Backyard Food Production

Growing your own herbs and vegetables can be a rewarding and exciting experience. This course provides you with a mix of practical information and hands-on experience to achieve great results.

During this 8 week course, you will become part of a small team who will be the custodians of our backyard vegetable garden plot at our purpose designed 1-acre permaculture site located at Mullumbimby Community Gardens (MCG).

We will follow the seasons of a north coast vegetable garden. Growing, maintaining, harvesting, fertilising and sowing with the seasons and in tune with nature.

This course will suit anyone interested in growing vegetables and herbs. Great for those wanting to be more self- sufficient, or for those wanting to grow on a larger scale.

A mixture of theory and practical make this course an exciting journey into the world of organic gardening.

What you will learn

• Establishing a garden
• Basic soil science for organic growers
• Fertilisers, compost, worm farms
• Seed saving
• Crop rotation, succession planting, moon planting, green manures
• Irrigation systems
• Simple plant physiology to help you improve your harvest
• Pest, disease and weed control

Entry Requirements

• There are no formal entry requirements for this skill set.
• The wearing of PPE gear including long work pants, long sleeved work shirt, solid work boots, garden gloves and a wide brimmed hat
• To enhance the quality of learning, students can only enrol in a single skill set at any given time and can explore each skill set just once.
• Learners must not have successfully completed more than one unit of competency attached to this course listed under Units of Study Required for this Skill Set

Desirable Requirements

• It is recommended that learners are able to work physically in a range of outdoor conditions (sun, rain, wind) for extended periods of time. It is also recommended that learners should be able to squat, kneel, bend, lift and carry loads, dig, shovel and weed.

Course Duration & Hours

• Classes are delivered face to face
• 8 days of classroom and onsite learning 9.00am - 3.00pm per week
• Delivery location: Mullumbimby campus and Mullumbimby Community Gardens

Course Fees

Fees are fully subsidised for eligible students:

• ACE Program Fee: $0* - most NSW residents are eligible for this subsidised fee!
• Full Fee: $400

We kindly remind students that a $100 cancellation fee will apply only to those who do not attend any sessions of the Skill Sets course, and we encourage timely communication if any unforeseen circumstances prevent attendance.

This training is subsidised by the NSW Government.

*Student eligibility for ACE Program fee

To be eligible for government subsidised training through the ACE Program, you must:

• Be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or humanitarian visa holder, or a New Zealand citizen; and
• Live or work in New South Wales; and
• Be aged 15 years or older;
• No longer be at school or equivalent; and
• Provide the College with your USI at the time of enrolment (admin staff can assist you in obtaining a USI); and
• Have not successfully completed the units listed under '**Assessments are made against units of competency' for this course.** Refer to the top of this page.

For more information or to find out if your are eligible for the $0 fee call our office on 02 6684 3374.

What to bring

• Pen and paper
• Own lunch and refreshments
• Students must have enclosed shoes and a brimmed hat
• Long sleeve shirt and long pants
• Sunglasses and gloves

USI

From the 1st of January 2015, any student enrolling in an Accredited Training course will be required to obtain a USI. The USI helps to keep your training records and results together in an online account which is controlled by you. You can logon to the "USI website":http://usi.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx and follow the simple instructions online to create your USI. This then needs to be provided to the College at the time of enrolment.

Important Information

Once your enrolment is completed you will receive a confirmation email. This email will be your receipt and inform you of the dates, time and venue of your course, it will also let you know of anything you need to take to class with you. Please make sure that you give us a valid email address and mobile number as any course changes will be communicated via sms or email.

Click here to read our Refund Policy