Despite the grey skies of July, 16 members of Kapunda’s Senior Citizens Club pondered on the approaching spring weather and seized an opportunity to ‘get growing’.

Armed with a carload of foam boxes repurposed from TerryWhite Chemmart in Kapunda, bags of potting mix, and a pair of gardening gloves for each person, Light Regional Council’s Community Development Officer, Lorinda Bayley descended on the Hall in Chapel St Kapunda to prepare for two garden-in-a-box workshops with Chris Day from Every Day Sustainable Living.

Chris held everyone’s attention with his tips and tricks for creating a productive garden, no matter the size. His expertise in preparing wicking beds, testing soil pH, fertilising, weed management, and collecting seed left no questions unanswered. A shared lunch sustained those present in readiness for the second workshop – planting out the foam boxes with a range of vegetable and herb seedlings to create their very own ‘pick and come again’ garden.

The day concluded with everyone gaining a better understanding of planting for their garden’s conditions. Hot tip – when you read ‘full sun’ on the label, remember most plants prefer some shade during a hot summer afternoon.

But wait, there’s more! Continuing the focus on sustainability and alternative garden receptacles, Light Regional Council’s Customer Experience Officer, Sian Daykin, repurposed teacups and coffee mugs for Decorative Teacup Gardens workshops.

Open to all ages, these intergenerational workshops were held in six communities across the Light region during the July school holidays. Participants unleashed their creative spirit, using alcohol-based inks in a rainbow of colours to decorate their teacup and saucer. Once their design was dry and sealed, they filled the cups with small gravel, potting mix, and a selection of succulent plants. There were smiles all round as everyone surveyed their artistic achievements.

Lorinda Bayley, Light Regional Council’s Community Development Officer said, “I am grateful to Office for Ageing Well for its Age Friendly SA Grants program, which has supported Council to hold the Food for Thought and Decorative Teacup Gardens workshops as part of the GOLDIES (Growing Older Dynamically, Independently, Empowered, Savvy) project. Thanks also to those community members who donated teacups and succulent plants.

For more information about Chris Day’s permaculture and pruning workshops see the website   Every Day Sustainable Living – Every Day Sustainable Living

For more information about Light Regional Council’s community programs, email Lorinda or Sian at light@light.sa.gov.au, or call them on 8525 3200.

Light Regional Council is supported by Office for Ageing Well, SA Health to deliver the GOLDIES (Growing Older Dynamically, Independently, Empowered, Savvy) Seniors programs.