Garden Update

Hello.  It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m sitting inside hiding from this relentless heat.   I actually just watched an episode of garden gurus and that has inspired me to write this blurb.

 I don’t know about anyone else but I am over the hot dry conditions.  I’m probably not alone in saying that my garden has suffered and as a result I have reduced my veggie patch down to long-term crops only to save water. 

 Our March workshop is very relevant considering our climate change.   Dave crook is the local Gardner who will demonstrate how to build a wicking bed from a half wine barrel.   This has several positives for gardeners, one being the obvious water saving and another being the extension of life of the pot its self as wine barrels tend to rot away fairly quickly.    Wine barrels are quite roomy and would be very suitable to crops of greens and trellises of snow peas for example. Our workshops are held on the third Saturday of each month.  That will be 16 March.

 As I move about in the community people often comment to me about our community garden.  This morning some locals were very pleased to tell me that in their opinion the garden looks lovely at the moment.   Our Saturday morning short get-togethers have achieved a lot considering the small amount of effort we put in.  We have mainly been keeping the beds watered with the help of dripper hoses and just removing some spent vegetables and a few weeds.  As usual we enjoy a chat and always learn something about what’s going on in Gardens at the moment.  We are also very fortunate to have the help of the Shire with a weekly trip on the ride on mower.  The boys from Beechworth prison have made a valuable contribution by visiting and running along the creek edge and up our native bank with their brush cutters.  These are the jobs that our small group of volunteers would not manage to do regularly so we are very grateful for this help.

Cheers to all and let’s hope for some useful rain soon.

Lee-Anne

Weekly update from Lee-Anne.

Wow each week flies by quickly.

Last Thursday night saw 5 of us use our super powers to zoom around the garden and complete a few tasks.  We harvested 18 punnets of tomatoes and various other vegies.  Our very delicious tomatoes are still ripening at a great pace so will be available to "pick your own" from now on to free up the labour of the volunteers and allow other tasks to be done.  Spare punnets will be available on the harvest table or you could bring your own. A donation would still be appreciated.  Now is the time also to save some seed for next year.  Just split a good specimen in half and allow to ferment on the kitchen sill for a few days, then rinse through a colander, thoroughly dry on paper for a few days and then label and store in a cool cupboard until spring. Use google if you're not sure.

 

We planted allium in bed 5 including leeks, red and brown onion and spring onions.  Garlic will go in soon.  We saved seed from the parsnip and will be planting some of that soon too.  There is plenty and as the seed is only viable for a couple of months I'll put some in small envelopes on the harvest table for anyone who would like some.

 

The beds are looking tidier now that some of the spent veg have been removed.  The pumpkins are very tired now and some will be harvested any week now.  It's time now to start planting brassicas and other winter veg so they get a good start before the cold weather (I wish), so we'll need some volunteers on Thursday to make a start on that.

 

One of the rules of permaculture is "observe and interact" and is very relevant in our garden.  Has anyone noticed that the best tomatoes we've had this year are the 3 bushes that self seeded in the paths near the entrance.  They haven't been watered at all except for rain!  They are huge and juicy and full of flavour.  These are the ones to save seed from.  And also the pumpkin patch in the open mulch area, which has fantastic looking pumpkins and we haven't had to do a thing.  Sometimes it pays to let a stray seedling or two develop and see what happens.  Mother Nature know what she's doing. 

 

Just a reminder that you don't have to be a member of the garden to participate in looking after the veggies etc, so if you have a friend or neighbour you think might like to come along then please invite them.  We all learn something often and enjoy the fresh air and fantastic space.

 

Hopefully tomorrow night will be the last of the really warm ones for the season but the shade comes over by 6pm so it's really pleasant after that.  Hope you can come.

 

P.S. Thanks to Merle for her offer of chocolate cake for the prisoners and to Ali for her surprise plate; the boys will be back next Thursday 17th from 9am.

Thanks

Lee-Anne 0412 106085

What's been happening at the garden

 Earlier in the week Lee-Anne sent out this garden update, and I thought it might be interesting to those of you not on the mailing list,

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Some of you may have missed my weekly chat last week, others may not have noticed that I didn't send out an email re what's happening in the garden so I'll do a catch up now.

Last Thursday night was basically some watering and harvesting as only Julie and myself were there.  I did some of the jobs on the to do list yesterday as they involved weeds that were spreading seed about and I did some watering of the ornamental garden while I was there.  I also did some dead heading of the chamomile and other flowering plants.  The coriander seeds have germinated well and the parsley is on its way up.  A good result.

Thanks to Neil for creating our new steps which lead from the shelter area down to the lawn, and also for painstakingly removing the lettering from our newly donated (thanks Ann and Terry Corr) sandwich board sign.  This sign board will be used to advertise up and coming events etc.

This morning we had a visit from Beechworth Corrections.  Derek and the boys spent about 2 hours at the garden mulching the creek area, painting our new sign with blackboard (blue) paint, weeding, digging over some beds, moving the unsightly shelves from the front of the container, among other tasks.  They do a great job and are rewarded for their enthusiasm with cake (thanks for lamingtons Merle) and Coca Cola, as well as some fruit.  If you get a chance to pop in you'll notice how great the garden is looking.  The boys will be back on Thursday 17th March at 9am so if anyone would like to give Merle a break from providing morning tea, I would appreciate something yummy (they love chocolate cake).  Please let me know if you can help.

This week we will be planting alliums in bed 5 and some root crop seeds in bed 3.  Planting alliums can be time consuming so a few helpers would be appreciated.  The boys did all the hard work preparing the bed so we just need to add some compost and plant.  We also still need to attack the ivy so that will stay on the list until it's cleared up.  The bioweed isn't having an impact and we can't use poison as it's too close the our fruit trees.  If anyone has some time to spare, the fruit trees strawberries need some water.  It lovely at the garden in the morning and also in the evening, even though the days are hot.

Tim came with me to the garden a couple of weeks ago to unload horse poo and he was really taken by the ambiance and the peacefulness of the area in the evening.  He had only visited in the mornings for food swap and a couple of functions so was surprised at how much he enjoyed being there in the early evening.  Maybe those of you who haven't been to a harvest night might join us and you might get hooked too.

Remember Thursday nights from 5.30p.m.

Lee-Anne

0412 106085

 

 

A garden update from Lee-Anne

Hello all,

Thanks to those who came last Thursday night.  We got quite a lot done and harvested plenty.  It's great to see how quickly the harvest goes from the table, especially in this hot weather.  We did some removal of spent veg and had a bit of a tidy up in the shelter.  It's a lovely place to sit, especially when it's free of clutter.  We also sowed some coriander and parsley seeds.  May need to go along and add a few more this week as it's difficult to keep them watered in this heat.  If you can help with watering through the day please let me know.  It only takes 5 minutes to spray the seed beds once you know where to find the tap heads!

This week there are some odd jobs that need doing, as well as harvesting more produce.  We'll also need to do some serious watering so if you enjoy standing with a hose you are most welcome to come and help out.  We need to tidy up around the entrance, particularly the middle path where a self seeded (and productive) tomato has taken over along with some weeds. 

If you've been to the garden through the week you may have noticed the "pick your own" signs I have put with the strawberries, rhubarb and perpetual spinach.  This means they can be picked as needed, in return for a donation  as usual.  There are 8 - 10 sheets of short lengths of corrugated iron that need to be moved.  If anyone would like it, please let me know. Once this has been removed we will be able to clean up the area under the veranda at the container.  The compost heap is out of hand at the moment so if there are enough hands on deck we'll do a bit or sorting there too.  Compost is a valuable commodity in the garden but we actually have to manage the waste to make the stuff.  We'll get better as time goes on.

I have hung some current catalogs from Green Harvest on a bulldog clip at the harvest table along with some North East planting guides.  These are free so pop in and grab yourself some if you're interested.

It sounds like there's a lot to do but if we get a bit done each week we'll easily keep the garden looking great and productive.

Hope you can join us tomorrow night from 5.30pm.

active october

The garden has been alive with activity in the last couple of weeks.

The pizza night and "Gardening With Soul" move night was a great success, with around 60 people enjoying the film.

