Pests and disease workshop on offer at Coffs Regional Community Garden Coffs Coast Coffs Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - March 20, 2022 AUSVEG National Manager Extension and Engagement, Zarmeen Hassan, presenting to a group of community gardeners on key vegetable garden pests to keep an eye out for in Brunswick, VIC. PESTS and disease issues encountered when growing your own vegetables are the main topics covered in a free workshop on Saturday 2 April hosted by Emily Johnston at Coffs Regional Community Garden. Emily is a plant biosecurity officer based in Coffs Harbour, working for NSW Department of Primary Industries. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au A focus of her role is to help create awareness around exotic plant pests and disease and encourage reporting of exotics. She reached out to Coffs Regional Community Garden earlier in the year to discuss a project she is working on to improve plant biosecurity in urban environments. With interest from Coffs Regional Community Garden, she plans to work with them to develop activities and workshops to encourage greater engagement with plant pests and diseases with the garden members. The workshop in April is the first in the program. “Held in partnership with AUSVEG, the peak industry body for the Australian vegetable and potato industries, Callum Fletcher and Zali Mahony from AUSVEG’s Biosecurity Program will join Emily in answering any questions gardeners may have regarding pest and disease identification or management in the garden,” Lara Reading, Coffs Regional Community Garden Secretary told News Of The Area. “This may include questions on the risks of seed sharing, or how to control an insect that is causing leaf mines in your bean plants. “We’ll also be discussing the importance of garden hygiene to manage the spread of new pests and diseases into your garden.” Emily told News Of The Area, “While we work predominantly with commercial growers, we also run a community and home garden program. “Through this program, Callum and Zali engage with gardeners in urban areas surrounding major air/sea ports and talk to these community groups about urban biosecurity, pest and disease concerns and what to do if you see a strange pest or disease in the garden. “This program was developed after recognising that a lot of pests that have arrived from overseas (that are not yet present in Australia) have been found in Australia’s cities – in backyards, botanic gardens – rather than in regional plant production areas.” The workshop takes place on Saturday 2 April 2022 at Coffs Regional Community Garden from 10am until 11:30am. To register your interest please RSVP by email to emily.johnston@dpi.nsw.gov.au by 28 March 2022, or call Emily on 0419620862 for further information. Coffs Regional Community Garden is at 51 Combine Street, Coffs Harbour. Read more about AUSVEG’s urban biosecurity program here: https://ausveg.com.au/biosecurity-agrichemical/biosecurity/farm-biosecurity-project-2018-2021/urban-biosecurity-pilot-program/. By Andrea FERRARI AUSVEG Biosecurity Coordinator, Callum Fletcher, presenting to a community garden in Cairns, QLD on the importance of keeping an eye out for unusual pests and diseases that you may spot in the garden.
