There’s a lot of information on the internet about “what” you should do to maintain your garden, yet this abundance of information often creates confusion. When you understand the “why” behind how your garden grows, then gardening becomes easy and fun!

The Science of Edible Gardening Workshop Series from Leaf, Root & Fruit, has been designed to give you an overview of how plants grow and interact with the environment. This understanding makes decision making, planning and garden maintenance more straightforward. Observation and understanding of natural ecosystems and phenomena can help you to be a more successful and fulfilled gardener.

Each workshop is based around a theme that will integrate into the entire series. There will be minimal repetition of content across each event, although certain important ideas will be revisited from time to time. We anticipate most attendees will complete the entire series. However, you can book in for each workshop individually to pick and choose the ones relevant to you.

Your 8 workshop topics are:

Nutrients and Fertilizers: Growing Nutrient Dense Food (Held each March)
Population Ecology: Pests and How to Control Them (Held each April)
Reproductive Genetics: Seed Saving and Pollination (Held each May)
Plant Physiology: Pruning and Plant Manipulation (Held each June)
Seasonality and Timing: Environmental Gardening Influences (Held each July)
Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles: The Science of Compost (Held each August)
Ecological Succession and Soil: Working with Nature (Held each September)
Photosynthesis: Just add Water, Air and Sunlight (Held each November)

A summary of each topic is outlined below. Specific dates and details of upcoming workshops are released every six months. Upcoming events will also be listed in our monthly newsletter and planting guide. You can book in for the whole workshop series by selecting the appropriate ticketing option for the event that you wish to start at.

Most of the workshop topics are season specific and have been scheduled to run during a certain month of the year. Each topic will be repeated annually, so if you cannot make an event, you are welcome to join us for the same topic in the following year. There is no particular order the workshops need to be completed, and you can join the classes at any time of the year.

This workshop series will benefit those interested in understanding more about the natural environment around them. The classes will involve a combination of theory in a classroom setting, and hands-on practical activities on our 6 acre working Permaculture property. The classes will all be held in Kyneton, a one-hour drive from Melbourne. For more information see our events page.