Local to share secrets of growing success

LOCALS can learn the secrets to gardening success at a new destination at this year’s Edible Gardens Festival.

Coming on May 24 25, the annual not-for-profit gardening and sustainability festival features six brand new open gardens to tour, plus new live demonstrations at each garden, and new expert workshops.

One of the gardeners on the program is Phil Iannerelli and his partner Mel from the Natural Faming Alliance. They’ll be opening the doors for a peek at Lost The Plot Farm – a small scale market garden where they grow heirloom tomatoes, spuds and a range of summer crops for local markets and restaurants.

Alternative is the standard at Lost The Plot where they experiment with and practice organic methods such as biodynamics, electroculture and other natural farming techniques to boost soil and plant health.

Phil was selling his spuds at one of the gardens at last year’s Edible Gardens Festival but this year he is opening his own plot – a relatively new venture on land which was once a bare paddock but is now a small but thriving garden. While it’s a market garden, Phil’s tips and techniques can be directly applied to the home garden too.

Plus, there will be activities for kids and a mini-market of produce from local growers.

Phil and Mel’s garden is on the same property that’s home to Soil Dynamics, owned by locals Tini and Anthony Quinlan.

They’re also throwing open their doors as part of the Edible Gardens Festival for an insider’s look at how they make their organic soil amendments, plus top tips for when, how and why to use organic fertilisers and soil improvers, and DIY ways to improve your own soil.

Also at the garden, Margaret River Mitre 10 staff will also be showing off a raised-bed Vegepod and demonstrating how you can use it to grow abundance in a small space (with a Vegepod up for grabs for one lucky festival-goer).

The property is one of three gardens are open to the community from 9am to 1pm on Sunday of the festival and a different three gardens will feature on Saturday.

Locals can tour the gardens, 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, and are almost sold out.

Meanwhile, in-depth workshops run by local experts on a range of gardening topics – some which have also sold out – are ticketed separately at $25 each and are held in the afternoon of both days.

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

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. Yates Australia is donating thank-you gifts for the gardeners and volunteers.

“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 says.

He thanked supporters, partners and sponsors including the AMR Shire, MR Regional Environment Centre, MR Community Pantry, Mitre 10, Yates Australia, Lazarus Horticulture, South West Tree Services and Fair Harvest Permaculture.