Masterclass

Tomato Festival - Saturday

Brought to you by The Diggers Club

Costa: Let's talk tomatoes!
10am-11:30am

Whether you’re a hardcore tomato grower or a novice, Costa will chat about the growing season, the challenges faced and how to get the most out of your late season crop. Costa shares his top tips from working with soils, pruning to shaping and managing your garden holistically to keep your natural systems in balance.

Your Presenter

Costa Georgiadis is an Award-winning landscape architect, Environmental educator, Author, and Television Presenter. Costa currently hosts ABC’s garden program, Gardening Australia. In 2019, Costa won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Presenter at the 2019 Logie Awards and was also nominated for the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television for role as a host on the ABC’s Gardening Australia show. Costa’s latest book, Costa’s world: Gardening for the soil, the soul and the suburbs brings together all of Costa’s gardening and sustainability knowledge. Costa’s world is a generous, joyous, fully illustrated gardening book that celebrates the life-changing joy of chooks, kids in the garden, big ideas for small spaces, growing the right plants for your conditions, biodiversity in the soil and garden and so much more.

Photo by Craig Wall.

Diggers 30th Year Tomato Taste-Test
11:30am-12:30pm

Join in the fun of the Diggers 30th Year Tomato taste-test with all star cast: Costa, Phil Dudman, O.My Restaurant, Farm My School and Diggers CEO, Tim Sansom.

Enjoy sampling our delicious heirloom tomato range, testing against a standard and supermarket variety, marking off your selections according to taste, texture, and appearance. We’ll gather the information and by the end of the Festival, your nominations will be drawn to decide the Diggers tomato taste-test winner of 2024!

Phil Dudman: Masterclass in Composting
1pm-3pm

Unlock the secrets to transforming your kitchen scraps and garden waste into nature’s own soil conditioner. If you’ve struggled to make a decent batch of compost before, this masterclass will set you on your way to producing a perfect brew every time. In this practical workshop, you will delve into the science, techniques and troubleshooting of composting. Discover the dos and don’ts, learn about different composting methods, how to build a simple composting bay from recycled materials and gain valuable insights into managing compost piles effectively. Don’t miss this opportunity to improve your skills and become a composting master!

Your Presenter

Phil Dudman is the Horticultural Editor of ABC Organic Gardener magazine, a gardening talkback host on ABC Radio, TV presenter and author for ABC Books. He is also a popular speaker at events across the country, regarded for his informative and entertaining presentations and down-to-earth gardening approach.

Born and bred in Brisbane, Phil earned his gardening stripes studying horticulture at Grovely TAFE and working as a landscape gardener and designer across Brisbane. He also worked in retail garden centres, managed resort landscapes and lectured in horticulture at TAFE.

His true passion is for growing food and promoting the health and environmental benefits of organic gardening. He has written three books, published with ABC Books and Harper Collins, ‘Garden Guru – Top Tips from Australian Gardeners’ Volumes I & II, and ‘Down-to-Earth Garden Design – How to Design and Build your Dream Garden’.

These days, Phil lives in Lismore, northern NSW where he presents ‘Good Gardening’ on ABC North Coast radio, now in its 21st year. He gardens on an average size suburban block which has been designed using permaculture principles to maximise food production and nurture a healthy sustainable lifestyle.

The Location

Heronswood is the home of The Diggers Foundation, a living catalogue of garden treasures showcasing all that can be found in Diggers Club magazines and books.

At the heart of Heronswood is a cottage garden of meandering paths and lawns, seamlessly combining edible and ornamental plantings. Australia’s first certified organic open garden, it is the place to learn about sustainable practices and the preservation of heirloom flowers and vegetables.

A working garden for gardeners, with new projects always on the go and ideas to take home to your patch. Heronswood delights throughout the changing seasons, with the warmer summer months bringing the stunning perennials into full show.

See more information on Heronswood Gardens