Flourish @ Ringwood - Therapeutic Gardening With Melissa

This program is designed for families and carers.

Grow and care for beautiful and productive gardens by working with nature.

A practical introduction to gardening and growing food in urban and shared community spaces.

Participants will learn how to observe, understand and respond to their garden’s natural systems, building skills that support ongoing, confident gardening.

This fortnightly (every second Wednesday) workshop with include 7 different topics and different topic each week.

Lunch will be included toward the end of each session.

Gardening with nature Session 1 - 3 February 10:00am-1:30pm:

Explore ecological gardening principles, how healthy and thriving gardens are supported by working with natural processes, local conditions and the season. 

Learn the fundamentals of setting up a garden; designing for aspect, sun paths, microclimates and soil types.

Activity: sow microgreens to grow on and eat at home.

Soil as the foundation Session 2 - 17 February 10:00am-1:30pm:

Introduction to soil health, soil types and the interconnectedness of soil life, plant health and productive gardens. 

Activity: essential soil testing, prepare a garden bed for planting.

Growing through the seasons Session 3 - 3 March 10:00am-1:30pm:

Growing options and seasonal planning for abundance. Learn about the benefits of waterwise wicking beds.

Activity: Plant out seedlings into prepared garden beds (depending on season)

From spoil to soil Session 4 - 17 March 10:00am-1:30pm:

Transform garden and kitchen waste into a valuable resource full of nutrients to build and improve soil fertility.

Options for composting and worm farming; systems suitable for small and shared community spaces.

Activity: DIY worm farm demonstration and assess the health of the community garden’s compost system.

Grow more plants! Session 5 - 31 March 10:00am-1:30pm:

Learn the basic skills to propagate plants to enhance your garden or share with your community.  

Activity: create stem cuttings for the community and your home garden.

Plants that grow better together and starting your seed library Session 6 - 14 April 10:00am-1:30pm:

Discover plant guilds and the benefits of companion planting.

Save the best and eat the rest! Learn about saving, cleaning and storing seeds.

 Activity: sow or plant companion plants (depending on the season). Make a seed envelope, and share seeds to take home.

Garden balance and enhancing biodiversity in your garden Session 7 - 28 April 10:00am-1:30pm:

Learn about natural pest and disease management, identifying the good from the bad guys and how to use your weeds as a free garden resource.

Activity: Identify pests, diseases and beneficial insects.

RSVP for this group will be open toward end of 2026. Please stay tuned!

Any questions, please contact:

Phone: 8850 4136

Email: chuck.cheng@accesshc.org.au