Meet the microbes. Build living compost. Grow healthy food.
Everyone deserves a thriving harvest...
...but maybe your soil is holding you back.
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Are you watering every day just to keep things alive?
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Do aphids come back every spring, no matter what you spray?
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Is blight spreading from one bed to the next?
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Is your harvest getting smaller and smaller each year?
Maybe you’ve tried the sprays, the fertilisers, the bags of compost from the shop or maybe you add your own compost every season and nothing really changes.
Maybe you’re doing everything “right” and it still isn’t working.
Your problems and their solutions are in the soil
Soil Regeneration Workshop
Introductory Talk
(2 Hours)
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What is the soil food web and why every farmer and gardener should know about it.
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What is the importance of soil microorganisms in preventing diseases, deterring pests and improving water management.
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A live microscopy session where we look directly at all the functional microorganism groups and the relationships between them.
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Bring your own soil sample to check out under the microscope!
Hands-on Compost Demo
(3 hours)
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Step-by-step walk through of two methods for developing high-quality compost.
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See a functioning Johnson-Su Bioreactor and learn how to build one for high fungal compost production.
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Build a Soil Food Web Method thermophilic compost pile from scratch.
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Learn best practices for managing temperature, aeration, and moisture.
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Learn best practices for sourcing and storing materials.
Practicals
There are two dates to choose from for this one-day workshop, either:
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November 8th, 10am - 3:30pm
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November 28th, 10am - 3:30pm
Address:
Elephant House, Tree House Close
Kuthumba Ecovillage
The Crags
Investment:
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R950 pp
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Bring your own lunch.
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Coffee, tea and snacks are provided.
If you want to just come for the introductory talk speak to me about a reduced price.
Important to note: This is intended as an introductory workshop where at the end you will leave with a basic understanding of the function of soil biology on farms and the practical know-how to get started in producing high quality compost at your own farm or garden. Although we will go over basic troubleshooting and adjusting your pile to make sure it is developing as intended it is beyond the scope of a one-day course to do this in-depth and often requires in-person consulting. It is also beyond this one-day course to learn how to apply the final compost in the best way for the outcomes you desire and that requires further training. Good thing it takes around 2-12 months for your own composts to finish so we can find another time to teach application methods!
Meet Your Facilitator
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Ceri Flook
Ceri is a soil ecologist, land steward and food grower who helps people remember their belonging in the web of life, starting from the ground up. Her work brings together food growing, deep ecology and the emerging science of soil microbiology.
She trained with Dr. Elaine Ingham at the Soil Food Web School and Didi Pershouse at the Land and Leadership Initiative, and received a Permaculture Design Certificate under Penny Livingston at the Regenerative Design Institute. She graduated with first-class honours in Global Health and Social Medicine from King’s College London, where her research explored the interconnection of soil, human and planetary health.
Ceri has brought her multidisciplinary expertise to land-based communities in Germany, South Africa and Egypt since 2022, from a 40-year-old ecovillage with a 150-hectare biodynamic farm to a newly started market garden in a 10-year-old intentional community. Her biology-first practices have reduced fungal disease in 10 hectares of rose bushes from 46% to 8% and raised arnica seed germination from 3% to 93% to name but a few successes. She is also an external expert helping to train Microcosmos, an AI-enhanced microscopy platform developed with the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia that brings real-time soil biodiversity diagnostics to farmers and land stewards.
Ceri weaves science and deep ecology into her approach to growing food, equally in love with cutting-edge discoveries and ancient wisdom found through communing with land.
Testimonials
Ceri has a unique ability to make scientific information insightful, fun, and connected to real life experiences through beautiful storytelling that weaves into the bigger picture of our interconnected natural world.
Oliver Goshey, Land Steward & Regenerative Skills Podcast Host
Ceri is excellent at explaining complex topics with simple words, images and stories that everybody can connect to. She is a vibrant facilitator and her passion and purpose sparks joy and curiosity in all her participants.
Amelie Salameh, Market Gardener & Founder of Himmel und Humus CSA
Register your interest!
Kuthumba Ecovillage and Private Nature Reserve
+27 60 810 1861