VEG - Very Edible Gardens offer a number of weekend and evening courses aimed mostly at food gardening beginners. We have developed teaching styles and strategies to help fast-track people on to the road of good health and sustainability through fun workshops which mix theory with hands-on practice delivered with good humour and genuine passion. See the Upcoming Courses calendar for a full list of course dates.

Quotes from past Permablitz Intro to Permaculture courses we have facilitated:

"Fantastic, potentially life changing"

"Lovely people, great communicators, infectious passion for gardening and another way of living."

"Energetic, informative and empowering. And entertaining."

"I expected enthusiasm and knowledge but didn't really expect such good teaching styles."

Courses:

An Introduction to Urban Permaculture
Duration: Two days
Price: $200 ($180 concession) includes lunch, course notes and certificate*

Permaculture is a broad design system for building sustainable human habitats, drawing inspiration from patterns in natural systems. Topics covered in this course include context and an introduction to permaculture ethics and design principles, illustrated with topics relevant to home food production and frugal resource use, such as garden design, water catchment and use, urban animals, companion planting, caring for soil. Includes case studies and design examples. Hands-on activities include marking out contours on slopes and making a good compost pile. The course material is broken up with illustrative games and group work. Participants receive a handout covering all the topics on the course and a certificate of completion. The course caters to backyard permaculture but also encourages people to look outside the home for opportunities and resources in the community, to visualise how we can create a healthier and happier urban environment. Also information about how to get involved in the Permablitz network.

VEG Intro to Organic Gardening
Duration: 6 hours
Price: $90 ($80 concession) includes handout and morning and afternoon tea*
Everyone it seems wants to get started growing food, and most people want to do it chemical free. But where to get started? This course covers the basics of soil, waterwise gardening, companion planting and natural pest control, compost and worms, heritage food varieties, no-dig gardening, how to plant and propagate from seed, and how take those very first steps.
Note: There is a two hour condensed version of this course which we sometimes deliver for free or at cut price to help build interest in organic food growing.

Beginners Guide to Compost and Worms
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $30 ($25 concession) includes handout and tea and coffee*
Learn the art and science of how to team with worms and microbes to turn waste into rich organic topsoil -- the cornerstone of organic gardening and ultimately human health. The session includes all theory you'll need to deal with most common problems, and then hands-on demonstrations on compost making, and how to set up and maintain a worm farm.

Drought Proofing Your Garden
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $30 ($25 concession) includes handout and tea and coffee*
Drought is no longer the exception, it's the rule. But in the city we can still grow much of our own food through water efficient planning and gardening. Topics covered in this two hour session include garden design for shelter from hot sun and winds, tank solutions, how to water at the right times, irrigation systems, working with slopes, greywater systems, water-hardy plants, and some innovative water saving solutions such as 'wicking beds'. Covers the basics of everything you need to know to grow abundant healthy food despite water restrictions.

Beginners Guide to Chickens
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $30 ($25 concession) includes handout and tea and coffee*
Home chicken husbandry is making a global resurgence as people see the benefit of cheaper eggs, greater soil fertility and yes, even the companionship which comes from the having these vivacious ladies around the garden. Learn what you need to get started, how to care for chickens and how to integrate them into highly productive backyard food systems for mutual benefits for your chickens and plants. Topics include housing, good chook health, what to feed, the social life of chooks, and how to avoid odours while building great soil.

Living Food Workshop: Wild Fermentation and Raw Foods for Your Health
Duration: All day (7 hours)
Price: $120 ($95 concession) includes lunch and handout with recipes*
Learn about probiotic and living raw superfoods. A totally fun-filled and hands-on day in the kitchen learning the art of sourdough bread, the microbial magic of sauerkraut and real pickles, yoghurt and kefir, fresh cheese, how to grow your own sprouts, the ancient secrets of essene bread, and even green smoothies. Your body craves these foods which taste so good you'll never want to eat junk food again. A very healthy and delicious lunch packed with living enzymes is shared, and participants can take home living cultures to help them get started.

Meet Your Garden Life (and Organic Pest Control)
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $30/($25 concession) includes tea and coffee*
Be introduced to the many creatures that inhabit your garden, from wondrous soil microbes, to problem and beneficial insects, and beyond.  Learn about the life of your soil and how to care for it. How do we invite in the good insects and other natural predators so we can garden without sprays? We've collected some spectacular footage from our own gardens to make this course a visual feast. We'll help you turn your backyard into a balanced ecosystem. (Note: we have now developed a version of this content suitable for primary school students.)

Edible Weeds Walks
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $20/($15 concession)
Many if not most common urban weed species of Melbourne are edible and can provide valuable and nutritious fresh food. Learn to enjoy dandelion, sow thistle, mallow, amaranth, wild onions, wild celery, stinging nettle and many more (with seasonal variation). Many weeds are used by health practitioners for their curative properties. Learn too about some of the ecological uses of weeds as soil improvers, soil indicators and compost additives.  (See an article in The Age about Adam's weed hunting).

Know Thy Soil: Practical Soils Workshop for Gardeners
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $30 ($25 concession) includes handout and tea and coffee
Would you just like to get to know your garden soil more intimately?  In this workshop you will learn the basics of what constitutes soil, and how to improve it.  You can bring some of your own garden soil along as we pull out the microscopes, pH kit and use our fingers to help you investigate your soil for structure, pH and biology.  We also cover dealing with contaminated soils, and general strategies for good soil including mineral and organic fertilisers, compost and worms.

Primary Schools and Childcare Centres : Customized Workshops

VEG team-member Amanda Cuyler is a qualified classroom teacher (with current Victorian Institute of Teachers registration) and extensive early childhood experience. She has worked as a garden educator within a number of Melbourne primary schools and has taught permaculture in a range of community contexts. With a passion for organic gardening and a gift for working with young children, Amanda incorporates music, dance, and action into fun lessons that garden activities into the curriculum and provide professional development for the teachers, classroom assistants and cooks.

* All quoted prices are for unsubsidised courses. Where possible we intend to work with councils, training organisations and other bodies to bring prices down to make sustainable living, food security and good health available to everyone. Also contact us for our lump sum fees to run any of these courses for your organisation.

See the calendar for upcoming courses.

Compost photo by Steven Rhall