The cost of living is affecting everybody, power bills, fuel costs and water are all increasing, the cost of our basic food is also on the increase, this why more and more people are looking at growing their own food at home or in community gardens.

We at The Hut Community Centre have arranged 'a year of masterclasses in sustainable food production', a series 4 (one each term) of 5 week courses which are designed to be attended consecutively or individually and course content will vary relevant to the seasons.

Topics covered will include and not limited to soil types; choosing a garden site, layout and setting up; organic gardening; nutrients and use of; container gardening; growing media; plant propagation; glasshouse culture; plant selection in a vegetable garden; perennial crops; and mini orchards for the home gardener.

Course content will vary relevant to the seasons.

Term 2 Focus: Sustainable Fruit and Berry Gardening

Know your soil and site building its organic matter and nutrient levels, adjust it pH and maintain the correct pH during the plant’s life.

Pruning methods will change in accordance to the plant type, this also applies to it supporting framework.

Irrigation system and the management of correct soil moisture thought the growing season.

Growing your crop out of season using protective culture system and hydroponic growing systems.

Pest and Diseases and their control using I.P.M.

Grow your own:

Currents (red, white and black).
Gooseberries and its cross Jostaberries.
Raspberries, Thornless Blackberries.
Strawberries early, mid-season, late varieties.
Blueberries American varieties and the European hybrid varieties.
Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots and Citrus fruit trees in a small garden.
The use of dwarfing root stocks and types training systems be it Espalier, Cordon or Open centered trees.

These are very much hands-on courses in which the students will have use of The Hut’s facilities such as the greenhouse and it's propagation unit, the vegipods, wicking beds and the pot culture system, all which will suit various crops, fruits, shrubs and trees.

The Term 2 course starts on Thursday May 9th 2024 from 10am to 2pm and occurs on Thursdays weekly for 5 weeks. Details of the field trip will be confirmed soon.

All students are requested to bring a 2kg soil sample from their own garden for week 1.

Space is limited to 16 to 18 persons.