Spring 'Healthy Garden' workshops get people growing

Dr Compost is springing into action in the Queenstown Lakes District this month with a series of ‘Healthy Garden’ workshops.

Funded by Queenstown Lakes District Council as part of their waste minimisation programme, the initiative is divided into two parts. The ‘Get Growing’ workshops will teach beginners some of the basics while the ‘Get Composting’ workshops are intended to help all gardeners learn how to feed their gardens.

The first event, a ‘Get Growing’ workshop in Wanaka last weekend, attracted around thirty participants and workshop leader Dr Compost, aka Ben Elms from Wanaka Wastebusters was expecting a big turn-out for the next one this Saturday in Queenstown.

“The ‘Get Growing’ workshops give beginners all the information they need to successfully grow vegetables in the harsh, local climate, “he said. “We find once they’ve started, they’re keen to learn more, particularly about composting.”

“Once you’ve got a garden to keep healthy, composting becomes a no-brainer because you want to make food for your garden.”

Queenstown Lakes District Council’s solid waste manager Stefan Borowy said composting had many benefits, not just for the individual garden but for the environment.
“When food and green waste breaks down in the landfill it creates methane, a harmful climate change gas,” said Mr Borowy.

“By composting your own food waste and green waste to produce nutrient rich food for your garden, you’re creating a valuable resource instead.”

The ‘Get Composting’ workshops would take place in November and would cover all the different ways that a household or business could compost. Council also offered subsidies on a number of composting tools including bokashi buckets, composters and worm farms.

The workshops were open to everyone and the entry fee is a gold coin donation.  People attending the Get Growing workshop are asked to wear clothes suitable for gardening.

 

Spring Healthy Garden Workshop dates

Get Growing Workshops
Building a raised bed and making your own seed-raising mix, top five easy crops.

Queenstown Get Growing Workshop
Sat 22nd Sept, 9.30am to 12.30pm  
Harvest Community Gardens
Gorge Road, Queenstown


Get Composting Workshops
Quick and easy composting solutions for everyone!

Wanaka Get Composting Workshop
Thursday 1st November, 12.30pm - 2.30pm
Wanaka QLDC council office
47 Ardmore St

Queenstown Get Composting Workshop
Thursday 8th Nov, 12.30pm to 2.30pm
QLDC Office
10 Gorge Road, Queenstown