Are you the proud owner of fruit trees on your property? Are you feeling unsure about how to look after your trees in the face of the changing weather patterns brought on by climate change? Then mark your calendar for an upcoming three-part live online course on fruit tree care, designed for home fruit growers.
Harcourt based organic orchardists Katie and Hugh Finlay are dedicated to help you grow great fruit.
They are now offering a course called Learn.Plan.Succeed: Create Your Fruit Tree Action Plan. The course is written for those who have fruit trees in their backyard and are confused about what jobs to do, and when to do them.
The course especially suits people who live in central Victoria. Different from their year-long ‘Grow Great Fruit’ course which focuses on the “how” of fruit tree care, this new three-part short course is all about the “when”.
Katie said they have been teaching people about fruit tree care for many years now, and they’ve noticed that not knowing when to do all the different jobs can cause big headaches.
“But to create an action plan for your fruit trees, you also need to know what jobs you need to do. So, we’ll be talking about how to schedule your pruning, all the different pest and disease prevention activities, and other jobs like planting and fruit thinning, for example,” she said.
The course will take place online, making it easy for anyone to participate, regardless of location. However, local residents will get extra value from doing the course.
Katie explains they’ve written the course for fruit growers all around Australia, but because as they live right here in central Victoria, they are more familiar with the best timing for all the fruit tree jobs in this climate.
“We can help local gardeners to write a more accurate plan right from the start,” Katie said.
“We’ve also kept the course super-affordable at just $37 for all three sessions, because we want to make it available to everyone who’s trying to grow their own food.”
The course kicks off on February 14, at 7.30 pm, but registration is open now. Head to the website growgreatfruit.com, click on the ‘courses’ tab, and then click on ‘Learn.Plan.Succeed’ to register.
“We’ve already opened up a Facebook group for course participants, so you can start getting your fruit tree questions answered as soon as you register. It’s also a lovely friendly group where you can meet other home fruit growers,” Katie said.
The course runs over three evenings from February 14 to 20, but all sessions will be recorded so participants can watch the replays if they miss a session.
Hugh said they want to empower people to take control of their fruit tree care and to understand that by writing an action plan, they can make informed decisions that will help them to protect their fruit trees and get a great harvest every year.
“This course is a game-changer. By the end of the course, participants will have an action plan that will help them feel a lot more relaxed about their fruit trees by being prepared for the challenges ahead,” Hugh said.