Who can teach you most about growing nutrient rich vegetables and fruit to give you the healthiest food possible? Someone who...

  • has a proven record of success as a gardener over many years
  • has years of experience as a trainer and a teacher of trainers
  • is acknowledged by Australian horticulture organisations as being a leader in the field
  • has professional accreditation (Diploma in Horticulture)
  • can show you exact details of how different tasks as done in her own garden
  • is passionate about what she does and wants you to be successful

People usually believe that plants need fertiliser. The real story is that plants are fed by the soil organisms. Our job as gardeners is to feed the soil organisms and give them a good home. A huge population of worms in your garden tells you that you are doing a good job.

"Castelen" has many visitors including overseas students. We teach them that the first step in having a healthy garden is to get the soil minerals balanced and have lots of organic matter.

We teach how to avoid pests and disease so that even the strawberries are safe from slugs and birds and you don't have to cover them: no netting, no fences, no worries.

The harvest at Castelen provides a kaleidoscope of colours and textures.

Training groups come to Castelen regularly to get hand on experience in preparing new ground, weeding, planting, fertilizing and preparing seed boxes.

parrot

Birds, insects, caterpillars and diseases are nature's garbage disposal experts. Their job is to destroy food that is lacking in nutrients and therefore is unhealthy..

Having the whole family (and the dog) involved in harvesting turns a simple task into a celebration of the abundance of nature and strengthens the family unit.

Soil workforce comes in many different colours, shapes and sizes.

Giant sized potatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers and broccoli grow without chemical fertilizers. The secret is to have lots of organic matter, a balance of nutrients and a large workforce in the soil whose job is to feed the plants.

 

Mandatory *

Gardening Lessons

Simply answer to the following eight questions and tell us when’s a good time for us to ring you for a discussion where we will show you how to:

Grow your own food (irrespective of your previous experience and even if you have no land!)

Improve your health, level of fitness
& increase your energy level

Make a difference in the world.

 
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QUESTION 1: What do you think the impact of the fact that the world has passed the point of peak oil production (whilst demand is still growing) will have on the supply, availability and cost of food?
 
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QUESTION 2: What are you currently spending per week on fresh fruit and vegetables?
 
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QUESTION 3: Do you grow any of your own food now?
 
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QUESTION 4: How much would you value guaranteed improved health, level of fitness and increased energy?
 
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QUESTION 5: Would you like to own your own small farm?
 
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QUESTION 6: If you were to own your own farm, how much time would you need to spend on maintenance, soil preparation, irrigation etc. before you could actually start growing anything? So if you were offered a part ownership or share in a farm “for free”, do you think committing 2 hours a week would be reasonable?
 
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QUESTION7: How much time would you be prepared to commit each week to improving your health and obtaining a guaranteed supply of fresh fruit & vegetables?
 
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QUESTION 8: How much time would you be prepared to commit each week to improving your knowledge and skills & ability to grow your own food in abundance without any pests or diseases?
 
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