Turning Over A New Leaf: Introducing Our 2022 Food Garden Workshops

WORKSHOPS FOR KIDS

Our three kids’ workshops in January are a fun and educational way of spending time together with your little one this holiday. Each workshop runs from 9:00 – 12:00 and costs R400 per child (with their parent).

• Clay bowl making and compost (Thursday, 6 January 2022): In this workshop, kids will search along the banks of the Eerste River for natural objects with beautiful shapes and textures (such as seed pods, leaves and twigs. Back at the barn, we’ll each construct a clay bowl imprinted with these found treasures (clay, tools, and tables to work on will be provided). We’ll also learn the quick and easy way to make compost and learn about bucket worm farms. Finally, we’ll paint our bowls with pigments and leave them with Gardener Megan to glaze and fire. (In addition to the R400 workshop fee, the kiln firing costs R200 per bowl.)

• Your own mini veg garden (Friday, 7 January 2022): In this workshop, kids will make their very own mini hanging garden featuring the likes of thyme, basil, lettuce, parsley, tomatoes and chives. You’ll get everything you need, including a hanging basket, potting soil, seeds and seedlings. Our Food Garden Specialist, Megan, will be on hand to provide the little ones with assistance too!

• Insect hotels and beneficial critters (Saturday, 8 January 2022): In this workshop, kids will learn about “good goggas” – and how they help us to control the “bad goggas” in our garden. We’ll scrounge through the undergrowth along the Eerste River, collecting natural objects (like twigs, reeds and pine cones) that we will then use to create snug and safe homes for our favourite beneficial goggas. You’ll also meet a few bigger friends from Eagle Encounters – including owls, snakes and lizards – who together form the Natural Pest Control Patrol, and you’ll learn all about how these critters help to keep ecosystems healthy and balanced.

WORKSHOPS FOR ADULTS

Our series of interactive Spier Food Garden workshops are designed to help you get started growing good food at home. Three Saturday workshops will be held during the first quarter of 2022. Immerse yourself in our productive garden with Megan McCarthy as your guide. You will learn how to build healthy soils; what you need to know to start your food garden; and how to create your own stock of plants. Megan will share her wealth of practical knowledge on how to manage pests naturally and counteract nutrient deficiencies to boost your yields of delicious home-grown veggies.

Each workshop presents a specific theme. Costing R750 per person, they run from 09:00 to 15:00 and include a light vegetarian lunch and bottle of Spier’s organic Yellowwood wine to take home. The series includes:

• Starting a food garden (Saturday, 5 February 2022): Learn about various sustainable agricultural methods that will empower you to start your own food garden at home. The topics will include an introduction to permaculture, understanding the role of soil minerals in plant growth, companion planting, beneficial insects and animals in the system, as well as planting seasons and seedling culture.

• Your own home nursery (Saturday, 5 March 2022): Learn how to propagate plants yourself, helping you to sustain your food garden over the long term and deepening your enjoyment of time in the garden. Get hands-on experience in making and maintaining plant cuttings and an introduction to grafting.

• Making compost easy (Saturday, 2 April 2022). Learn how to mimic nature’s way of building soil fertility – it’s easier than you think and so good for your garden. See exactly how to make and maintain compost heaps; understand carbon and nitrogen ratios, and find out how to brew fascinating micro-organism inoculants.

Young or old, we encourage you to wear sturdy weatherproof shoes, a hat, and sunblock. Bring plenty of drinking water too!

For more info and to access a booking link, click on the heading of the workshop you’d like to attend.