All Events in Lawes

This workshop introduces soil as a living ecosystem, not just something plants grow in. Participants learn how soil structure, minerals and biology work together, and how everyday garden actions either build or destroy long-term fertility. Using the community garden beds as a hands-on classroom, the session focuses on reading soil, understanding its limitations, and preparing beds in ways that regenerate rather than exhaust them.

This workshop reframes composting as a nutrient-cycling system, not a bin you throw scraps into. Participants learn how compost turns “waste” into fertility, how to manage compost collectively, and how good composting underpins soil health, plant resilience and community accountability. Using the garden’s own compost systems, the session focuses on what to add, what not to add, and why, reducing common problems like smells, pests and contamination.

This workshop introduces no-dig gardening as a soil-first, biology-led approach to growing food in shared spaces. Participants learn why digging can damage soil structure and microbial life, and how sheet mulching and surface feeding build fertility, suppress weeds and reduce ongoing labour. The session focuses on when no-dig works best, when modifications are needed, and how to apply it correctly in a community garden context.