news icon

Have you always wanted to learn how to grow delicious food in your own backyard? Join us at our ‘Growing Food Through the Seasons’ workshop series to help you grow a bountiful food garden all year long.

Building on the success of our 2024 series, the workshops are back in 2025. The updated program will cover similar topics to 2024, with several new, advanced courses available so people can join us again to build on their knowledge

Growing Food Through the Seasons is a unique offering in Canberra – aiming to give year-long learning opportunities to ensure you always plan early and plant on time to have something delicious growing in your garden.

Hosted by Fiona Buining from the Ainslie Urban Farm, Growing Food Through the Seasons workshops cover a range of gardening basics including different planting techniques, composting, soil health and more. The series will focus on getting the best from Canberra’s unique growing climate, teaching participants when and what to plant for a bountiful supply of backyard produce year-round.

Fiona is a passionate advocate for local food growing and was awarded a 2020 Churchill Fellowship to investigate urban farm ventures that provide vocational pathways for aspiring food growers. She is an experienced educator committed to enabling more people to grow their own food and promoting the personal, community and environmental benefits of locally grown food.

Workshops will be advertised on the SLA website and Eventbrite each month, where you can purchase your tickets.

For further information about the workshops and to register your interest in the full program or the advanced courses, contact the SLA Sustainability Team on [email protected].  

People planting food in garden

Growing Food Through the Seasons Workshop Series 2025

Where: Mingle Community Space, Suburban Land Agency Display Village. Corner of Sculthorpe Avenue and Klaus Moje Street in Whitlam.

When:

  • Saturday 1 February – Growing Food in Small Spaces
  • Saturday 1 March – Get your Garden Bed Ready: Soil & Irrigation
  • Saturday 5 April – Grow Green: Soils, potting mix & fertility
  • Saturday 3 May – Composting & Carbon Capture
  • Saturday 5 July – Fun with Fruit: Growing Fruit Trees
  • Saturday 2 August – Maintaining a Healthy Garden: pests, diseases & crop protection
  • Saturday 6 September – Super Seedlings: Raising your own seedlings
  • Saturday 18 October – Spring into Summer: Get ready for Summer growing
  • Saturday 8 November – Planning Year-round Food Production

Advanced Course Topics (Dates & Times TBC)

  • July 2025 – Advanced Soil Studies – Interpreting a soil test
  • September 2025 –Principles of the Plant Health Pyramid: Making your own foliar sprays
  • October 2025 – Plant Pollination & Seed Saving