Workshops and Masterclasses
WORKSHOPS
Our workshops are an intensive in-person educational program, hosted by our expert gardeners for a brief duration (usually 1.5hrs). The class may start with a lecture, there may be discussion and the learning is mostly academic. We wish to keep our classes to a more focused audience and depending on the subject matter they will be held either indoors or outdoors.
MASTERCLASSES
Our specialty classes taught by our expert gardeners or run by an external presenter with an expert level of knowledge or skill in a particular area. Masterclass run for a longer duration (usually 3-4hrs) and cover a depth of material through either lecture or demonstration and are accompanied by detailed instruction.
Dear Staff at Diggers,
I have just returned from the masterclass at Heronswood with Phil Dudman: Priming your Patch.
Thank you.
Phil was really helpful, informative, entertaining and interesting. He's a great presenter.
I purchased lots of seeds and seedlings and some of your Magic compost and have returned with renewed hope for a better season this Autumn/Winter.
Thank you for:
Great presentation
Excellent organisation & admin (booking, info, etc)
Sensible (thoughtful) timing and location - arrive and can have a coffee (if you want to) before the presentation for those who may have driven a long way. I was worried about a day of 37oC and gale force winds, but the lecture hall is great.
Delicious lunch
Great, friendly, helpful staff.
- Attendee
SEPTEMBER, 2022
3rd
Companion Planting for Plant Health
Learn all about the main styles of companion planting, plants that repel and attract and good combinations to improve plant health
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
SOLD OUT10th
Vegie Growing Intensive
Hands-on demonstration on how to plant very closely together, so every available inch is utilised and nothing goes to waste.
Saturday
10am - 1pm
Heronswood (Dromana)
SOLD OUT17th
Introduction to Basket Weaving
Learn how to create your own beautiful basketry pieces, through manually learning the techniques and skills to be able to create more pieces at home.
Saturday
10am - 2pm
Adelaide Botanic Garden - Schomburgk Pavilion
SOLD OUT18th
Organic Pest & Weed Control
The snails are out! Learn how to manage those uninvited garden guests by increasing plant diversity, improving plant and soil health and all the best tips to help your garden fight the invaders naturally.
Sunday
10am - 11:30am
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
ENDEDOCTOBER, 2022
1st
All the Buzz
Bring your kids to this fun school holiday workshop so they can learn all about bees, watch an active hive demonstration, enjoy a honey taste-test and be part of the buzz!
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
ENDED23rd
Backyard Berries
Learn all about soil preparation, the best berry varieties, planting techniques, propagation, training, and maintenance to boost your berry patch.
Sunday
10am - 1pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
ENDEDNOVEMBER, 2022
5th
Composting & Soil Health
The benefits of organic fertilisers, compost, green manures and worm juice and how to build luscious rich soils which is the basis for growing plants successfully.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Cloudehill Garden (Olinda)
Ended6th
Matthew Evans: SOIL- the untold story
Join us as chef, Gourmet Farmer and author of SOIL, Matthew Evans, takes us on a journey into the wonder of the underland.
Sunday
10am - 1pm
Heronswood (Dromana)
Ended20th
Summer Vegie Patch
Get the best vegetable growing tips and methods to maintain your garden in preparation and throughout the heat of Summer.
Sunday
10am - 11:30am
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Ended26th
Heirloom Seeds: Saving & Preserving
In the workshop, find out what makes heirloom seeds so special, all the methods from sow to grow, when to harvest and how best to preserve your seeds.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
EndedDECEMBER, 2022
3rd
Gardening in Small Spaces
It may be seen as a luxury to only those with larger gardens but our gardener Ryan will show you just how much can be grown in a small space.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
ENDED10th
Fruit Trees & Summer Pruning
Learn how to maintain mature fruit trees, cleaning up and pruning, how to shape trees, minimise disease and maximise fruit production.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
ENDED11th
Fruit Trees & Summer Pruning
Learn how to maintain mature fruit trees, cleaning up and pruning, how to shape trees, minimise disease and maximise fruit production.
Sunday
10am - 11:30am
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
ENDED2023 CALENDAR
JANUARY, 2023
22nd
Growing With Seeds
Bring your kids to this fun school holiday workshop and learn how to grow with seeds; their lifecycles, seasons, and how to care for living things. Help to build their life science skills, how to sow and care for their new plants which they can take home to delight in watching grow.
This workshop has been cancelledFEBRUARY 2023
4th
Beneficials & Bee Friendly Garden
Learn from our knowledgeable gardener, Ryan who talks you through selecting the right plants for biodiversity, the importance of soil nutrition to produce healthy, soils and how to encourage the 'good bugs'.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Cloudehill Garden (Olinda)
Ended 11th
Super Bloom
Join Jac Semmler of Super Bloom for a flower-filled masterclass. Covering all the fundamentals of annual flowers and meadows to enjoy a supersaturation of flowers and encourage biodiversity and more.
