Lily & Ami White & Kennedy

Concern about food supply and the growing interest in gardening has spurred a new practical guide that is the antithesis of ‘coffee table’ books of glossy garden pictures.
The Germinate Workbook is a simple, illustrated guide that aims to build up knowledge and skills around growing and preparing food, by helping beginner gardeners and facilitators of gardening groups.
The workbook is the result of many years of collaboration between gardeners and educators Lily White and Ami Kennedy.
The pair have worked for many years in edible garden education projects, based in Christchurch and Nelson respectively. Through this work they formed the not-for-profit organisation The Germinate Collective in 2014 and came to recognise the need for a simple, easy-to-use guide suited to their home regions or any similar temperate climate.
Lily has seen a big surge in people who are really wanting to know about growing food – and wanting to make their gardening efficient and successful.
“We went for a simple, paper-based resource that offers users something other than the internet or heavy text-based books, and worked with an illustrator to create a beautiful black and white, loose-leaf folder format that can be added to easily by users.” “Gardeners can build their own knowledge around this resource and can add to it over the growing seasons.”
While many books focus on either gardening or cooking, this one combines both. The workbook starts with basic concepts like designing a garden from scratch using permaculture design practices. It’s laid out in four sessions per month based on the seasons. Each session has information, outdoor and indoor activities, handouts for learners, and recipes based on seasonal produce. There is also information on preserving and on extending the growing season.
The Germinate Workbook aims to bring local communities of people together in group activities. Gardening with beginners is a special focus. The pair say many skills of the older generation have been lost, and they wanted to ensure that knowledge is passed on to generations who have missed out.
The Germinate Workbook: Sowing the Seeds for Resilience – a growing guide for beginner gardeners & facilitators is available to purchase at Evolve Festival or by ordering via The Germinate Collective website.