To give aspiring green thumbs the inspiration to get back outside, Central Tablelands Landcare will run a workshop at ELF Community Gardens next month.

Landcare’s Marita Sydes said the indoor workshop will be a hands-on guide to planning a vegetable garden.

Dr Sydes said gardeners don’t need a university degree to yield successful crops and the workshop will focus on simple tips to get started.

“Now is the time to start planning what veggies to put in for the next season,” she said.

“We’ll help people with what goes with what and what can be planted to help control insects.”

The workshop will attempt to answer questions like: what vegetable plants can be put in the one garden together? Does it matter what crops follow each other? Are there vegetables that should not be planted next to each other? As well as, what resources are available to help plan vegetable garden plantings?

Dr Sydes said now is the time to start growing seedlings and assess what worked and what didn’t last year.

She said around October gardeners could start planting things which are a little less frost resistant, such as silverbeet. 

“It’s a bit of trial and error but if you think carefully about what you’re doing you’re more likely to have success,” she said.

The ELF Community Gardens, located at the Orange Showgrounds, are tended to by a group which meets on the first Saturday of each month for a working bee and the third Friday evening of each month for a social get together.

“Everyone brings a different expertise and you can chat and learn, which is, afterall, the purpose of a community garden,” she said.

When produce is plentiful, the gardens donate excess vegetables to FoodCare.

Registration for the September 15 Planning Your Vegetable Garden event is $15 through Eventbrite, which includes learning materials and morning tea.