Let the Microbes sort it out! Day 2 of the River Garden hands on learning days.

We had a great day on Saturday 28th of April at Day 2 of the River Garden Hands on learning series of workshops. This one was on natural soil improvement and growing methods including plant stacking to make the most of space and provide healthy crops at all scales from garden to farm. You still have time to get involved in the last two days of this series, book your place by clicking on the link at the end of this article. 
The take home message of the day was definitely ‘let the microbes sort it out!’...

Another often heard phrase of the day when our expert presenter Jarrod Ruch was asked about using different materials or amendments to improve soil health was, 'Just put it through the compost first'. 
The beneficial macro and microbial life in soils really can do a lot of the 'heavy lifting' on the garden or farm for us if we provide the right conditions and feed them using well made composts. Applying these can help us grow healthy, nutrient dense crops that are more resistant to pests and disease.
We also planted out a section of swale beds behind our office with winter crops including, peas, kale, leek, and brassicas where we intend to trial the use of an aerobic, homemade compost tea on half of the bed with, then half without as a control to be able to compare results during the growing period.
We can't wait for the next installment in this series where Jarrod will return to discuss alternative crops for a changing climate, novel crops, pests and disease and different growing systems including aquaponics on Saturday 26th of May. 
For more information and booking details for the next sessions visit: 
https://growingcommunitygrowingfoodattherivergarden.eventbrite.com.au​