OFFICIAL PROGRAM

MARGARET RIVER REGION, MAY 11 & 12, 2024

CONTENTS

Book your tickets at www.ediblegardensfestival.au

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR’S WELCOME

Welcome to the Edible Gardens Festival – the Margaret River region’s annual sustainability and food growing festival, returning in 2024 on May 11&12!

This not-for-profit event is aimed at connecting community and empowering you with knowledge and inspiration to get your hands dirty, grow your own food, live lighter on the planet, and have fun in the process!

This year there’s an exciting new format - you can either grab a Saturday or Sunday day ticket, or one of each! Each day has four different and varied edible gardens for you to tour, meet the gardeners and hear about their gardening journey, tips and techniques. These are real-life, practical gardens at various stages of maturity, created by authentic gardeners taking care of their soil and producing abundance! Read on for the full Saturday and Sunday program.

We’ve listened to your feedback and also introduced some fab in-depth afternoon workshops on topics including mastering composting, wicking beds, advanced soil management, and garden tool maintenance. Each is capped at an intimate 15 people so spots are limited! Plus, we’re hosting a free community sundowner to cap off the weekend, with a gardener Q&A panel discussion, prizes and giveaways, and live music from The Nomadics.

We hope you love the festival as much as we enjoyed putting it together, and that you come away with loads of inspiration for your place!

Finally, a huge thank-you to the incredible support of these local groups and businesses who support our festival: the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, Margaret River Regional Environment Centre, Fair Harvest Permaculture, Margaret River Mitre 10, Yates’ organic range, South West Tree Services, Shogun Tools, Soil Dynamics, Shelter Brewing Co, Margaret River Community Pantry and Gathered Organics.

- Cheers! Edible Gardens Festival Directors, Trevor Paddenburg and Valerie Vallee

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PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

GENERAL FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Getting the most out of each garden you visit: Each gardener will do a brief talk about their garden at 15 minutes past the hour, every hour (i.e 9.15am, 10.15am, 11.15am and 12.15pm). Listen for the “coo-eee” before each talk starts. If you time your day, you can get around to all 4 gardens and hear each gardener’s talk. Gardeners and their key volunteers will wear high vis to identify themselves. Gardeners are generously sharing their space, so please show your gratitude, stick to paths and tread respectfully!

Tickets & Volunteers: Please buy your tickets online at www.ediblegardensfestival.au – tickets aren’t available for purchase at the open gardens. Show your ticket (printed or on your phone) to volunteers at each garden upon arrival. Volunteers are also there to provide info and assist where possible!

Children & Pets: Kids 16 and under are free but do need an entry ticket which can be reserved when purchasing adult tickets (this helps us keep track of overall numbers). Please ensure kids are supervised and well behaved. Sorry, no dogs or other pets allowed at open gardens.

Toilets & Parking: Toilets are not available for use at open gardens. Please use nearby public toilets. Please park respectfully and follow the parking instructions on the program for each garden and the instructions of parking attendants at some gardens.

Food and drinks: The Fair Harvest Permaculture café will be open over the weekend for lunch, beverages and cake. There will also be food and drinks available at some gardens (see open gardens pages for details). It might look delicious but please don’t pick or eat any produce from gardens.

Accommodation: If you’re coming from out of town and need accommodation, Fair Harvest Permaculture is the official campground for the festival (book at www.fairharvest.com.au). The Margaret River Region visitor centre can also assist with accommodation bookings (www.margaretriver.com.au).

Weather: Fingers crossed for great weather but the event will still go ahead in wet weather. Don’t forget to bring: Protection for sunny or inclement weather, shoes, water bottle, snacks, camera, pen and notepad.

Getting around: Sustainability is a big goal for this event, so please car pool, ride your bike where possible, or visit the festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages to arrange ride sharing. Gardens have been grouped together by location to minimise commuting.

Your safety + wheelchair access: Gardens are working spaces so be aware of hazards like steps, ponds etc. Some gardens are wheelchair friendly. See the notes on each garden.

