Learning to grow organic

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by nena, May 12, 2008.

  1. nena

    nena Guest

    Are there any courses or garden inside Sydney area that actually teach you to grow organic. I really want to commit to eating organic veggies and fruits but I am a student and can't afford the crazy prices even though I understand why. I figure if I grew them myself it would be cheaper, for sure organic and satisfying! Any suggestions thanks!
     
  2. thepoolroom

    thepoolroom Junior Member

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    I'm not in Sydney, so I'm not sure about courses etc. But I'm sure there'd be something. Try searching out gardening clubs, community gardens, 'green' groups, etc in your local area.

    Also, Gardening Australia on ABC TV has a lot of good info. Their web site has lots of past episodes available for download. Check your local library for Gardening Australia magazines and DVDs, and also look for Organic Gardener (also produced by the ABC).
     
  3. Cosmic

    Cosmic Junior Member

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    Start watching gardening Australia every week. It's free and full of information. Read their magazines also, free from a library. Visit a community garden. This is where I learnt from.
     
  4. Loris

    Loris Junior Member

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    Above all, start doing something and give stuff a try. It may fail but you will learn from that and develop your own gardening techniques that suit you, your aims and your lifestyle. Nothing better than having a go and being prepared to accept the bad with the good.
     
  5. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    There is plenty of info on the web. :study:
    Some links here
    https://hypography.com/forums/earth-scie ... rming.html :computer: :coffee2:

    Try joining an Organic Garden Club-or any garden club- that's where I learnt. You are usually treated like Royalty if you are under 40 YO !!! :king: :finga:

    it is not that hard if you follow three basic principles:-
    First principle, Use as much organic mater on you soil as possible.
    Second principle, add more organic matter. :toothy4:
    Third principle, add various ground up rocks. :rock:

    With pests you might find the first few years hard as your local ecology gradually goes bug free. A sort of ecological balance between good and most bad guys eventually develops :ANAL:
    There are organic pesticides (neem, garlic, pyrethum(don't use synthetic), tobacco etc) and biological control s if you have major problems.
     
  6. colours

    colours Junior Member

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    Hi, I'm currently studying a cert IV in organic farming at Richmond TAFE. Fees are about $1000 per year which is cheap compared to uni. The thing I love about the course is the dialogue I have with the other students. I seem to learn just as much from them as from the teacher and I've made some great friends out of it.
     
  7. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    Join a few organic gardening groups (like HDRA) and any other gardening club
    You will save a lot of money
    look too at the net; heaps of info there.
     
  8. katrina

    katrina Junior Member

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    on a similarly tight budget, i went to my local library and borrowed permaculture and organic gardening books, starting around april last year, with a view to setting up a patch in the garden.

    the book i found most useful, full of eureka moments for me, when i finally "got" some fundamentals was Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow(gee, i hope i have the title right).
    reading widely helped me to fill in some blanks and add texture to my knowledge.
    but i found woodrow's writing style very accessible, and ultimately user-friendly and it became my guide.

    my husband was given Bill Mollison's Permaculture: A Designers' Manual for his birthday last year. Its technicality appealed to him, and as a consequence my garden is well- thought out. but Bill's writing is too dry for me, and you can read Linda's book in bed without wrenching shoulders.

    this, and visiting a few other people's gardens was enough to set up our little backyard operation and a year and a bit on we are pretty chuffed at how it has all turned out.
    don't let a lack of funds put you off; there's all sorts of free and cheap stuff out there if you can use your imagination.
    have fun finding out how amazing beans and peas taste fresh from the garden, but beware, the local greengrocer will lose its appeal,
    kat
     
  9. Raymondo

    Raymondo Junior Member

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    Book from the library, packet of seeds, and away you go.
     
  10. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    The Permaculture Manual is a bit dry, but he's fit in an awful lot of information into it.

    Look for Mollison's earlier permie books. They are more basic and have lots of drawings that make the concepts easy to understand. Get Pat Coleby's book, titled Natural Farming and Land Care (or something like that) about the how and why of soil improvement.

    It all starts with the soil. If you don't get that right, nothing else will be. Healthy soil = healthy plants, and healthy plants resist disease and insect infestations.

    Get your soil tested and pin the results/recommendations to your wall. Make adjustments and have it tested again (at the same time of year) every year. Watch how it gets closer and closer to perfect. Watch what happens in your garden. And note what ISN'T happening, too.

    Sue
     
  11. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: Learning to grow organic

    g'day nena,

    we grow organically or as we like to say naturally organicaly.

    so why pay? check our site and see waht we do well ther are many here with sites check them all and ask questions, we also don't mind fi you slip us a donation to help us but that is you option.

    len
     
  12. plainright

    plainright Guest

    Re: Learning to grow organic

    save money and buy organic...it works out cheaper...and less work :D
     
  13. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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