Roimata Food Commons Urban Gardening Course

Kia ora everyone...

This is the first time we are offering our Urban Gardening Course :)
We are very lucky to be working with Roz Rolls, from Canterbury Permaculture Institute. Roz has designed this course for people new to gardening, as well as those who have a bit of experience under their belts.

The sessions will cost $10 each or $50 for booking into all 6 sessions. Each session will take about 90mins and we can accommodate up to 20 participants. 

The course will primarily be based at Roimata Food Commons to allow hands on practice, however we will also be booking an indoor space to account for any unsuitable outdoor weather.

This is not a course that leads to a formal qualification, it is designed to assist the participant to improve their home gardening and understanding of critical success factors.

The 6 sessions are outlined below:

1. BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE- Ethics, principals and design philosophy. 

START WITH THE SOIL-Observation and Survey- Soil type; structure, texture, and pH. Learn how soil structure and texture influences water, oxygen and nutrient retention.

Activity- Get to know your soil and its relationships with water. Students to bring a sample of their soil from home in a jar for soil testing.

2. THE LIVING SOIL- Analysis- The Living soil and the cyclic food web. Learn about organisms present in the soil and the important processes they carry out to support plant growth.

Activity- Feeding the soil food web. Hot and cold composts. Compost teas and liquid manures.

3. DESIGN FOR RESILIENCE- Design- Observing patterns in nature, understanding macro and micro climates. Learn about zones and sector analysis in garden design.  Learn about sheet mulching, raised beds and no dig gardens. Introduction of basic plant anatomy and physiology and how outside elements affect plant growth. 

Activity- Identify patterns in nature and take a closer look at plant anatomy. 

4. HOME AND BACKYARD FOOD PRODUCTION- Implementation-. Germination, propagation and planting with understanding of plant and seed anatomy and physiology. Crop rotation, mulching, plant spacing, inter-cropping and cover crops. 

Activity- Prepare seed trays, sow seeds, pricking out seedlings, planting out and taking cuttings.

5. GARDEN MAINTENANCE- Maintain- Introduction to food forests and permanent food systems. Learn about pest and disease control, companion planting and attracting beneficial insects. Understand transpiration, evaporation and effective watering practices.

Activity- Tour the garden to identify beneficial weeds, companion plants and insects. Experiment with different types of watering techniques.

6. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT- Evaluation and Tweaking – Take a closer look at Water, one of our most precious resources. Learn about water capture, storage, recycling and conservation. Look into waste reduction, management and recycling- closing energy loops so energy is captured rather than lost.

Activity- How to make a worm farm