The COVID-19 has stalled much of our projects, including climate action across the globe.

Locally, however, small actions are happening in our community.  The Australian Multicultural Community Services, in partnership with the Brimbank City Council, has initiated the Grow Green Garden Talks Program. The aim is to bring significant change to people’s health, habits, practices, lifestyles with small, consistent, and practical steps. With climate change disrupting food supplies sending prices of goods and services higher, gardening offers solutions for self-sufficiency and helps the community to live for a more sustainable future.

Before the Victorian State Government enforced the COVID-19 restrictions In March this year, we came up with a gardening curriculum which has drawn significant interests from the community.

Contents include:

• Planning your food garden
• Preparing and building healthy soils
• Plant cycles and identifying seasonal crops
• Identifying seeds sources and seeds saving
• Plant varieties
• Planting and growing crops
• Managing bugs and pests
• Managing weeds
• Edible weeds
• Abundance: From harvesting to preserving
• Reducing food waste from roots to shoots
• Composting: Recycle from soil to soil
• Natural fertilisers
• Development of cost efficient meals
• Cooking: From the garden to the kitchen
• Climate Change and what we can do
*With monthly expert guest speaker sessions

Download full Gardening  program contents  here.

Note that lockdown and restrictions scaled down our activities. The facilitator of the program (Rowena), however, endeavoured to work singlehandedly  by planting a variety of winter vegetables on three new garden beds. Video clips have been filmed for a series of presentation. Here’s the first part of the series: