There have been huge new discoveries in soil science in recent years, and we now know that we have to look
increasingly to Regenerative techniques to bring the majority of our soils back to life, and for our crops to carry the nutrition they once did. A boost in focus on the microbiology of soils has also led to the potential to reduce our use of fertilizers while still improving the soil.
Additionally, the way we grow the things we eat, and the medium we grow them in, has an enormous impact on the nutrient density of the produce. This impacts directly on our health and well-being.
Increases in our understanding have also affected inputs into traditional compost making, and new knowledge allows us to make compost that is even more valuable in our agricultural and gardening efforts.
There are many ways to increase the fertility of our soil and improve our health while reducing the amount spent at the produce store, and we would like to share them with you.
To book for this workshop click here
About the presenter
Prior to retirement Dave was an itinerant Permaculture teacher, designer and consultant working here and overseas. Originally trained by Geoff Lawton and then Bill Mollison he did voluntary Permaculture work at projects in Uganda and South Africa and in New Guinea after the Aitape tsunami, working with survivors and local NGO’s, and in villages in the Angoram area on the Sepik River. Later he was employed by CARE Aust in Macedonia where he worked for the UN rehabilitating a 50 hectare refugee camp site after the Kosovo war. He then traveled to Israel where he taught at the Ein Gedi Field School for the Society for the Protection of Nature.
Since retirement he has become passionately interested in Regenerative Agriculture and the soil food web, and is practicing small scale Holistic grazing, pasture establishment and soil improvement through cover cropping, composting and the use of bacteria and fungi on a small acreage in Doonan.
Want no fuss, easy to grow edible plants that flourish all through summer? Want a resilient organic garden -starting from your backdoor? Want to learn the steps to creating a resilient vegetable garden? Then this workshop is for you. You will learn what garden jobs are required in spring to prepare your vegetable garden for summer. You will be shown the edible plants that will grow, survive and thrive during our summer humidity – rain or shine, these plants will provide you with endless fresh food… saving you time, money and energy. These sub-tropical/ tropical plants are fast growing, low maintenance, mostly perennial and easy to propagate. Most of these plants are highly medicinal eg: super food tree Moringa oleifera/Drumstick tree, and edibles that add beauty like Lagos spinach and Cranberry hibiscus. You will learn all about these plants growing habits and requirements and how to use them in salads/cooking. It’s about discovering tropical substitutes for Mediterranean vegetables and salads. Have your notebook ready for jobs list for your garden survival in preparation for our long hot summer. To book 
permaculture. She is the founder of the Edible School Gardens Program, author of “Eat Your Garden –
Learn how to improve habitat for bees and beneficial insects to improve your yields and reduce pest problems in your garden.
Frances Michaels is a horticulturalists with over 40 years’ study and practice focusing on edible plants, organic garden management, and permaculture. Holding an Advanced Certificate of Horticulture and Diploma of Permaculture she is a writer, educator and business CEO of Green Harvest Organic Gardening Supplies. Her articles on edible plants, organic pest control, and soil improvement are available on the website: www.greenharvest.com.au
All about Snakes!!
As there will be a live snake as part of the demonstration, and we want everyone to have a chance to be involved and at the same time keep everyone safe, numbers will be restricted to 35, including children.
Are you interested in keeping native stingless bees for fun, honey production, conservation or pollination? In this workshop, entomologists and professional educator, Dr Tim Heard will teach you the basics on how to become a stingless beekeeper. He will entertain and educate you at the same time. This workshop alternates between slide presentations and a practical session to build a strong foundation of knowledge and experience. The stunning slide presentation will cover the topics of bee nesting biology, bee 
foraging biology, diversity of wild bees, importance of bees in natural systems, traditional stingless beekeeping around the world, modern stingless beekeeping in Australia, using stingless bees for pollination of gardens and farms, Stingless bee honey and its properties, rescuing bees threatened in the wild, and more. In the practical sessions, we will open hives and observe the amazing structures within. We will learn how to move a colony from a log into a hive. We will divide the hive into two halves showing the process of colony propagation. We may even extract honey from a hive.
About The Presenter
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