.

These events take place on Ngambaa Country. We acknowledge the Gumbaynggirr and Dunghutti peoples as traditional custodians of this land and pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging.