Calendar of free once-off events

Morgan from 3000 acres will discuss keeping honey bees in urban Melbourne and how to help bees even if you don’t keep them. This session is for bee beginners.

Registration essential.

Learn how to recycle your organic waste at home with a compost bin or worm farm. Recycling organic materials has environmental and gardening benefits including: improved soil quality; reduced waste going to landfill; reduced greenhouse gas emissions; improved water savings; and cost savings. You will also learn how you can get 60% off the retail price of a compost bin, worm farm, or bokashi bin plus free delivery.

Penny Woodward will share her knowledge on the many varieties of heirloom tomatoes available to gardeners, and tips on how to ensure you get a bumper tomato crop this summer.

Children and their families are invited for a morning of gardening, healthy food and learning about sustainable living.

Click here to read about the garden.

The Watsonia Community Garden is continuing their tradition of giving away tomato seedlings for you to take home and grow, compliments of the garden volunteers.

Are you vegan or thinking of transitioning to a vegan lifestyle? Learn how to cook some Italian vegan and gluten-free dishes with Head Chef Edoardo from Shop 225.

Registration essential.

Hargreaves Hill are a brewery in Lilydale. Taste their beers at Nillumbik Cellars – free to attend, free to taste, and no bookings required.

On six consecutive Thursdays, starting 7th November.

This is a new ecological literacy pilot program where you will develop skills on how to manage your household waste and better understand our food and energy system. Topics will include: understanding food systems & climate change; zero-waste kitchen skills; how to be a sustainable food shopper; being wise with water; and understanding energy & climate change.

Farming-for-Change is a small farm in the Dandenong Ranges that grows heirloom produce using organic and permaculture principles. Along with their partners Trek Learning Centre, it offers a program for young people who have become disengaged with education or employment and are facing a range of barriers that have impacted their lives. Go along and hear how the project allows vulnerable youth a chance to immerse themselves in a range of farming, building and various life skills in a safe, holistic space where they can experience a sense of belonging.

A worm farm can be one of the best ways to dispose of food scraps and, at the same time, produce vermi-juice (worm tea) and vermicast (worm castings) for use on the garden. Learn how to set up a worm farm and the easiest methods to manage and care for these most hard-working of creatures.

This workshop will cover both the theory and practice of worm farming in a household setting. It will be useful for those wishing to recycle household food waste in order to produce worm products for use in the improvement of soil in gardens and pot plants.

Discounted worm farms will be available for sale on the day.

This event offers a broad and exciting range of examples of what it means to live vegan. Whether you are passionate about health and wellbeing, fitness, cooking, beauty and body care, fashion, kids and family activities, politics, business, animal rights, sustainability, self-sufficiency, music, creativity, or just love devouring delicious food and drinks – this event is for you.

Regardless of whether you are already vegan or simply curious to find out more about the lifestyle, this event is an opportunity to explore what is on offer in this ever-more accessible lifestyle. The main attractions include:

• Hundreds of exhibitor stalls.
• Local, interstate and international speakers.
• Food and drink vendors.
• Cooking demo stage.

See their website for more details.

Are you a seasoned or newbie maker of home produce and homewares inspired by sustainability and zero waste and want to share your story with others? If so, then take your creations along and, for each one, you bring you will receive a different one in return. You can bring almost anything. The only requirement is that you have made it yourself, with some of the ingredients being homegrown and/or locally/ethically sourced. Each item should have a perceived value of $5-$10.

Ideas for swaps include but are not limited to: jams, preserves, chutneys, fermented products, bread, honey, beer, cordials, soaps, cosmetics, potions, pastries and cakes, eggs, beeswax wraps, produce bags, beanies, arts & crafts, seedlings and plants.

Karen Sutherland, from Edible Eden Design, will be joining the event to share her experience and stories about home growing, seed saving and getting the most from any garden space.