Saturday
10am - 1pm
Heronswood (Dromana)
Ended 11th
Introduction to Vegetable Growing with Sophie Thomson
This Masterclass is designed to cover everything you need to know to set up and start your productive vegie patch, from size and the best position, to bed styles and container growing.
Saturday
10am-1pm
Noel Lothian Hall, Adelaide Botanic Gardens
Ended25th
Sowing the Seed
As part of the National Sustainable Living Festival 2023. Part of this event, you will be taken on a guided tour of the Diggers Foundation new Seed Preservation garden with our CEO, Tim Sansom.
Saturday
10am - 1pm
Heronswood (Dromana)
Get ticketsMARCH 2023
4th
Diggers Guide to Perennial Vegetables
Hear of Ryan's' favourite perennial vegies, how to best maintain your patch and the best crop rotation plantings that will keep your vegie garden bountiful regardless of the season.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
NOW ENDED11th
Preparing Your Autumn Vegie Patch
Favoured techniques in setting up your patch; the various types and styles to adopt whether you're working from a large garden or a small balcony plot.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
SOLD OUT18th
Priming Your Patch for Production With Phil Dudman
Join Phil in this masterclass to learn about the systems he uses to produce 75% of his household vegetables and fruits, in an average size suburban garden, while managing a busy working life.
Saturday
10am - 1pm
Heronswood (Dromana)
SOLD OUT19th
Grow Your Spring Bouquet
Join us in this Masterclass as we cover how to grow a variety of seasonal flowers, from the classic cottage blooms to Australian natives with nature and the environment in mind.
Sunday
10am - 1pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get ticketsAPRIL 2023
8th
Flowering Perennials
Learn how to best plan your perennial garden by considering soil conditions, aspect, size of planting area, best flower combinations to select for flower, fragrance, form, and foliage.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
Get tickets16th
Starting Your Own Heirloom Apple Orchard
How to set up your orchard from preparing soils to growing an abundant apple orchard. Our head gardener’s guide to the best heirloom varieties and his tips & tricks to giving your orchard the best chance of success
Sunday
10am - 11:30am
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get ticketsMAY 2023
6th
Designing for Autumn Colour
Garden celebrity, Simon Rickard, will guide you through his most popular plant pairings and combinations, his observations of some of the worlds most spectacular gardens and how to bring some of his learnings into your own backyard.
Saturday
10am - 1pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get tickets13th
Improving Soils
Learn from our soil guru, Ryan who will show you how to get nutrient-rich and beautifully aerated soils- the basis for healthy plant growth
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
SOLD OUT21st
The Art of Espalier & Cider Making
Learn the best heirloom varieties, planting requirements and training techniques for espaliering fruit trees, plus tips from the cider-making pro’s for making the tastiest ciders.
Sunday
10am - 1pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
SOLD OUTJUNE 2023
25th
The Longest Lunch
Join us at The Garden of St Erth for a Q&A workshop with Diggers experts, Ryan, Julian and Tim. On the day, we will be holding a banquet lunch, bonfire & glamping. Limited tickets!
Sunday
11am - 3pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
SOLD OUT3rd
Winter in the Garden
They say a gardener's job is never done! Learn from our experienced gardener, Ryan about the gardening activities he gets up to in Cloudehill gardens and what you will need to do in your own garden during winter.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Cloudehill (Olinda)
Get tickets10th
Fruit Tree Pruning
Learn from expert horticulturist Phil Shepherd in this historically popular workshop on how to provide the ultimate winter care for your orchard, no matter its size and to how to maximise your yield for next season.
Saturday
10am - 1pm
Heronswood (Dromana)
SOLD OUTJULY 2023
30th
Building Healthy Soils
Soil health is critical to a healthy, productive garden. In this workshop, we demystify soil health and teach you all the tips and tricks on how to best manage and improve your soil at home.
Sunday
10am - 11:30am
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get tickets2nd
Basketweaving: Making a Melon Basket
Join expert weaver, Jan Beare, for this masterclass to learn the age old tradition of basket weaving and all the basic techniques. You'll also create your own melon carry basket!
Sunday
10am - 2pm
The Goodman Building (Adelaide)
SOLD OUT23rd
Edible Weeds
Learn from expert forager and author, Adam Grubb, all about the history, folklore and tradition of weeds and how to forage, identify and use them for edible or medicinal purposes. You'll never look at weeds the same way again!
Sunday
10am - 12pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get ticketsAUGUST 2023
6th
Commonsense Citrus
Learn all you need to know about growing healthy, productive, and rewarding citrus in your backyard with internationally renowned citrus expert, Ian Tolley.
