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Event date:14/11/2026 at 9:00 am
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Event end:14/11/2026 at 4:00 pm
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How to bookClick on the Book Now button
Discover how to grow and enjoy native Tasmanian edible plants.
Learn to collect → propagate → plant → harvest → share your garden wilds.
Growing Native Food Gardens
Discover Tasmania’s remarkable edible native plants and learn how to grow them on a verge, a school or in the community.
This is a hands-on program creating a network of 10 public edible native food gardens across Hobart and surrounds. Participants will explore the cultural, ecological and culinary value of Tasmanian native foods while gaining practical skills to grow them successfully om a verge, a community garden or a school.
Led by:
- bush food educator Rees Campbell
- Aboriginal educator Trish Hodge
- restoration practitioner Jimmy Collinson and the
- Nipaluna Nursery team
workshops will combine expert knowledge with practical, hands-on learning.
Workshop 1
Participants can expect to identify and taste native foods, learn about their cultural significance and connection to Country, tour an established edible native demonstration garden, collect and propagate native cuttings, and learn about designing a garden suited to Hobart’s conditions. This will include practical plant propagation at Nipaluna Nursery.
A shared demonstration lunch featuring native ingredients will bring everyone together to experience native foods from garden to plate.
After lunch we will visit a demonstration wild food garden before participants beginning the plan to establish their Public Wild Food Garden.
Program
- 09:00 AM – 04:00 PM: First Workshop — Rees Campbell
- 09:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Welcome and Introductions to native edible plants
Discuss what edible native plants people know about or have eaten. • Myths and truths about native edible plants– classify in groups • Garden design limits and features – soil, water, slope, altitude etc - 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Morning Tea
A range of tastes with edible native ingredients- identify the flavours - 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Plant Propagation at Nipaluna Nursery
Tour of Nursery and propagating the main edible Tas plants to take away to start your garden. - 12:30 PM – 01:30 PM: Lunch
Sample Menu: GF Saltbush and tomato goulash, Onion tart, Gf chicken and vegs with kunzea Choc wattleseed self-saucing pudding. Menu will depend on available plants - 01:30 PM: Visit the Nipaluna Demonstration Wild Food Garden
Discuss planning and planting pros and cons - 02:00 PM – 03:30 PM: Garden Design Session
Group mindmap – 20 best bush foods plants for the gardens • Design your own/ group bush food garden plan • Share - 03:30 PM – 04:00 PM: Q and A
Workshop 2
Saturday 22 May, 2027 Palawa Knowledge with Trish Hodge and Sharing our Discoveries Tour with Nel Smit
The knowledge that plants of Lutruwita hold- medicinal, cultural including tools and seasonal in their diversity. After a shared lunch we will visit gardens created by the participants.
The program will show how edible native gardens can support biodiversity and pollinators, reduce water and fertiliser use, create climate-resilient local food systems and strengthen community connection with Tasmania’s unique plants.
Participants will leave with practical skills and knowledge, inspiration and resources to help grow edible native plants creating a wild edible garden.
