Home Grown Garden tours take root across region | Watch the video

Tips on growing your own food, as well as workshops on wicking bed construction and native food production and processing will be provided over the two-day event, Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18.

Eight gardeners will open their back yards, big and small and across the city and beyond, to visitors.

"Our gardeners will be sharing their highs and lows of 'growing their own' and becoming more self sufficient in this age of climate change," UNE academic and Armidale Food Group coordinator, Nikki Larder said.

The two-day tour is a biennial event, organised by academics from the University of New England, as well as a general practitioner and dietician working at local health organisations.

The food group is part of the Armidale Climate and Health Project and Sustainable Living Armidale.

It is linked to a larger initiative to improve local community food infrastructure in the region, Dr Larder said.

Dr Dixon's garden is a mix of native and introduced plants, with several vegetable beds in the back yard.

"I've had mixed success with basil this year, planting some too early, which means it hasn't grown very well," she said.

"I'd love to share my tips with visitors to my garden and hear their gardening tales."

Broad beans, chicory, cress and mustard, leeks, rocket and English spinach can all be planted now for a crop before winter.

The eight gardeners showcasing their creations will discuss other crops and best planting times.

There will be the opportunity to learn more about wicking beds, self watering systems where "wicks" draw up water from a reservoir as and when it is needed by the plants.

Tickets with full information, map and schedule are available online through Eventbrite (https://sla.eventbrite.com.au) or in person at Armidale Outdoors, 152 Rusden Street.

Cost is $5 if you travel by bicycle or motorbike, or $20 for car of people riding together.