The HomeGrown Project News

Hello fellow gardeners, my name is Amanda and I’m a passionate home gardener and Health Promotion Officer at Ballarat Community Health.

What are your memories of home food growing?

Growing up, I learnt to grow food at home from my grandmother and my father who were both keen home gardeners. My memories were of eating climbing beans (scarlett runners) and tomatoes (Grosse Lisse and Oxheart) and plenty of Queensland blue pumpkins later in the year.

What’s growing in your garden?

In our backyard (and front yard) we grow a variety of seasonal vegetables and herbs, and have a range of fruit trees, chickens for eggs and honeybees to help with fruit and vegetable pollination and honey.

What do you like most about growing your own food at home?

Sharing fresh veggies, herbs and fruit with my family, friends and neighbours.

If you’d like to tell your gardening story about how you got started, who inspired you and your top tips to help other gardeners get started,  please drop me a line via email to [email protected] or call or text me on 0491 097 132. We’d love to hear from you.

Congratulations to Daryl, Winner of May’s ‘Picture from your Patch’

Daryl has won the $25.00 Gift Voucher from Formosa Nursery for his inventive use of a recycled water bottle and string to grow his lettuce.

Congratulations to Marg, Winner of April’s ‘Picture from your Patch’

Marg has won the $25.00 Gift Voucher from Formosa Nursery for the entry of her luscious lettuce.

Congratulations to Chris, Winner of March’s ‘Picture from your Patch’

Chris has won the $25.00 Gift Voucher from Formosa Nursery for the entry of his flourishing cherry tomato plant. Yummo!

Coming Up in June – Growing windowsill sprouts

Join us for our Mini Workshop on how to grow Windowsill sprouts.

From the patch – May

Seedlings available this month

Broccoli, Spring Onion, Wombok (Chinese cabbage), Rosemary, Garlic, Spinach and Lettuce.

Our Seasonal Workshop session this market was ‘Taste and grow edible flowers’.

Our HomeGrown members snacked on nasturtiums, pansies and violas, calendulas and marigolds.

Make the most of the sunshine in the garden. Enjoy a cuppa as you check on your patch.

See you in June

Amanda

From the patch – April

Seedlings available this month
Broccolini, Lettuce, Silverbeet, Parsley, Tuscan Kale & Broad Beans

Workshop – Start your own herb garden
Join us for an informal “How to” on getting a herb garden started. We’ll be using recycled polystyrene boxes, potting mixes and a mix of seasonal herb plants.

The Home-Grown Project workshops 2023

We’ve submitted an application to The Ballarat Foundation to fund an Edible Food Garden at Reid’s Guest House in Lydiard Street which is run by Uniting.
The Garden will include a series of wicking beds for food growing, micro-orchard of apples and stone fruit, composting system, worm farm and chickens.
The Edible Food Garden will be managed by the guests of Reid’s and overseen by Uniting and Ballarat Community Health for 12 months.

Contact us to become a seedling grower for the HomeGrown Project, thank you Beth from March’s HomeGrown project.

Remember to return your pots and empty 300g ring pull cans to the Pot Drop Off point at the Farms to Families Market on Thursday 20th April 2023, from 10.30am.

Find us at the monthly Food Bank Farm to Families Market, Victory Park, Vickers Street, Sebastopol. Workshops held between 10.30am-11.30am.

For more information please contact Amanda, HomeGrown Project Worker, [email protected] or call or SMS 0491 097 132