Get to know your soil and how you can support it to thrive!
This workshop will explore the characters of the soil food web – the microscopic organisms that support a living soil, that help to feed and nourish and protect the plants in your garden. You will get an understanding of who they are and what they do – and get a live peek into their world through the microscope!
We will explore some of the ways that you can recognise the health of your soil microbiome, and how to encourage a thriving and beneficial soil food web in your garden, to support the types of plants that you want to grow.
You can also bring along a sample of your own soil or compost – and see how your own soil microbiome is fairing.
Topics covered
The many roles the soil food web plays to create a healthy, functioning, thriving soil.
Introduction to some of the functional groups within the soil food web, including bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and microarthropods.
Recognising the signs of a healthy microbial population in the soil.
How we can support a thriving soil food web, and how we harm it.
Using composts and amendments to support production.
Facilitator information
Robyn Hewson is passionate about learning from, working with, and talking about natural systems and how we can work with them to create healthy living soils, nourishing food, healthy lifestyles and thriving landscapes.
As a certified lab tech with the Soil Food Web School, she has worked with small farmers and market gardeners in Australia, and in India, to better understand and improve their soil health.
She completed her permaculture design course (PDC) online with Geoff Lawton, and attended a month-long permaculture internship with him at the Greening the Desert site in Jordan and is now a teaching assistant for Geoff's online course, having supported the last two cohorts of students. In 2024, Robyn completed a second face-to-face PDC at Aranya Permaculture Farm in Telangana, India. And in 2025, ran a three-month course Permaculture: Natural Design for Sustainable Living at Dharmalaya Institute for Compassionate Living in Himachal Pradesh, India.
She has also spent time as an intern (bijak) at Navdanya Biodiversity Conservation Farm in north-western India, working in the fields and seed bank, learning about traditional Indian agricultural practices and seed saving from farmers. This inculcated a deep appreciation of traditional wisdom and the importance of understanding and working with local context and community.
Event accessibility
Gungaderra Homestead has wheelchair access as well as access to bathrooms and kitchen facilities. Free parking is available onsite.
Catering
Light refreshments will be provided.