Dates: 31 January - 28 November, 2021
Times: Sunday afternoons from 1.30pm to 4.00pm
Where: Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden, Adelaide Botanic Garden
Cost: $70.00 per workshop. (Please note that an online booking fee will be incurred. Alternatively, call 08 8222 9311 to book).
Join us for fun, interactive Sunday afternoon workshops in the Kitchen Garden.
These workshops have been designed to give you practical, hands-on knowledge of how to start and maintain a healthy kitchen garden of your own.
Choose from a number of topics that will give you a solid foundation into good gardening practices to help your kitchen garden thrive.
The workshops are given by our Kitchen Garden Educator, Ian Wilson, and are ideal for people new to horticulture, or those who would like to expand their gardening knowledge.
Grow bumper crops and enjoy the satisfying feeling of harvesting your home-grown vegetables, fruit and herbs!
Irrigation - laying it
Sunday 31 January, 2021
Over the last few decades, gardens have increasingly needed to be water-wise. This workshop looks at ways of reducing water dependency by a variety of means, including irrigation design and construction.
You will learn about water harvesting and storage systems, and then explore soil wetters, soil types, mulching and distribution of water.
Sprinklers, drippers and micro jets and the tools to build efficient watering systems will be looked at using different sources of water.
Learn about:
- Why plants need water
- Water efficiency chemicals
- Plant selection
- Harvesting and saving water
- Good practices in watering
- Constructing water and wicking beds
- Aquaponics
- Hydroponics
- Structures to reduce water usage
- Irrigation fittings
- Drippers, sprinklers, micro jets and misters
- Construction of a system
How to keep Bees
Sunday 14 February or Sunday 28 November, 2021
Gain an understanding of the workings of the hive, and what apiarists need to do to maintain healthy bees.
You will also learn about honey production and the tools used in its production.
Learn about:
- Types of bees
- Parts of the bee
- The role of the hive
- The roles of the worker, drones and queens
- Examining the colony for health and production
- Extracting honey and wax
- Swarms and how to collect them
- Pests and diseases of bees and hives
Improving your Soil, Compost & Worm Farms
Sunday 14 March or Sunday 22 August, 2021
The soil is the heart of the garden; it fulfils many functions and creating healthy soil in a Kitchen Garden is particularly important.
Compost and worm farming can really improve and maintain a vigorous and healthy garden. This workshop will teach you how to analyse soil, how to improve it. Start your journey to a thriving garden here.
Learn about:
- Parts of the soil
- Soil chemistry
- Testing the soil
- Critical nutrients
- Building soil to get the most out of your kitchen garden
- Compost, what is it?
- Getting started with compost
- Worm farms setting up and using their products
Kitchen Garden Propagation
Sunday 28 March or Sunday 10 October, 2021
This workshop will show you how to propagate plants for your kitchen garden, whether from seed, seedlings or cuttings.
The course will cover the types of propagation, how to prepare your seed bed and cuttings, and which mediums and soils will give you the most effective outcomes.
Learn about:
- Soil bed preparation
- Different mediums for seed beds and cuttings
- Growing from seed
- Growing and care of the young plants
- Fruit trees - seeds and cuttings
- Grape vines
- Types of propagating
- When and how to transplant seedlings
Starting a Kitchen Garden
Sunday 11 April or Sunday 26 September, 2021
Have you ever wanted to start a kitchen garden but wondered where to start?
This practical, hands-on workshop will give you the basics to confidently start your own bountiful, varied and colorful kitchen garden. You'll be harvesting your own tasty fruit and veg in no time!
Learn about:
- Why a kitchen garden?
- Making the best from what you have available
- Layout of the garden
- What can you grow and when can you grow it?
- Types of plants, uses and variety
- Maintaining a healthy garden
- Planting and propagating your garden
Pest and Disease
Sunday 16 May or Sunday 24 October, 2021
Learn about different ways to manage pests in an environmentally sensitive way by using Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
You will find out how to prevent problems from occurring, and reducing the need for pesticides.
Learn about weeds, pests and diseases common to South Australia, and what methods you can use to control them.
Learn about:
- Diagnosing plants problems
- Symptoms of nutrient deficiency
- Control of diseases and pests by cultural, biological and chemical strategies
Receive a 10% discount when you book into three or more courses. Email pamlea.bremer@sa.gov.au or call 8222 9311
Download brochure
COVID-19 information
The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, volunteers and staff remains our highest priority and we are implementing new COVID-19 compliant protocols to offer an enjoyable experience for all participants while minimising the risk of COVID-19.
Measures include:
• Participants must not attend if they are unwell and/or exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms.
• Group sizes have been kept small to ensure physical distancing can be adhered to while not impacting on the quality of the learning experience.
• Participants and staff must practice good hygiene before, during and after sessions.
• Extra cleaning regimes will be in place before, during and after each session.
• Participants must maintain physical distance (1.5m).
For more information and updates on the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please see latest news.
