Organic Gardening Course

Horticulture and gardening. Open to everyone.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: arrangement of our courses

Some of our courses have moved to online delivery. We aim to continue to deliver a high-quality educational experience through interactive, online classes in real-time. If you are currently enrolled in a course with us, we will be in touch soon with options for your enrolment.

Please note that for online classes, all course materials will be shared electronically. No printed resources will be available.

It’s easy to have an organic garden. Take some time out to taste the superior flavour and goodness of organically-grown produce.

Whether you have the tiniest balcony or a quarter acre block, learn how to grow your own organic herbs, vegetables and fruit trees; perfect the art of composting and worm farming and explore other methods of recycling. Find out about crop rotation, companion planting and moon planting. Learn how to reduce the incidence of weeds and eliminate the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• identify and remediate different soil types and select suitable potting mixes
• recognise the various methods of recycling, including composting, worm farm, bokashi bucket and compost cannon
• cultivate herbs and vegetables successfully
• implement the principles of crop rotation, moon planting and companion planting
• apply organic and biological methods to control pests and diseases
• investigate the benefits of growing organic foods for both human health and the environment.

Content

This course covers the following topics:

• soil types and potting mix
• composting, worm farming, compost cannon etc.
• herbs – culinary and medicinal
• vegetables – top 10
• fruit trees suitable for the Sydney climate
• crop rotation
• companion planting
• moon planting
• biological pest control
• organic fertilisers/pesticides
• origins of organics
• genetic engineering
• chemicals/cancer

Intended audience

Suitable for anyone interested in adopting organic principles to grow their own food, to achieve a healthy lifestyle and environment.

Delivery style

Delivered in an interactive classroom setting where organic principles are demonstrated and discussed, and examples of herb and vegetable varieties suitable for suburban gardens are presented.

Materials

Comprehensive notes are provided in class.