Adelaide Hills Kids Farmers Market

06/01/2026

Happy New Year!

What are your gardening plans/goals for 2026?

We are gearing up for the Harvest Festival in February when we open our garden up to the public for the first time. Which means ensuring the edible side of the garden is flourishing. But the rest of the garden beds to look good so we are busy beavering away at jobs we've had on our 'To do list' for years.

Succession planting is the key to continuous supply and from the planting guide there are punnets in the greenhouse with lettuce, rocket, coriander, and spring onion. In the garden I have direct sown radish, dill and pak choi.

One of my goals is to update the planting guide. The difference between the hills and the plains is not as big as it once was. You can easily put a crop of the plants with an asterisk next to them and I will be doing just that.

A second crop of tomatoes, zucchinis and cucumbers is definitely worth it. Plants started in Spring will lose their puff by early Autumn and production will slow down. Planting another crop now will result in plants in top gear in Autumn. Yes, you can make the zucchini season go on and on and on..... 🤣

The caveat is those in areas that get heavy frosts as an early Autumn frost will wipe out your best laid plans. It's a gamble that I take every year and often it pays off.

22/04/2025

📝 We are warmly welcoming 10 new schools to our Kitchen Garden Program thanks to sponsorship from Costa Group, Australia’s leading grower of fresh fruit and vegetables:

Atherton State Primary School, QLD
Mareeba State School, QLD
East Devonport Primary School, TAS
Our Lady of Lourdes, TAS
Guyra Central School, NSW
Kelly’s Plains Public School, NSW
Nairne Primary School, SA
Nangiloc Colignan and District Primary School, SA
Unity College, SA
Loxton District Childcare Centre, SA

🌱 Over the next three years, Costa Group will support a total of 30 schools and early childhood services in rural and regional communities where they operate their farms. Each sponsored school or service will receive a two-year membership to the Kitchen Garden Program, plus a grant to finance any infrastructure needed to bring their food education and fresh produce goals to life. We can’t wait to support them on their journey!

👉 To learn more about our partnership and what we’ve got planned, check out this news story: https://bit.ly/4jeJd8Z

The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and Costa Group have partnered in a values-aligned multi-year agreement that ensures more children and young people from around Australia experience pleasurable food education.

📸 Loxton District Childcare Centre, SA

02/03/2025

17/01/2025

15/01/2025

You may know some kids who want to make a film. Topics and areas are open to whatever they like, so they can be creative. By Makerspace Adelaide Hills, register via the link provided here https://shorturl.at/wcIGl or go via QR code!

11/01/2025

🌞 The summer school holidays are a fantastic time to introduce kids to cooking and gardening.

Here’s a short list of our fave, beginner-friendly kitchen and garden activities to try at home:

☀️ Watermelon and mint slices
Stay cool this summer with this simple, no-cook recipe! With the help of an adult, slice and dice watermelon and garnish with fresh mint for a refreshing and healthy snack.

☀️ Garden treasure hunt
Head out into the garden or your community veggie patch and see what treasures you can find. Maybe you’ll discover an insect you haven’t seen before!

☀️ Make pasta from scratch
If you’ve never made pasta before, it’s easier than you might think! Check out our news story ‘Five fun pasta shapes’ to get inspired: https://bit.ly/4dX5zZ9

☀️ Mini greenhouses
Save your strawberry and cherry tomato plastic punnets and recycle them into mini-greenhouses.

💬 Do you have any school holiday activity suggestions for little chefs or budding gardeners? Feel free to share them in the comment section below.

11/01/2025

02/01/2025

17/12/2024

06/12/2024

We have too many seedlings in our green house so we are giving them away. Come and meet the Joan’s Patch gardeners on Sunday and get yourself some seedlings. We look forward to meeting you then.

07/08/2024

Here's the planting guide for August.

In addition, if you have somewhere warm and sunny you can get a few of the warmer weather plants started; tomatoes, chillies, capsicums and eggplants. Sowing these seeds now means the plants will be well advanced by the time planting season arrives, which for these is normally mid to late October.