The much-loved Edible Gardens Festival is set to return – bigger than ever – in 2026 with an expanded three-day program of open gardens, gardener talks, hands-on workshops and live demonstrations.
Planning is in full swing now for the annual not-for-profit festival, which returns on May 22-24 across the Margaret River region. For the first time, it kicks off on a Friday afternoon with a dedicated line-up of new in-depth workshops. Then, the popular open gardens program returns with all-new gardens across Saturday and Sunday. They’re paired with gardener talks, garden demonstrations, and more workshops on a huge range of gardening and sustainability topics.
The full program can be viewed here. Meanwhile, tickets go on sale from February 25 via the Edible Gardens Festival website.
“We’re so excited to be adding an extra day of workshops alongside our weekend of open gardens and demos,” says Edible Gardens Festival organiser and permaculture teacher Trev Paddenburg. “Every year we showcase fresh gardens and ideas. And 2026 is shaping up as our most action-packed program yet.
“From first-timers to lifelong growers, the festival brings people together to learn, share and be inspired. It’s about practical tips, local wisdom and the simple joy of discovering how much food you can grow in your own patch. And living more sustainability and walking a little lighter on the earth.”
Big crowds at gardener Jane House’s property during the 2025 festival
Expanded program of garden workshops
The workshop program has grown from 10 sessions last year to 19 in 2026, with topics from local experts including:
- Mushroom Growing Made Easy Fungi with David Harwood (Margaret River Mushrooms)
- Rare Fruit Workshop & Farm Tour with Wayne Prangnell (WA Rare Fruit Club)
- Homegrown Goodness talk with All The Dirt podcast guru Steve Wood
- Creating an Epic Edible Garden with Gillian Pearce (Witchcliffe Permaculture & Design)
- Fruit Tree Pruning Like a Pro with Mark Tupman (Productive Ecology)
- From Harvest to Hot Sauce preserving and sauce-making with El Kapo (Margaret River Farmers Market)
- Big Yields on the Small Budget with David Hatwell (Capes Horticulure)
- Veg Gardening for Beginners with Jamie McCall (Burnside Organic Farm)
- Native Bee workshop and bee hotel-making with Laura Bailey (Margaret River Organic Farmer)
- Big Ideas for Small Spaces with market gardener Bec Davies (Glenarty Road)
Meanwhile, six gardens will open their gates on Saturday and Sunday, ranging from small suburban plots to expansive rural properties.
A range of workshops are available, covering many aspects of edible gardening
Blank canvas becomes thriving edible garden
Already confirmed for 2026 is Jenny and Sol Hanna’s Witchcliffe garden. It was once a blank canvas with clay soils, drainage issues, weevils and rabbits. Now, this large suburban block has been transformed into a thriving edible landscape with veg beds, chooks, ducks, native plantings, and integrated pest control.
Each open garden will buzz with activity. Visitors can enjoy live demos on topics like scything, greywater and rainwater harvesting, building DIY greenhouses and raised beds, and using botanicals for flavouring with the team from Karridale’s Wild Lot Distillery. Nature Conservation Margaret River Region will share tips for the best native trees for windbreaks, habitat and biomass.
Add in stalls, local food and drinks, and plants and produce for sale, and it’s set to be a festival atmosphere at every stop.
Jen and Sol Hanna will open their inspiring garden during the 2026 festival
Ticket info for Edible Gardens Festival 2026
Tickets remain at 2025 prices — $20 for an open garden day ticket (free for kids 16 and under) — and all profits go back into the event. Each day from 9am–1pm features three different open gardens. Workshops are separately ticketed at $25 each and run in the afternoons, including the new Friday session. After selling out for the past four years, tickets are expected to go quick.
Festival-goers can also leave the car at home and go green by booking a seat on the festival buses, with double the capacity this year compared to last. It’s $10 for the day. And takes you to all three gardens in time to catch each gardener talk and live demo.
Valued sponsors and supporters
Margaret River Mitre 10 is again supporting the festival, with ticket-holders able to cash in on a 20 per cent discount on all fruit trees, potted plants and vegetable seedlings. There are also prizes and giveaways courtesy of Lazarus Horticulture and a raft of other sponsors including South West Tree Services, Cape to Cape Explorer Tours and Yates Hort & Ag.
Trev said the Edible Gardens Festival is also backed by incredible support from the Shire of Augusta Margaret River and Margaret River Regional Environment Centre, while also supporting are local groups and businesses including Burnside Organic Farm, Seasol, Soil Dynamics, Yates, Mumballup Organics, Shogun Tools, Shelter Brewing Co, Capes Horticulture, Plumo Market Garden, Witchcliffe Permaculture & Design, Vegepod, Wild Lot Distillery, South West Orchard Builders, Nature Conservation Margaret River Region, Margaret River Community Pantry, Capes Foundation, Natural Farming Alliance, Productive Ecology and more.
“We couldn’t do this without our community of gardeners, sponsors and volunteers who generously share their time, skills and backyards,” Trev says. “It’s all about connecting people. Sharing knowledge. And celebrating the joy of growing your own. Don’t miss this truly special weekend in May!”
Edible Gardens Festival organiser Trev Paddenburg