Keen gardeners from across the Geographe Catchment honed their vegetable growing skills
at a recent practical workshop led by soil biology expert Mark Tupman.
During the interactive session, hosted by The People Place and GeoCatch’s Bay OK program,
gardeners learnt about best practices for growing vegetables, including the importance of
building a living soil, amending sandy soil, planting techniques and what to plant in each
season.
Mark also explained how to turn sand into healthy soil so that it holds water and nutrients
to grow great veggies.
GeoCatch’s Bay OK project officer, Lisa Massey, was delighted by the turnout.
“This is the first veggie gardening workshop Bay OK has delivered. Many urban residents
grow veggies in their backyards, and their use of water and nutrient can impact the health
of waterways in our catchment if they don’t learn how to garden responsibly on sandy
soils,” said Lisa.
Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology said those that attended were a great group.
“Everyone was so interested in learning how to grow veggies whilst also taking care not to
impact the natural environment. So many questions from engaged participants makes
sharing knowledge a joy,” said Mark.
Workshop participants rejuvenated the soil in existing vegetable beds using Powersoil mixed
with bentonite clay, some home-made compost, then finished off with a sprinkle of
composted cow manure and lupin mulch. “We’d like to thank Naturaliste Turf Supplies for
their generous donation of gardening products for this workshop,” said Lisa.
This project was delivered by GeoCatch, as part of Healthy Estuaries WA and Revitalising
Geographe Waterways. These State Government initiatives aim to support the long-term
health of our south-west estuaries.
For more information about how to create a thriving Bay OK garden, visit geocatch.asn.au
