Soil-Related Workshops in Canberra
Workshops are listed in alphabetical order.
Biochar
With Canberra city farm
In this workshop we will convert the farm's orchard prunings and other organic material into biochar for use in the gardens. This is a hands-on workshop where you will participate in:
loading the wood into the retort
firing up the retort
learning how to hydrate and inoculate the biochar
preparing soil under trees, and
applying the biochar to the soil
We will describe alternative ways of making biochar without using a retort. We will also discuss the advantages of adding hydrated and inoculated biochar to your garden soil.
Carbon & Soil
With Fiona Buining
An introduction to the relationship between carbon and soil. This workshop builds an understanding of carbon in the atmosphere, soil and plants. You will learn about humus - what it is, how it is formed and the vital role it plays in your soil. Fiona will outline practical ways to capture carbon in your soil to build healthy soils and plants, and increase the water and nutrient holding capacity of your soil. This includes a range of composting methods and garden bed preparation.
Please note, Fiona runs a range of workshops centred around growing food and can tailor a workshop to your needs and interests. Please enquire for more information.
Caring for Your Soil Microbiology
With canberra city farm
Have you ever wondered how nature built and maintained soil fertility before soluble salt fertilisers became available last century? We will introduce some of the remarkable microbes in the soil which built soil fertility over hundreds of millions of years before the invention of artificial fertilisers and we will explore how to use them in our own gardens.
Attendees will participate in collecting beneficial soil borne microbes from the local environment and brewing them to multiply their numbers. We will then apply those microbes to the soil to create a balanced microbiological soil ecology which is the key to growing healthy nutritious plants.
For this process to be successful it is essential to first create appropriate garden soil characteristics. This will be explored in the workshop "Understanding your Garden Soil".
Composting
With Canberra Environment Centre
The Canberra Environment Centre can deliver a wide range of tailored workshops and offerings on the topic of composting. Presentation topics can include:
Getting started with the basics of composting
Compost troubleshooting, myth busting and Q&A
Beyond the beginnings - building on your composting foundations
Workshops can be delivered in person and online; information only, hands on or a combination of both.
Mycena interrupta. Photo by Dr Alison Pouliot
Dirt Matters — A Journey in the Mycosphere
With Dr Alison Pouliot
The need to produce high quality food while minimising environmental damage is one of the biggest challenges for Australian agriculturalists. Healthy biological soils are crucial to plant health including our food crops. In turn, human health depends on high food quality and hence good soil health.
Modern agriculture with its intensive use of chemicals, fertilisers and mechanical disturbance has largely eliminated soil organisms. However, innovative farmers and gardeners are turning things around by fostering fungi and other organisms within soils. Central to this is an understanding of symbioses between plants, fungi and their kin.
This talk provides an overview of the vital significance of fungi in soils and their roles in creating soil architecture, retaining water, increasing nutrient availability and maximising drought resistance. Greater attention to fungal-plant relationships can help us build resilience of our ecosystems, especially at a time of changing climate and water scarcity.
Please note, this is just one of about two dozen workshops on offer. Please enquire for further information.
Encouraging Native Biodiversity into the Home Garden
With Blake Canackle
In this workshop, participants will learn all about the interactions between native fauna and local soils and how to foster this connection in your home garden. From the Blue Banded Bee to reptiles and the microscopic world, your home garden will be buzzing with life with Blake's practical tips!
The Garden that Waters Itself!
With DR Cally brennan
You're probably familiar with rain tanks and water wise plantings, but did you know there are heaps of other clever ways to keep your garden greener for longer using small scale passive water harvesting? This introductory workshop and will open your eyes to the possibilities of water harvesting and how it can make your garden way more resilient in a changing climate.
Using the free power of gravity along with the right plants, passive water harvesting creates a living sponge to capture, store and use rainwater to build a resilient, vibrant garden for both wet and dry weather.
Contact Cally to arrange a workshop in her permaculture garden to learn about passive water harvesting and get a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of how everything works. You’ll walk away with lots of ideas on how to easily (and sustainably) water your garden. Note that Cally is also happy to provide this workshop in other locations as well - please get in touch to discuss how we can tailor the content of this workshop to a specific site (for example, ideas for what could be done on your property etc.).
Native Plant Propagation
With Blake Canackle
In this workshop, participants will learn about different native propagation techniques and how to build and maintain healthy soil for native plants. Participants will then get to put their learnings into practice and propagate their own native plants to take home!
The Plant Health Pyramid
With Fiona Buining
In this workshop, Fiona Buining will introduce the Plant Health Pyramid, a concept which explains the root cause of plant pests and diseases. This conceptual model, developed by John Kempf, is based on the fact that healthy plants produce healthy soils and vice versa. Specifically, Fiona will be covering what plants need for complete photosynthesis and the production of proteins, lipids, and bioactive compounds.
Upon completion of this workshop, you will understand how to grow plants that are resistant to pests and diseases and food that is nutrient dense and full of flavour, using regenerative practices.
Please note, Fiona runs a range of workshops centred around growing food and can tailor a workshop to your needs and interests. Please enquire for more information.
Understanding Your Garden Soil
With Canberra City Farm
In this workshop we will consider the characteristics of a fertile garden soil and how you can transform your soil to produce nutritious fruit and vegetables. You will be introduced to methods to assess:
the soil texture and structure of your soil and how it affects plant growth,
the chemical properties of your soil and how that affects the availablity of plant nutrients,
the microbiological properties of your soil which enhance the ability of plants to extract nutrients from the soil.
Methods to modify these soil characteristics will be briefly discussed.
Worm Farming
With Canberra environment centre
The Canberra Environment Centre can deliver a wide range of tailored workshops and offerings on the topic of worm farming. Presentation topics can include:
Getting started with the basics of worm farming
Worm farming troubleshooting, myth busting and Q&A
Beyond the beginnings - building on your worm farm foundations
Workshops can be delivered in person and online; information only, hands on or a combination of both.