AdminTHE recent launch of the Bass Coast Shire’s Garden Gems Workshops supports all eight community gardens within the shire; an initiative administered by Rick Coleman; specialising in Permaculture, and Horticulturalist Frances Saunders – concentrating on sustainability and community connection.
Rick and Frances have years of experience in teaching permaculture and sustainable gardening practices. Together they offer community gardening and horticultural workshops that focus on ethical design in gardening and cover a range of topics such as organic gardening, drought management, natural pest management, and food preservation techniques.
Through these workshops, Rick and Frances aim to educate and empower individuals to create sustainable and resilient food systems while fostering social interaction and community engagement.
Their expertise and passion for permaculture and horticulture make them a valuable resource for those looking to learn more about sustainable gardening practices.
During the ‘Veggie Patch to Plate’ workshop Rick underlined the importance of finding different ways to process and harvest food in order to extend the harvest times and make the most out of your garden produce. By exploring techniques such as food preservation, fermentation, and value-adding, individuals can not only reduce food waste but also create a diverse range of products from their harvest.
This approach not only helps in saving costs but also ensures a year-round supply of fresh and nutritious food. Through his workshops and teachings, Rick encourages individuals to think creatively about how they can process and harvest their produce to maximise its potential and sustainability.
“Today we’ve taught the group what to do with their extra produce and how to value it,” said Rick. “An abundant harvest of chillis, can be crushed into chilli powder, and that’s your natural pesticide for the garden.”
“We had a simple lesson on fermented foods, for example sauerkraut. So, you’ve got a cabbage you harvest and now you have a week to eat it; or a bit of cabbage and salt and a bit of squeezing and there you can make your own sauerkraut in half an hour, then you’ve got 12 months to enjoy it. So now you’re extending your harvest times. Most gardeners only grow for four months. And they’ve got eight months when there’s nothing – well we’ve got 12 months of food if your finding different ways to process and harvest and save money – this way we don’t have to be confined to poverty.”
The program empowers the community with best practices in their own gardens and invites everyone with little to no experience at all to join the workshops for social interaction.
“The main reason we gather is loneliness – I read that one third of Australians were lonely all the time, and two thirds of Australians are lonely most of the time. Mental Health in this country is low, so reinvigorating these community gardens is vital, and so far, they’ve taken off – showing enthusiasm and delight.
Frances Saunders is an award-winning teacher with extensive experience in horticulture and landscape design with an emphasis on sustainable practices, so alongside Rick who has taught on every habitable continent on earth – the two can help inspire healthier lifestyles through these workshops.
The free workshops are a partnership between Bass Coast Adult Learning, the Bass Coast Shire Council and local community gardens.
The next session at the Wonthaggi Men’s Shed Garden is at 10am on Wednesday, June 19, where Frances Saunders will teach about seed saving. There will be plenty of free seeds too!
To register for a local Garden Gems Workshop, visit www.thecap.com.au
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