Worm Man Masterclasses + Garden Insights + Share Table

2 Special Masterclasses

Presented by Brian "The Worm Man" Donaldson

Sunday 5 November 2023

9.00 pm - 5.00 pm

Don't miss this opportunity to transform waste into garden gold!

Join commercial worm farmer Brian “The Worm Man” Donaldson for an enlightening day of eco-conscious learning.

Masterclass 1 - Waste Warriors Toolbox (see full details below) - 9.00am to 12.15pm
Masterclass 2 - Teas and Microbial Applications (see full details below) - 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Garden Insights - Garden Tour - 4.00pm to 5.00pm

at Debbie and Brodie's Homestead

88 Richards Road, Postmans Ridge, Q 4352

This event is organised by Permaculture Toowoomba Inc.

Bookings are Essential

Places are limited to ensure the best possible learning environment, but we'll have a waitlist available in case there are cancellations.

Masterclass 1 – Waste Warriors Toolbox

Worm Composting, Black Soldier Fly Composting, Hot & Cold Composting, Bug Study

9.00am to 12.15pm including morning tea (provided)

12.15pm – 1.00pm – Break between Masterclasses (BYO Lunch)

Masterclass 2 - Teas and Microbial Applications

Compost Tea, Bokashi (EM), Korean Natural Farming (IMO), Lactic Acid Bacterial Serum (LABS)

1.00pm to 4.00pm including afternoon tea (provided)

Garden Insights - Tour of Debbie and Brodie’s Garden

4.00pm to 5.00pm

What You'll Learn

🌱 The Waste Warrior Toolbox (Masterclass 1 - Morning)

Worm Composting - from a small bucket to a large worm farm and many in between. Brian shares many tips and tricks from his years as a commercial worm farmer, setting you up for success.
Black Soldier Fly Composting - amazing creatures that may save the world from our waste epidemic AND the looming food epidemic! Do you have chickens? You NEED Soldier Fly Larvae! Study two DIY systems, one takes 6 minutes to make, the other 6 hours!
Hot and Cold Composting - great go-to's for overflows of organic waste at home.
Bugs Study - Briefly study bugs from the Worm Farm and Composts. What ARE all those bugs, what are they doing, how do they turn up, what makes their population explode and how can we control them if need be?

🍵 Teas and Microbial Applications Masterclass (Masterclass 2 - Afternoon)

Teas - study multiple working aerated and non aerated tea systems for small gardens or large gardens up to 4 acres!
Brief Intro to Microbes and The Soil Microbiome - what ARE we actually doing with these microbial applications and why?
Bokashi (EM) - Learn to use and expand this valuable tool, expanding a common spray bottle up to 16 times! Or use a concentrate to expand into many, many applications of bran!
Korean Natural Farming (IMO1) - Learn to use and see how to collect cultures for this amazing microbial application.
Lactic Acid Bacterial Serum (LABS) - an amazing probiotic, with applications in pets diets, odour reduction in pet or animal manure, urine and bedding, speeding up pre-composting/composting, and much more!

🌿 What's Included:

Hands-on demonstrations, experiences, and investigations.
After-Workshop Support - Attendees get access to the special paperless resources page. Find PDF printable info sheets for all of the processes that we discuss, including some that may not be publicly available.
50% off coupon for Brian's digital resources.
Free Take Home - Every attendee will receive one small and one large compost teabag plus instructions on how to use these at home.

Don't miss this opportunity to become a true Waste Warrior and Master Gardener. Get ready to transform your approach to waste and gardening, all while supporting a greener, more sustainable future.

About Brian “The Worm Man” Donaldson

Brian is a full-time commercial worm farmer & waste reduction educator. He works for many councils around South East Queensland, delivering programs for adults & children.

Brian teaches about waste reduction, worms, hot & cold composting, black soldier fly composting, aerated teas & other microbial applications.

He facilitates workshops for adults, including Master Composter education, Teacher Professional Development workshops and Masterclass workshops. He also delivers fun & educational activities for children through Early Education centres and schools.

Qualified to teach Horticulture at TAFE (Cert4 TAE), Brian holds Cert.3 in Horticulture & Rural Ops.

Based at Collingwood Park, he supplies worms by post all around Australia.

🌻 Garden Insights - Tour of Debbie and Brodie’s Garden

What you'll see

5-acre (2 hectare) Land for Wildlife property bisected by seasonal Rocky Creek
challenging growing conditions (low rainfall, cold overnight winter temperatures, high daytime summer temperatures)
kitchen garden, holistic fruit orchard, Asian-inspired food garden, aromatic apothecary garden, native bushfood garden
integrated poultry systems (chickens, Muscovy, quail, guinea fowl)
wildlife habitat garden (with nest boxes, frog hotel, lizard lounge, native bee hives)
nursery and propagation area
riparian wildlife corridor along the creek (with evidence of significant damage from flooding in February 2022)
and more …

Cost

Current 2023 Financial Members

This option is available only for members who have previously paid their 2023 membership. Permaculture Toowoomba Inc. is heavily subsidising the masterclass fees to support our members to attend.

Masterclass 1 - $30.00
Masterclass 2 - $30.00
Garden Insights – Free

Non-Members (Tickets will open for sale one week after the offer to financial members.)

Masterclass 1 - $60.00
Masterclass 2 - $60.00
Garden Insights – Free

Catering

Morning Tea (Masterclass 1) and Afternoon Tea (Masterclass 2) will be provided.

Tea, coffee and cold water will be available all day. A light morning and afternoon tea will be provided (including Gluten Free and Vegan options).

BYO Lunch

If you're staying for the full day please bring your own lunch to enjoy in the garden during the break between the two masterclasses. Alternately, there are a couple of options to purchase your lunch at Withcott (approximately 5 minutes drive away).

What to Bring

Water Bottle
Lunch if you're stying for the full day.
Sun protection. Please wear footwear and clothing suitable for outdoor weather conditions.
Donations of surplus produce for the Share Table

Share Table

Do you have surplus?

We encourage you to bring your surplus produce, plants, seeds, books, craft supplies, and resources to share with others at our events.

Some ideas of what you could bring include – fruit, vegetables, herbs, eggs, honey, milk, jams, pickles, preserves, jars, ferments, starters, SCOBYs, seeds, plants, seedlings, cuttings, tubers, pots, tools, gardening magazines, permaculture books, recipes, patterns, manure, coffee grounds, compost additives, worms, mealworms, wool, fabric, craft supplies, soap, natural cleaning products, plastic alternatives, produce bags – the list is extensive.

Please bring whatever you can and then take home whatever you need within our culture of generosity and free sharing

Access

The garden is relatively flat, and the indoor workshop space is at ground level and has access for wheelchairs and walking frames if needed. The toilet has a grab rail for support, but is not large enough for wheelchair access.

Parking

Off street parking is available. Please drive carefully off the road towards the house and park nose-in along the right of the driveway.

Directions

If driving from Toowoomba, head east down the range and through Withcott. Turn left into Connoles Road (the first road after the Murphys Creek turnoff - you'll see Dependable Sheds on the right of the highway). Then turn immediately right into Richards Road. 88 is the last property at the end of Richards Road (only 880m off the highway). The road is sealed and suitable for all vehicle access.