Learning to garden at Sanders

Novice greenfingers get a chance to grow their gardening skills.

From July 25, aspiring gardeners will be out in full force at Sanders Reserve to learn the basics of growing fruit and veg, beekeeping, orchards, and native planting.

Run in conjunction with NorthTec in Whangarei, the course is open and free to all NZ citizens and residents, with around 12-14 spots for green-fingered hopefuls.

Course tutor Ruth Wood went through the course herself, and has now been running it for nine years.

She says she loves seeing how much students enjoy learning.

‘‘[Especially seeing] people who have never done any gardening before getting really excited about the fresh fruit and vegetables that they’re actually producing.’’

Wood says the emphasis is hands-on experience, and students do a fifty-fifty mix of theory and outdoor learning.

Topics covered are beekeeping, utilising native plants, and planning and planting an orchard.

Out in the garden, students also learn about liquid teas, composting, pest management and plant propagation.

The course starts on July 25 from 9am-2.30pm every Monday and Tuesday until November 29.

It will be the last time the short course runs, however a longer 30 week course starts next February.

Contact Ruth at ruthw@slingshot.co.nz for more.