Market gardening is a dream for many, and we offer our experience to help you get on the right track for making a living from growing and selling produce, avoid costly mistakes, set up for efficiency and success. Learn the secrets of the trade from one of New Zealand's leading market gardens and get your growing business off to the best start.
Learn from our award-winning market garden. In this comprehensive workshop, you will familiarise yourself with what it takes to run a smooth market garden operation, with valuable insights for any scale between an urban backyard to a rural 2-acre farm. This workshop is aimed at people who are seriously interested in starting their own market garden, restaurant garden, or are already growing food for a market in your backyard or farm.
Date: 13 - 14 February 2021
Hours: 9 am to 5 pm, both days
Location: Pakaraka Farm, Thames
Click here for more information and to reserve your spot.
The course will cover all the essentials:
Farm design and setting up infrastructure
Tools of the trade
Bed preparation strategies and techniques
Production planning
Managing fertility and improving soils
Growing techniques, direct seeding, and plant propagation
Field maintenance and weeding techniques
Irrigation options
Season extension
Specific growing and harvesting information on the 15 most profitable crops
How to grow and make amazing salad mixes
Microgreens growing
Post harvesting techniques
Business planning
Management of the day-to-day operation
Marketing streams
Accounting strategies
This workshop combines class time with practical sessions in our market garden, where we demonstrate lots of techniques right in the field.
You will receive a comprehensive resource bundle that we have developed with more than 30 documents that we use to operate our market garden. This unique bundle includes information regarding local suppliers, sourcing tools and seeds, recommended books, growing information, propagation calendar, harvesting sheets, detailed salad making information, task sheets, invoice templates, running costs, charts, and templates.
We are a part of the new wave of market gardens that produces $100,000 of vegetables and greens per 1/4 acre, and we openly share our experience for you to succeed. Our mission is to educate and empower a new generation of growers that will produce top-quality produce for their local market. This is the workshop we would have dreamed to have when we started our own market garden in 2014. Small-scale organic farming is the fastest-growing sector in the horticulture industry, and there is a need for more growers everywhere. Come and join us in this new episode in food production!
Organic morning and afternoon tea will be provided on Saturday and Sunday. Please bring a plate to share for a potluck lunch on Saturday. The workshop includes an organic lunch on Sunday.
The workshop will be held at the Kauaeranga Community Hall and Pakaraka Permaculture Market Garden.
There is optional camping on the farm at no extra cost. The camping facilities include an outdoor kitchen, composting toilets, a hot shower, and a swimming spot next to the river. Feel free to Email us for recommended B&B in the area.
For any questions regarding this workshop and to inquire about our farm mentoring program please contact Yotam, at Yotam@pakarakafarm.co.nz