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SATURDAY MAY 11 OPEN GARDENS

9AM-1PM. Visit gardens 1-4 in any order. Locations around Margaret River/Cowaramup

GARDEN 1: 14 Harvest View, Cowaramup (Street parking)

If you’re new to edible gardening, you’ll be amazed and what Scott and Mary Wood have achieved since starting to grow food on their 7.5-acre property just 1.5 years ago. The couple work full time but have built the entire garden themselves using recycled materials and blue gum timber harvested from the block. That includes designing and building a chook house, DIY covered orchard, potting shed, 10 vegetable beds, plus fruit trees including limes, lemons, persimmons, plums, apples, apricots and figs. They also inherited a struggled avocado orchard with 160 trees but are working hard with organic practices to bring back soil life & diversity. “Our soils were very poor but we’ve used wood chip, cow manure, cover crops and compost to boost organic matter,” says Scottie. A phenomenal amount of food is harvested for their kitchen & for preserves, bartering, giving away & feeding the flock of 18 chooks. Be sure to ask the couple about using the Johnson-Su method for quick compost making! “We love the total experience we’ve created. We’re slow gardeners, we put in when we can and don’t sweat the rustic nature of our garden,” they say. * VIEW OR DOWNLOAD GARDEN MAP

GARDEN 2: Cowaramup Community Garden, Sunset Dr, Cowaramup (next to Cowaramup Men’s Shed. Parking on the street and at the Men’s Shed)

Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the thriving Cowaramup Community Garden, which is home to 20 wicking beds, a variety of fruit trees and vines, composting bays, rainwater tanks, and a sea container storage shed. Don’t miss the chance to see how a wicking bed is constructed, find out why this veg-growing method is so good in our drying climate, and pick the garden volunteers’ brains about how to go about building your own wicking beds. Plus, find out about the community garden’s free monthly Swap, Shuffle, Share produce exchange and how you can become part of it, or start your own in your community. This garden is a Lions Club project that kicked off in 2017 thanks to the hard work of the community and support from local businesses. Now, it really is a thriving garden that hosts regular workshops and events, brings community together, promotes food growing and sustainability, and gives locals without land of their own a place to grow their own food. How good is that!? * VIEW OR DOWNLOAD MAP

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GARDEN 3: 502 Carters Road, Burnside (Parking on site - follow the signs)

A great example of how two busy professionals working full time can still have a productive garden putting loads of fruit and vegetables on the kitchen table! Sabine and Tony Lane have opted for a low maintenance, high yield approach. Concrete raised beds and pathways mean maximum durability and no maintenance while still providing the ideal growing space for herbs and vegetables which are easy to access and harvest. Compost and chickens are used to build soil life and organic matter. Their productive garden is also home to a great example of a netted orchard with an array of fruit trees (the plums are sensational!), underplanted with cover crops to boost the yield. Don’t miss the cute tiny home they’ve built on the property to house integral willing workers who lend a hand in the productive garden and maintain the rest of this large bush block. Around the house, the landscaping is waterwise with fire-resistant species such as passionfruit vine, ornamental grape, citrus and lawn circle. Right next door is Fair Harvest Permaculture, run by Tony’s sister Jodie Lane – be sure to stop in at the café for a drink and a snack, or book one of the festival’s afternoon workshops held on site.* VIEW OR DOWNLOAD GARDEN MAP

GARDEN 4: 6848 Caves Rd, Redgate (Parking on site - follow the signs)

Bill and Wendy Castleden have created an interesting garden to wander and enjoy, located just off Caves Rd and backing onto karri forest and native bush. It’s also very productive, with two vegetable and herb growing areas close to the house for easy access. There are well-established kiwi fruit vines utilising the tennis court fence as a trellis. But the star of the show is the huge netted orchard, home to 40-plus well pruned and spaced fruit trees, including a range of apple, fig, pear, custard apple and one of the biggest and most productive feijoas we’ve seen! The orchard is also home to raised vegetable and strawberry beds, while a citrus grove is nearby. The couple utilise greywater and make plenty of compost to overcome clay and enrich the soils, aided by a flock of chickens and ducks (which are great lawn mowers in the orchard too). Plus, there’s a tiny home complete with compost loo! When they’re not feeding the kids and grandkids with all that fruit and veg, Bill and Wendy donate excess produce to the soup kitchen and the Margaret River Community Pantry. Great work guys! * VIEW OR DOWNLOAD GARDEN MAPS

