Food costs have become increasingly worrisome for many in T&T, especially for those who are facing an economic downturn. In light of this, landscape design company La Souce Environmental Designs will be offering a Home Gardening Basics workshop in May, just in time for Mother’s Day.
Manager Indira Jagoo-Teloka said the workshop “is targeting all the mothers and persons who are like mothers who are garden enthusiasts and who would like to start gardening. Imagine for a second, cooking in your kitchen and being able to get the herbs and vegetables for your dish from your back yard garden. It’s really not impossible! We want to show you how this can happen for you. We want to teach all the mommies out there, or persons who have to prepare meals for their families, how they can achieve this. It is also an opportunity for mothers of all ages and their daughters to bond and spend quality time with each other by learning something new together.”
The workshop will discuss: choosing your herbs and vegetables; picking a location; preparing the area for planting; adding plants to soil; composting; weeds and pests; and, maintenance. In addition to backyard gardens, the workshop will cover container gardens, grow boxes and organic farming.
Jagoo-Teloka said “when we plan our workshops we put ourselves in the minds of our target audience, and make a list of all things we think they wouldn’t know or would like to know in advance in order to execute their projects. We also base the topics for each workshops on questions we’ve been asked in the past via our Facebook page, emails or phone calls. While they will not learn everything that is required in just one day, they will have gained enough knowledge to start their projects at home. We are always just a phone call, email or Whatsapp message away if they have any questions. We always tell participants that once they have attended a workshop, they are now part of our La Souce family and have access to our network of suppliers and stakeholders in the landscaping and gardening field.”
The workshop will be facilitated by Carlson Teloka, who brings over 10 years of experience to his role. Jagoo-Teloka said “Carlson has built many water features for his Koi ponds over the years and it was his love and passion for this hobby that made him turn it into a business. Soon the number of jobs from friends and family grew and before long, clients started asking about getting their property landscaped. He attended UWI’s Landscaping for Entrepreneur Beginners and Advanced courses lectured by Wendy Lee Yuen. Once he began offering landscaping services, the business really took off. He has gathered over ten years experience landscaping various properties as well as maintaining estates. Taking his inspiration from the natural surroundings of the “La Souce” estate on which he currently resides, Carlson designs, builds and installs one-of-a-kind water features to meet his clients’ needs.”
She said the workshops will be a mix of theory and practical demonstrations. “We usually give tons of information and we will be having many practical demonstrations and participants are free to jump in and literally get their hands dirty. The workshops are held at the private residence of one of our past participants, so it will be a very informal, relaxed and intimate setting. Participants are free to ask questions, mix, mingle and network with other participants throughout the day. The cost is $500 per person and covers tuition, all stationery and landscaping materials and light refreshments. The participants just have to show up.”
Jagoo-Teloka said these workshops are important because “there has been much discussion on our high food import bill, as well as a drive to make T&T more food sustainable. One of the ways we can achieve this is by having homeowners start their own backyard kitchen garden. We want to share our knowledge in the hope of empowering persons to start their own projects at home. There are also many health benefits of gardening. Gardening reduces the risk of heart attacks and stroke, reduces stress, and helps you sleep better. Gardening also gives you an opportunity to bond with your family and friends, improves hand strength and saves you money.”
The workshop will be held on May 18 or 19. Interested persons can email lasouceworkshops@gmail.com, call 303-1423 or 685-3018 and go to http://www.lasoucett.com.
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