Season wrap-upThe past few months have been mostly spent trying to keep warm and cosy, tap-tap-tapping away on my laptop, planning, meeting, setting up new programs, working on the socials, and plotting to expand my reach. After all, getting therapeutic horticulture to as many people in the community as possibly, is definitely part of my mission. I want to play a role in getting more people out into nature, touching soil, sowing seeds, connecting with others, drawing plants, and basically having a really lovely and meaningful experience 😊 I also took time during the cold months for a solo holiday! Which was fabulous and I am so glad I did it and I absolutely loved it. The photo above is me enjoying a lunch break in the winter sun, at Te Mata Peak in Aotearoa’s north island and was one of the many many (many!!!) gorgeous places I got to see.
Soaking nature all the way to the bones fills my heart and soul with all the good stuff, which means I am now ready to embark on the next busy season here at Well Grown. — Garden ActivitiesAdmittedly, I did very little in my personal patch of soil these last couple of months… I went inwards and did more soul digging than soil digging (more on that in the blog posts bellow)
Hopefully, you were a better gardener than me and kept up with your succession planting of winter crops, made sure your soil was mulched and protected from frost, kept up with pest control and enjoyed a lush harvest.
For the coming couple of months, there are lots of things we can do to ensure a successful spring/summer garden. You can continue planting and enjoying leafy greens, feed your soil and crank up that compost heap, get those seed potatoes in, start your summer fruiting plants from seed indoors (think Solanaceae- tomato, capsicum, eggplant) and sow lots of flowers seeds to enjoy and share with pollinators over the coming weeks and months.
There are great resources out there, and wiser gardeners sharing their knowledge, if you want to read more on what to do this season. For anyone living down here in Melbourne/Naarm, CERES have a great guide on their website, and Local Food Connect is always a fantastic resource for anything food growing related. Check out their spring garden prep guide. — What’s up nextWith new spring energy waking everyone out of winter slumber, it is shaping up to be a busy season.
The ‘Gardening Group for Wellbeing’ at the Mildura Mental Health & Wellbeing Local, is still going strong and I love seeing people show up and get involved.
It’s beautiful and rewarding to see a group and a community form this way.
Want to learn how a gardening group can benefit your community, and fit within your services and budget? Get in touch for a free consultation.
August-September
‘Grounded Therapeutic Horticulture’ program is starting up again in a week and there are only a couple of spots left. If this is for you, or you have someone in your service you believe would benefit from joining this small group, now is the time to register.
I also have a Sensory Gardens at Home workshop coming up at CERES, as well as a Propagation and Seed Saving workshop, a fun and hands-on session for beginners and the garden-curious who want to add more strings to their bow.
Super excited about new LGBTQIA+ gardening sessions I’ve got coming up in collaboration with Bridge Darebin’s ‘Bridge Queer Gathering’.
I’ve worked with Bridge Darebin several times over the past few years and it is always such a joy. Sessions run monthly from Friday 21st of August until Friday 20th of November. Sign ups will be advertised very soon, follow along on socials and their website to snag a spot.
There are also two more ‘Queers in the Garden’ workshops coming up at Fawkner Food Bowls in early September and mid November. Previous sessions filled quickly, so if this is for you, go check out their calendar and as usual, follow my Instagram for updates and to sign up 😁
October-November
I’ve been invited by Food For All Latrobe Valley to run an introduction to Therapeutic and Sensory Gardens workshop for community gardens representatives in Gippsland, on Brayakaulung lands. Community gardens are my favourite places and I’m looking forward to meeting passionate people growing food and community in a beautiful part of Victoria.
Lastly, I’ve recently partnered with Each to deliver workshops for educators, which is also quite exciting! Supporting staff and educators in community services is something I am passionate about and have been developing in my business for a little while now. I’d love to discuss how I can support your staff and teams with wellbeing and mentoring programs.
Get in touch here or email directly to hello@wellgrown.com.au for a chat. —
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