ORGANIC GARDENING BASICS - SESSION 1: HEALTHY SOIL

with JUDY KEATS

This 6-part organic gardening course with Judy Keats will teach you all the basics to successfully grow organic food at home. The series is arranged in fortnightly sessions over 12 weeks, to focus intently on a specific topic each session while progressing through a spectrum of essential knowledge and skills. This course is perfect not only for new gardeners just starting out, but also excellent for experienced gardeners to take the opportunity to sharpen and improve alongside an expert tutor in organics.

To have the best learning experience, we recommend booking for the whole course, and 'Complete Series' tickets are available now! 'Single Session' tickets are available from 15 June 2022, while spots remain.

Full Course dates:

SESSION 1 - 23/07/22 - Healthy Soil

SESSION 2 - 06/08/22 - Propagation & Planting

SESSION 3 - 20/08/22 - Fruit Trees & Pruning (Note: 27/08/22 RAIN DATE)

SESSION 4 - 03/09/22 - Weed Management

SESSION 5 - 17/09/22 - Gardening with the Seasons

SESSION 6 - 01/10/22 - Pest Control & Insectories

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What to expect:

SESSION 1: Healthy Soil - Saturday 23 July 2022 - 10am to 12pm (2 hours)

Soil is the foundation of organic gardening. This first session will start with an examination of soil testing practices, methods of compost making, and strategies for managing natural additives to boost soil fertility. Find out what healthy soil looks like, come away with a better understanding of your conditions at home, and take practical steps to improve and maintain the condition of your soil.

Tickets include:

'Complete Series' = Admission and guided instruction to all 6 x sessions of the Organic Gardening Basics course, including this session, with access to tools and resources at each session
'Single Session' = Admission and guided instruction for this session, with access to tools and resources for practical activities on site

What to bring:

Essential:

a refillable water bottle (to stay hydrated)
weather appropriate gear (to keep comfortable)
a face covering or mask (for indoors or close quarters)

Recommended:

a notebook and pen (to take notes)
a soil sample from your garden (to analyse and compare)

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Judy Keats is a permaculturist, organic systems educator, and community garden mentor and advisor, with more than 8 years experience establishing, coordinating, and teaching in community gardens across greater Auckland.

Judy is passionate about well-being for people and caring for the environment in which they live. She believes that by observing our plants and our changing climate, we can gain insight and a closer connection to the health of our gardens and broader ecosystems, which she knows to be key to the success and optimal yields of a sustainable food system. Judy is committed to working with communities to foster knowledge and experience towards mastering resilience.

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At Kelmarna, we strive to make education accessible for everyone. So, where possible, we offer a 35% discount on our workshops to valid Community Services Card holders. If you book one of these tickets, please email us a copy of your valid Community Services Card, and remember to bring it along to the workshop. Please note that this option does not include Super Gold Card holders. Ngā mihi.