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SUNDAY MAY 12 OPEN GARDENS

9AM-1PM. Visit gardens 5-8 in any order. Locations around Witchcliffe/ Karridale

GARDEN 5: 14 Karridale Close, Karridale (Parking on site - follow the signs)

Right on the edge of Boranup Forest at the old Karridale settlement, don’t miss Gary and Lisa Browne’s 40-bed veggie patch (including some wicking beds), newly-planted espalier orchard which will boast 100 varieties of fruit trees, and market garden where they grow some of the best garlic in the South-West, sold at the Margaret River Farmers Market under their brand MillHaven Farm. Make sure you listen in when Gary discusses his top tips for tasty, plump and abundant garlic! The couple are also rehabilitating a lake and wetland on their 19-acre property. And overcoming challenges such as strong winds (through use of wind breaks) & patches of poor soil (by boosting organic content with manure from chickens and with lots of home-made compost). “We take elements from permaculture, organic & no-dig gardening, using regenerative practices to support a healthy living soil which supports healthy plants,” says Gary. * VIEW OR DOWNLOAD GARDEN MAP

GARDEN 6: 70 Glenarty Rd, Karridale (Parking on site - follow the signs)

Meet head gardener Martine Surprenant for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Glenarty Road farm market garden, which features oodles of vegetable beds as well as 250-plus fruit trees and animals that embody the paddock to plate ethos. Martine grows enough food every week for more than 500 meals, thanks to meticulous succession planting and constantly building soil with manure, compost and mulch. She’ll discuss this as well as other food growing techniques such as using a greenhouse to extend the growing season, and building soil life through mulch and manures. “Lots of our produce gets used fresh; lots of it gets pickled, fermented or preserved; some of it gets used in cordials, teas and kombucha; and the surplus goes to our darling pigs and our steamy compost,” says Martine. “I love seeing the fresh produce I bring into the kitchen turning into something absolutely delicious and beautiful once our amazing chefs get their hands on it.” * VIEW OR DOWNLOAD GARDEN MAPS

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GARDEN 7: 287 Davis Rd, Witchcliffe (Parking on site - follow the signs)

Visit nutritionist-turned-food producer Amy Dyson and her partner Gareth Morgan’s quarter-acre leased garden plot, tucked into a corner of a 75-acre former farm and vineyard being converted to regenerative agriculture. On her plot, Amy indulges a passion for growing brassicas, bitter greens, heirloom vegetables and plants that are great for your gut! Called Plumo Market Garden, it’s a start-up regenerative market garden less than 9 months old, currently with 21 beds. Tap into Amy’s advice on improving sandy soil (by using manures, compost, rotting hay bales, cover crops and ‘no till’ practises) and dealing with dreaded weevils (by hand-picking at night, cultivating the perimeter soil, and thinking long-term about soil health and plant diversity). Also see how to use a polytunnel and seedling nursery to boost productivity, extend the growing season and protect crops. “Growing food is the antithesis of our high-tech, fast-paced lives, and I find the physical nature of gardening helps bring awareness to the here and now,” says Amy. “Studying nutrition gave me a better insight into how community health and food systems are intricately linked, and market gardening feels like a great way to contribute, even in a tiny way.” If you love what Amy is growing, put your name down for her subscription-style veggie boxes! * VIEW OR DOWNLOAD GARDEN MAP

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GARDEN 8: Start at 26 Yornitj Grove, Witchcliffe (Street parking)

