By Callum Ludwig
Members of the Upper Yarra Valley Garden Club (UYVGC) headed out to Warburton Primary School on Monday 22 May to get a look at their gardening program.
Students took their visitors around the school, showing off their bush tucker garden, sweet and sour orchard, ‘The Patch’ and the Harvest Cafe kitchen.
UYVGC Vice President Jenny Perkins said the visit was suggested by Kelly Frost, who is a committee member and the coordinator of the school’s sustainable garden program.
“We thought it was a terrific idea, we have a garden walk once a month on a Monday and it was an eye-opener for us, I think that we should be able to make a commitment to the school that we help them as far as horticulture is concerned,” she said.
“The Upper Yarra Valley Garden Club is primed to give them a hand, I mean who better to give them a hand than the garden club, some of the older members are very well-versed in horticulture. ”
With guidance from teachers and UYVGC members, students demonstrated their ability to harvest a cauliflower from their garden.
Ms Perkins said UYVGC members were very impressed with the school’s plans to upgrade the garden, shared with them by principal Nathan Van Der Monde.
“He said our members could come and help plant and donate any native plans we can, as it’s mainly a native garden. It’s going to be a new rejuvenated garden done by professionals, and we can be the help,” she said.
“The kids are just excited to have visitors and show us what they’ve done, it’s local, it’s Warburton, it’s our patch and we will get as much out of it as the school so it will be a good relationship if we can keep connected.”
Some garden members even learnt something new themselves, taking note of the use of direct composting in the school’s produce garden as something to implement in their own.
