ACE Courses
We run Adult Community Education courses funded by Skills SA. These short courses are free for eligible students and are designed to help people gain skills for work, further study or volunteering.
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To attend a free course, students must be:
aged 17 years or over and not enrolled in school, OR early school leavers
an Australian resident, or if not an Australian resident, have an eligible visa
identifying as one or more of the following: Aboriginal, young people under 25 years, mature age (45 years and over), from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, people with disability, women returning to work or women seeking to enter non-traditional occupations.
Our Courses
Beginners' Growing
This is an introductory course for those new to growing food. Small class sizes and flexible, hands-on learning will help you gain the confidence and knowledge to start growing your own food. Each two-hour session is run entirely in the garden, with lots of demonstration and practical activities. Topics covered include:
- Tool use, planting, weeding and watering
- How plants grow
- Soils
- Biodiversity (including pests and diseases).
Our next courses will begin in August 2026 and will run in two locations, TBA shortly. To register your interest or find out more, you can fill out the form below or contact us at connect@justground.org.au
More Skills for Growing Food
This is our flagship course, incorporating (almost!) everything we know about growing food (mainly vegetables, but fruit as well) in a whirlwind journey of 10 weekly classes. This course is for growers with some experience (whether in a home, community or farm context), and students who have completed 'Beginners' Growing''. In each 3 ½ -hour session, we take a deep dive into both theory and practical skills, covering:
- Soils
- How plants grow
- Pruning
- Propagation
- Harvesting
- Climate & water (including irrigation)
- Compost & worm farms
- Crop planning.
We also take two field trips together to local farms and food growing projects. 'More Skills for Growing Food' is a Level 2 Accredited course, delivered in partnership with the South Australian Learning Centre. This means that as part of the course, you will complete an accredited unit in horticulture studies. This can count towards further study. Our next courses will begin in October 2026 and will run in two locations, TBA. To register your interest or find out more fill out the form below, or contact us at connect@justground.org.au.
Interested?
We are currently talking expressions of interest for our next courses. Fill out the form below and we will be in touch when we start enrolling for our next courses, commencing August 2026.
Additional info
Our courses use the framework of food sovereignty. We will teach you to grow food in a way that cares for the environment, whilst gaining an understanding of the forces shaping our food systems and how we can respond to them in our own lives.
Accessibility is important to us. Our venues (gardens and classrooms) are wheelchair accessible, and we do our best to meet each student's access and learning needs. Support workers are welcome and a free crèche may be available upon request.
Courses are run by Indi and Phoebe, both of whom hold a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. We have undertaken further training in cultural capability, trauma-informed teaching practice and supporting Autistic adult learners. You can read more about us and our values here.