Make the most of the food you buy before it becomes waste or compost. With some know-how, a little planning and a touch of creativity, there are simple ways that you can make the most of food scraps and leftovers to turn them into meals or more. Presenter Kirsty Bishop-Fox, from Sustainable Pathways, will share her simple tricks to make the most of the food you purchase. Go and be surprised at what small changes you can make to reduce food waste, save money and feel good playing your part in the war on waste.

They will cover keeping honey bees in urban Melbourne, how to help the bees even if you don’t keep them, and how to build a native bee hotel. Re keeping bees, they will talk about the time and cost commitment, as well as what you can expect from your hive. Re supporting bees, they will discuss what to plant to attract these essential pollinators. Re bee hotels, there will be some materials and equipment for you to construct your own simple bee hotel for the backyard.

Celebrate the achievements of the local food community. Participate in conversations about local food projects. There will also be facilitated networking, providing opportunities to connect with others who are passionate about creating a sustainable, just and vibrant food system.

For those who grow their own food, you are also invited to bring a simple dish to share, made from homegrown or locally grown ingredients.

Spring plant sale of unusual and difficult to find herbs and edible plants including: plants from Crete (dittany, mountain tea and perennial sea chicory); native edibles (cinnamon myrtle, old man saltbush, strawberry gum and native elder flower); and other (perennial thai basil and strawberry grape). All of the plants are propagated from Karen Sutherland’s garden.

Facilitated by Karen Sutherland. Find out what local plants you can grow and how to use them. Select appropriate plants for your space, such as lemon myrtle or desert lime, and create safe habitats for local fauna.

Registrations essential.

This session will show you how you can get away with not spending a fortune on your garden by utilising things you may already have and learning some clever techniques to save money. Topics will include: potting mixes; pest control; fertilisers; seed sowing; seasonal plant propagation; and re-purposing household objects for use in the garden.

Learn how composting, worm farming and the use of particular plants can naturally improve your soil. Discover how to compost and worm farm effectively for the best results. Understand how recycling your household and garden organic waste (including dog poo!) can benefit the life within your soil. Facilitator: Dianne Gordon.

A day to celebrate the new season of the Edible Forest – an acre of permaculture-designed garden filled with edible and medicinal plants. Go along to enjoy a hosted tour, wander through the newly opened Edible Forest nursery, or take part in an express cooking class. Includes live music, wine tasting from their neighbours at Steelsgate Winery, food vans and kids zone.

Join Maria Ciavarella to learn how to start or improve an existing compost system in your backyard, and how to use your compost products for a healthy vegetable garden.

Many of us plant our trees thinking that all we need to do is water them and wait for the harvest. But fruit trees can experience problems such as poor quality fruit, pests and disease. This session will explore what fruit trees is right for your property and the factors to consider for a successful fruit tree harvest ahead of time.

Are you looking to create a more sustainable life? Thinking about retrofitting your house but not sure where to start? Would you like to grow more food for your family? Go and join like-minded others to share information and ideas. They will base their discussions and learning on: information in the Retrosuburbia book and discussion notes; local people living and doping sustainability; and shared wisdom among the group.

Take a small contribution towards supper – some of your own produce would be great.

The EZ Veggie cooking group will show you how to make tasty, healthy, vegetarian dishes and will offer tastings during the session.

Registration essential.

Irene Williams will demonstrate how to make a gingerbread house for Christmas.

Registration essential.

Local horticulturalist Diana Cotter will present handy hints to minimise waste in the garden. Learn how weeds can become your friends and other composting options. Eliminate plastic waste and reduce water usage.

Registrations essential.

They will cover how to select the right system for your home and common problems. To help put your knowledge into practice, you will visit the worm farms on site at Kathleen Syme and do a health check on those systems.

They will talk through the tips and tricks to plant your patch and keep it thriving through the cooler months, including advice about individual crops. The veggies to be discussed will include broccoli, broad beans, pak choy and carrots.