Grow Your Own Vegetables and Herbs

This step-by-step workshop ensures everyone leaves with the knowledge and skills to grow an edible garden on a balcony, in a backyard or over a whole property. Come along to learn the following:

• Understanding how vegetables and herbs grow
• Helping vegetables and herbs to grow without chemicals
• Tools and techniques used to produce vegetables and herbs
• Building healthy soils through composting, no-dig gardening, and other soil preparation techniques
• Designing crop rotation plans, and planting plans
• Transplanting and direct seeding of vegetables
• Managing weeds, pests and diseases that impact on your veggies
• Fertilising, irrigating, and harvesting practices

Included:

• Morning tea and lunch
• A veggie garden starter kit of seedlings
• A tour of Green Connect's award winning urban farm

Before you book, please consider the following:

• The site is a working farm and visitors must participate in a safety briefing before entering.
• The terrain at the farm is particularly steep and slippery in parts. Though we do take it slowly, the tour involves a moderately challenging walk and is not accessible for prams, wheelchairs or people with moderate mobility issues. 
• Plants love rain and so do we! We don’t cancel tours in wet weather unless there is a dangerous storm. Rain (and mud!) is all part of the fun.
• Allergen advice: Our farm is home to domestic animals as well as bees, wasps and macadamia trees. Please pack an Epipen if allergic and keep it with you at all times.

All tour participants must: 

• Wear enclosed shoes or boots (sorry no thongs or sandals allowed) and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Long pants are recommended.
• Bring a hat and sunscreen or rain gear, depending on the weather forecast.
• Bring a water bottle pre-filled with water.
• A pen/pencil and paper if you wish to take notes.

About the facilitator

Cal Champagne has been the manager of Green Connect Farm since its establishment. After growing up on a permaculture demonstration property on the Far South Coast of NSW, Cal moved the Illawarra to study environmental sciences at UOW. He then went on to postgraduate studies in Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Sydney. During his studies, he got involved in permaculture in the Illawarra, through his volunteer work in the ‘Living Classroom’ school gardens at local schools. When an 11-acre piece of land adjacent to Warrawong High School was made available, Cal joined Green Connect. The team turned this land into what is now Green Connect farm, one of the country’s leading examples of urban agriculture.

Cal has mentored and trained hundreds of young people, former refugees, and other community members as part of his role at Green Connect. Cal has also facilitated adult learning during several Permaculture Design Courses and also as a garden educator for the Multicultural Council of the Illawarra. Cal’s biggest passion is using permaculture and growing food as a vehicle for social change and individual empowerment.

Questions? 

Please contact the team on 4243 1537 or activities@green-connect.com.au