Gardeners gather to learn from grower

Keen gardeners from across the Geographe Catchment honed their growing skills at a recent workshop led by soil biology expert Mark Tupman.

During the interactive session, hosted by The People Place and GeoCatch’s Bay OK program, gardeners learnt about best practices for growing vegetables, including the importance of building a living soil, amending sandy soil, planting techniques and what to plant in each season. Mark also explained how to turn sand into healthy soil so that it holds water and nutrients to grow great veggies.

GeoCatch’s Bay OK project officer, Lisa Massey, was delighted by the turnout.

“This is the first veggie gardening workshop Bay OK has delivered. Many urban residents grow veggies in their backyards, and their use of water and nutrient can impact the health of waterways in our catchment if they don’t learn how to garden responsibly on sandy soils,” Lisa said.

Mark Tupman said those that attended were a great group.

“Everyone was so interested in learning how to grow veggies whilst also taking care not to impact the natural environment. So many questions from engaged participants makes sharing knowledge a joy,” he said.

Participants rejuvenated soil in existing vegetable beds using Powersoil mixed with bentonite clay, home-made compost, then finished off with a sprinkle of composted cow manure and lupin mulch.

“We’d like to thank Naturaliste Turf Supplies for their generous donation of gardening products for this workshop,” Lisa added.