Our intention is to proceed with this course face to face with strict spacing and cleaning protocols in place. It will move online where needed due to government restrictions and recommendations.

Are you interested in learning the basics of how to create and maintain a garden from exploring design options through to caring for chosen plants?

Would you like to find out more about possible horticulture training, volunteering and career pathways?

Join CERES Trainer, Belinda Kennedy, as she introduces you to the stages of designing, building, planting and maintaining a garden.

What you will learn

How to create and maintain a garden
Career and volunteer opportunities in horticulture
Garden design and how to care for chosen plants

What you will get

Plenty of hands on activities
Opportunities to learn from a real working farm
Ability to engage and interact with CERES horticulture expertise

Trainer Bio

Belinda Kennedy has been studying and working within the horticulture industry for over 10 years, specialising in sustainable and organic garden design and management utilisiing permaculture principles. She has worked in numerous fields within the horticulture industry from training courses to garden maintenance and revegetation work. Belinda is currently employed as the Site Horticultralist and Volunteer Coordinator at CERES Environment Park and runs a sustainable garden design and maintenance company. Through her work as volunteer coordinator at CERES she is responsible for the management, eduction and work place safety of large groups of community and corporate volunteers. Along with her hands on experience she is currently working on several literary productions based on permaculture and sustainable gardening along with producing a plant data base for the inner Melbourne region. Belinda has completed an Advanced Diploma in Horticulture at Melbourne University, a Permaculture design certificate and has attended several short courses on sustainable gardening, native revegetation, organic gardening, and composting.

What to bring

Comfortable enclosed shoes/boots
Gardening gloves
Appropriate weather gear eg sunhat
Pen and paper
Lunch
Enthusiasm to learn and get your hands dirty’

What to wear

Casual (Warning: This might get messy)

Course length

10 sessions > 10am – 3pm

Sessions:

Introduction to garden design and maintenanceSoils,

Compost and Mulch
Sustainable pest and weed identification and control
Fertilisers and plant food
Plant selection and identification/Planting methods and settlement
Pruning, trellising, training and plant support
Site analysis and design elements
Watering systems & Design work
Constructing a garden – site preparation, building, planting and mulching
Where to now? Exploration of further training, volunteering and employment opportunities

** A certificate will be issued upon completion of at least 75% of the course

* This is an ACFE Approved Pre-accredited Course where the cost is subsidised for eligible participants.

ACFE Eligible participants are deemed eligible through an interview process with our career pathways officer. The costs for these participants are $65 – ACFE Information and Eligibility

Contact Karen Mengell on 9389 0127 or karen.mengell@ceres.org.au for more information and to book an interview.