The Witchcliffe Ecovillage featured in last year’s festival and in 2024 an entire neighbourhood of new Ecovillage gardens is on display. Visit Cluster 1B’s communal gardens and orchard with 50-plus fruit and nut trees & a whole range of individual vegetable gardens – making it a one-stop-shop to see a range of techniques to edible gardening at various stages of maturity. Experienced and rookies gardeners will be on hand to answer your questions. PLUS bring some spare change (cash only) for the tea, coffee, cake and plant stalls! The cluster is a group of 21 individual houses – each with a productive garden – in a ring around a shared orchard, chicken run, stormwater swales, habitat gardens and community building. Learn how the residents are tackling challenges like the “Witchy wind”, rabbits, clay soil, compaction and lack of organic matter. “People have employed many different methods and techniques – all organic – and no two gardens are the same,” says resident Britta Sorensen, who gardens for a “lighter footprint on the earth, sustainability, connection to nature and country, health and enjoyment of food”. “By moving to the Ecovillage I’m hoping to share and pass on my knowledge, skills and passion to others and also to find fun and reward in gardening together as a group, sharing the produce and building a resilient community,” she says. * WHEELCHAIR FRIENDLY * VIEW OR DOWNLOAD GARDEN MAP

FESTIVAL WORKSHOPS

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Numbers: Capped at an intimate 15 people per workshop. Venue: Meet at the Fair Harvest Permaculture café, Carters Rd, Margaret River.

Bring: Closed shoes, sun/wet weather protection, water bottle, notepad + pen. Note: Workshop tickets sold separately.

SATURDAY, MAY 11:

SUNDAY, MAY 12:

Workshop 1: Mastering composting with Mark Tupman. 1.30pm-3pm

No-one makes better compost than Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology, and in this workshop you’ll learn the top tips, tricks, secrets and techniques for producing your own garden compost to enrich your soil, boost soil life and get your plants humming!

Workshop 1: Mastering composting with Mark Tupman. 1.30pm-3pm

No-one makes better compost than Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology, and in this workshop you’ll learn the top tips, tricks, secrets and techniques for producing your own garden compost to enrich your soil, boost soil life and get your plants humming!

Workshop 2: Wicking beds + waterwise gardening with Rod Hughes. 1.30pm-3pm

Our drying climate means waterwise gardening is vital! Build a demo waterwise wicking bed with permaculture teacher Rod Hughes so you’ll know how to make your own, plus learn a raft of other tips & techniques to save water while growing abundantly!

Workshop 2: Wicking beds + waterwise gardening with Rod Hughes. 1.30pm-3pm

Our drying climate means waterwise gardening is vital! Build a demo waterwise wicking bed with permaculture teacher Rod Hughes so you’ll know how to make your own, plus learn a raft of other tips & techniques to save water while growing abundantly!

Workshop 3: Advanced soil management with Mark Tupman. 3.30pm-5pm

If you know the basics but want to turbo-charge your knowledge about soil, how to best manage & improve it, &boost the billions of critters essential to the soil food web, this is the workshop for you.

Workshop 3: Advanced soil management with Mark Tupman. 3.30pm-5pm

If you know the basics but want to turbo-charge your knowledge about soil, how to best manage & improve it, &boost the billions of critters essential to the soil food web, this is the workshop for you.

Workshop 4: Wicking beds + waterwise gardening with Rod Hughes. 1.30pm-3pm

Our drying climate means waterwise gardening is vital! Build a demo waterwise wicking bed with permaculture teacher Rod Hughes so you’ll know how to make your own, plus learn a raft of other tips & techniques to save water while growing abundantly!

Workshop 4: Garden tool maintenance with Rod Hughes. 3.30pm-5pm

Bring your rusty and unloved garden tools to this workshop where you’ll learn all the hands-on, practical techniques for restoring, sprucing up, sharpening, maintaining and giving your trusty tools all the love they’ll need to serve you for years to come!

SUNDAY SUNDOWNER INFORMATION

SPECIAL OFFERS FOR TICKET HOLDERS

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SUPPORTERS AND SPONSORS

Finally, a big round of applause for these supporters and sponsors - we couldn't put on this great event without their amazing help! Please support these great local organisations and businesses who support the Edible Gardens Festival.

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