Cowaramup local to open garden gates | Edible Garden Festival

Tickets are on sale to the Margaret River region’s Edible Gardens Festival, coming up on May 24 & 25 and featuring brand new open gardens, live demonstrations and expert workshops.

The annual not-for-profit festival has sold out in the past three years, so organiser Trevor Paddenburg is urging people to get in quick to secure their spot and avoid disappointment.

“This year we’ve got an exciting new addition to the program. As well as touring edible gardens and hearing from the gardeners, there will also be a live demonstration on a different topic at each garden, run by a local expert,” he said.

“It’ll be a lot of fun and provide some extra learning and inspiration, with topics like making your own soil inoculants and microbial teas; happy hens and top tips for backyard poultry; making garments and cord from home-grown fibres; a behind-the-scenes look at local organic fertiliser producers Soil Dynamics; and a Vegepod masterclass and prize giveaway by Margaret River Mitre 10 for those who want to grow food but are short on space.”

Three different gardens are open to the community from 9am to 1pm each day of the festival, where locals can hear from the gardeners who created them, pick up tips and inspiration for growing your own food, catch a live demonstration on a different topic at each garden, and buy delicious local produce, food and drinks. Saturday and Sunday day tickets are $20 for adults and free for children 16 and under.

For the first time this year, there’s also a way to leave the car at home and go green by booking a seat on the festival bus. It’s $10 for the day and takes you to all three gardens, with a “garden guide” on board to answer questions and share info.

In-depth workshops run by local experts are ticketed separately at $25 each and are held in the afternoon of both days. Topics include Promoting Abundance in Fruit Trees with David Hatwell from Capes Fruit Tree Care, Ultimate Worm Farming with Jamie and Lara McCall from Burnside Organic Farm, Seriously Fascinating Soil Science with Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology, Successful Seedlings for a Glowing Gut with Amy Dyson from Plumo Market Garden, as well as regenerative farming tours with Laura and Lawson Bailey from Margaret River Organic Farmer.

Margaret River Mitre 10 is again supporting the festival, with ticket-holders able to cash in on a 20 per cent discount on all fruit trees, potted plants and vegetable seedlings.

Day tickets purchased before April 1 will go into the running to win one of three early-bird prizes – a $100 gift pack from festival sponsors at Lazarus Horticulture, including a $50 voucher, tray of seedlings and small fruit or bushtucker tree.

One of the gardens set to open is Helen Earl’s thriving patch next to Pioneer Park in Cowaramup.

Helen has honed her food growing techniques and the garden is a fine example of how to grow loads of fresh vegetables to feed your family – and community.

Assisted by husband Ian, the pair tend to more than a dozen raised veggie beds, a diverse fruit tree orchard, a new native garden lining a winter creek at the rear of the property, and a flock of happy chooks that supply eggs to the kitchen and manure to the garden.

Helen has a no-waste approach, so garden waste, worm castings, chook manure and cow poo are all converted into soil-feeding compost.

Meanwhile, salvaged and upcycled materials are used throughout the garden. Don’t miss her handy info sheets on how to grow various edibles, with great recipes as well.

“Whether you’re already growing your own food or want to make a start, the festival is the perfect chance to get up close and personal with experienced green thumbs and tap into an immense bank of local, place-based knowledge to help you on your food-growing journey,” Trev Paddenburg said.

He thanked supporters, partners and sponsors including AMR Shire, MR Regional Environment Centre, MR Mitre 10, Lazarus Horticulture, Yates, South West Tree Services, Cape to Cape Explorer Tours, Mumballup Organics, Vegepod, Burnside Organic Farm, Fair Harvest Permaculture, Shogun Tools, Soil Dynamics, Productive Ecology, Capes Fruit Tree Care, Plumo Market Garden and Shelter Brewing Co.

See ediblegardensfestival.au for tickets, and the full program.