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Lectures and workshops dedicated to gardening for beginners were held in October and November, organized by the Ekonaut Association. Participants in these trainings received the most important information on how to establish their garden, whether on the terrace, window planter or piece of land. This program, which is part of the Initiative for Urban Garden Communities project aimed to educate participants about gardening, a hobby that has numerous positive effects on the life of an individual, but also the entire community.
Two ninety-minute Online lectures and two four-hour outdoor workshops provided all participants with inspiration, knowledge and ideas that will enable them to establish their own garden in the best and most productive way to enjoy its benefits next spring. The founding of the organic garden in the fall was the topic of a lecture and workshop led by landscape architect Vladimir Milutinović, while the theme of the lecture and workshop of Marija Nikolić, from the landscape bureau MN Studio was the founding of a garden with ornamental species.
At the lecture "Edible organic garden for beginners", Vladimir Milutinović presented the basic steps in starting your own garden. Listen to the lecture and learn how to design an edible garden, how to make the best use of even the smallest area, what are the most important elements of organic preparation and how to avoid the most common mistakes.
The workshop "Edible organic garden for beginners" informed the participants about the autumn sowing and preparations for the winter seasonal garden. Workshop participants learned which types of plants are tolerant of cold and strong winters, why you should have a green garden on the entire surface during the winter and how to make a small greenhouse with a minimum of time and materials spent. As a result, participants planted seeds and bulbs of various vegetables including onions, spinach, carrots, arugula and more. Special thanks to our friends from SPOROS who provided us with some of the equipment for the workshop. Look!
At the lecture "Ornamental Garden for Beginners", Marija Nikolić presented the basics of establishing an ornamental garden in the yard and in limited urban areas. Watch the lecture and learn how to choose what to plant, what are the basic environmental conditions for your garden (land, water, drainage, etc.) and how to prepare planting material, what problems you may encounter when starting a garden like this and how to overcome them.
The workshop "Decorative garden for beginners" introduced the participants to the basic materials and works in the garden, gave guidelines for choosing different types of plants in nurseries. The program of the workshop was performed in the space and garden of the creative hub – Nova Iskra, which Ekonaut maintains throughout the year and uses to conduct programs and educationa as needed. This urban pocket in the city center in the Savamala district nurtures local biodiversity in intensive urban conditions. The participants had the opportunity to participate in autumn planting and learn more about garden planning and important steps that will provide a beautiful and fruitful garden throughout the year. Look!
This is just one of a series of educational activities that Ekonaut will carry out in the next year within the project "Initiatives for Urban Garden Communities", which aims to promote garden communities as one of the possible solutions to environmental challenges that Belgrade is facing, but also as places that can improve and ennoble life in the city. Garden communities are open areas where individuals or groups grow plants of their choice and have numerous socially useful purposes. Therefore, in addition to education related to the cultivation of ornamental plants and food in urban conditions, there will be programs dedicated to ways of forming and organizing garden communities in order to empower local communities and individuals to influence the arrangement of green areas in their surroundings.
The project "Initiative for Garden Communities" is implemented within the project of the Belgrade Open School "Green Incubator", with financial support from the European Union and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The content of this site does not necessarily reflect the views of donors or the Belgrade Open School, and "Ekonaut" is solely responsible for it.
The activities of the "Initiative for Urban Garden Communities" are supported by the Open Society Foundation.