Sunday
10am - 4pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get tickets13th
Organic Pest and Weed Control
In this workshop you will investigate the uninvited species that appear in your garden and how to handle them with different organic methods to achieve a healthy garden.
Sunday
10am - 11:30am
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get tickets20th
Nature in Harmony
Join permaculture guru, Beck Lowe, as she covers various facets of permaculture, with a particular emphasis on using permaculture for abundant food gardens.
Sunday
10:30am - 12pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get tickets26th
Vegie Growing Intensive
Join this intensive masterclass to learn all the best tips and tricks to creating your own abundant vegie garden. Growing your own has so many benefits!
Saturday
10am - 1pm
Heronswood (Dromana)
SOLD OUT26th
Commonsense Citrus
Learn all you need to know about growing healthy, productive, and rewarding citrus in your backyard with internationally renowned citrus expert, Ian Tolley.
Saturday
10am - 4pm
Noel Lothian Hall (Adelaide)
Get ticketsSEPTEMBER 2023
10th
Home Composting
Learn how to take these simple and raw materials like kitchen and garden scraps and turn them into "black gold" to feed your garden and help the environment.
Sunday
10am - 11:30am
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get tickets17th
Basketweaving: Making a Melon Basket
Learn all the basic weaving skills in this creative and fun, hands-on class with expert weaver, Jodie Goldring. Plus, create your own melon basket using the traditional basketry technique of ribbed construction!
Sunday
10am - 4pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
SOLD OUT23rd
Growing and Caring for Subtropicals in Adelaide
Join Chris Day in this interactive masterclass, covering the successful growing of subtropical fruit trees in Adelaide.
Saturday
10am - 12pm
Noel Lothian Hall (Adelaide)
Get ticketsOCTOBER 2023
5th
Creating Cooler, Greener, More Liveable Gardens
Join Sophie Thomson during the SA Nature Festival and look at how to transform your garden into a cool and liveable oasis. Looking great and providing food security for your household and habitat for wildlife.
Thursday
10am - 12pm
Noel Lothian Hall (Adelaide)
Get tickets8th
RetroSuburbia
Join the Permaculture guru's, David Holmgren and Beck Lowe to explore themes such as how to grow more food, reduce your energy use and enjoy a more satisfying, fulfilling life, plus many more interesting topics.
Sunday
10:30am - 4:30pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get tickets21st
Caring for Citrus
Whilst citrus trees are easy to grow and produce an abundant harvest in only a couple of years from planting, learning some valuable tips and tricks will ensure you reap the rewards year after year.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
Get ticketsNOVEMBER 2023
5th
Fermenting and Preserving for Beginners
Mara Ripani teaches all the skills needed to preserve the taste of summer, the cool of winter, and the red of autumn. Learn how to make the most of your home harvest and make something valuable to share with others.
Sunday
10am - 2pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
SOLD OUT11th
Tomatoes: Know, Sow, Grow
Growing tomatoes is often on everyone's to-do list when starting a vegie garden at this time of the year. Learn from expert tomato grower and author, Penny Woodward who will reveal her tips and tricks to growing the ultimate in great-tasting tomatoes.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Heronswood (Dromana)
Get tickets19th
Summer Vegie Patch
Growing your own vegies is the healthiest, most cost-effective, and most sustainable way to consume vegetables. In this workshop, you will learn all the tips and tricks to producing a bumper Summer harvest.
Sunday
10am - 11:30am
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get tickets18th
Gardening With Children Workshop With the Stephanie Alexander Team
Gardening is a healthy, fun activity for children where they can learn about science and nature from growing their own food. In this workshop, they'll learn how to make newspaper pots, how to create a mini greenhouse and propagate softwood herbs.
Saturday
10am - 11am
Heronswood (Dromana)
Get ticketsDECEMBER 2023
2nd
Becoming an Urban Farmer
Urban agriculture helps fight food insecurity, provide a place for human connection to food and land and increase biodiversity within our urban environments. This workshop is for aspiring urban farmers to learn about growing food sustainably in any urban environment.
Saturday
10am - 11:30am
Cloudehill (Olinda)
Get tickets10th
Backyard Berries
Avoiding the expensive supermarket price tags and having enough to not just eat fresh but also freeze or preserve, and share amongst your family and friends. You'll leave this Masterclass inspired to give raspberries, blueberries, cane berries and currants a go!
Sunday
10am - 1pm
The Garden of St Erth (Blackwood)
Get tickets17th
Botanical Illustration With Pen, Ink and Watercolour
Learn all the techniques used to create your own botanical artwork from renown Botanical illustrator, David Reynolds. In this workshop you'll create a beautiful botanical illustration using pen and ink with a wash of watercolour.