The seedlings Lee-Anne has grown are strong and healthy. The beds are filling up with a great selection of veggies. The beds all have flowers plant amongst the veggies to encourage the bee pollination.

We have had visitors to the garden. The kids from Interchange Wodonga spent some time enjoying the garden space. We also had a film shoot at the garden. Local Matthew Charles-Jones was being interviewed for a documentary by Places You Love, that will be showed at the World Parks Congress  being held in Sydney next month. This a fantastic achievement with Matthew being 1 of 5 everyday people engaging in sustainability projects, selected to be part of the documentary. Take a look at  Totally Renewable Yackandandah for more details about the work Matthew is doing.

It is fantastic to see the garden being used by such a diverse range of groups. It really is a community garden!

green manure

We have been using stable waste to fill the beds in the garden, and it has been a fantastic growing medium. We have also had an unexpected benefit. The horses were obviously being feed a healthy diet that contained oats. So after nature has taken its course, the stable waste has given us a fantastic "Green Manure" crop of oats.

At this Thursday evenings garden session, we start to incorporate it back into the soil. What does this mean? Well basically digging over the bed, so that the crop is turned over. The key to doing this is to make sure it is done before the seed heads form.

So why did we do this?

• Green manure has all the benefits of classic composting.
• The crop supplies extra organic matter to feed / breed beneficial soil organisms.
• Create a barrier to other weeds forming.
• The roots of the crop help to break up compacted ground, to allow water and nutrients  to penetrate more deeply (not really a problem in our beds, but couldn't hurt).

Give it a go in your beds. What have you get to loose?

community garden growth in the North East

Last week Lee-Anne was interviewed and photographed for an article on the success of Community Gardens in North East Victoria, by the Wangaratta Chronicle. Fantastic that the "community garden movement" is taking off so strongly in our area. Take a look at the article from September 3rd.

a busy week at the garden

The garden has been alive with activity this week.

The Indigo Shire Council joined forces with the Yackandandah Primary School students to plant natives along the creek. This will help with stabilising the bank and slow the "rush" of water if we get a flood. Great job kids!

There was a photo shoot for an article coming out in the next edition of the Ovens & Murray Advertiser.

We had a visit from the Green Fingers Gardening Group. Look forward to seeing you again soon.

And there was a seed planting activity with the Yackandandah Cubs. So much fun and the kids were so enthusiastic. The all went home with planted seeds in an eco-pot, and have planted others for the community garden. We will see them again at the garden ready to plant the seedlings in October.

The Thursday night garden catchup at the garden is on again, and this Thursday we will have our monthly meeting too. Another busy week ahead!

more slug protection

When Penny Woodward recently visited the garden, she gave us lots of tips  and tricks to use in the garden. One of these was the use of Copper Tape  as a slug / snail barrier.

Penny suggested using off cuts of plumbing pipe  as the base of the barrier. It doesn't breakdown easily, so we can re-use them season after season.

The Copper Tape is wrapped around the top of the pipe, and the pipe is placed over the seedling. (Make sure to still allow enough light onto the seedling). When the slug or snail tries to cross the tape, it is given a small shock that acts as a deterrent. Take a look at the copper tape in action.

thursday catchup at the garden

As the garden is slowing down and the weather is unpredictable, the Thursday night catchup at the garden will be put on hold over July & August.

Instead we will concentrate on getting "stuck in" during the monthly Produce Swap on the 3rd Saturday of every month.

trouble with slugs?

We have had trouble with slugs in the garden, and the Broccoli is being nibbled.

So armed with some stale beer, we set "beer traps". Very simple and very effective. The key is to use a deep enough jar that when the slugs fall in, they can't get out. Simply bury the jar so that the lip of the jar is at ground level. 

And what to do with the empty beer cans? Why not try turning them into lanters? 

Sustainable Gardening Australia - Community Gardens Manual

Are you interested in starting a community garden in your neighborhood? Take a look at the Sustainable Gardening Australia - Community Gardens Manual. SGA have been instrumental in getting the YCG up and running, and in particular the SGA's  Elaine Shallue. Through her experience in the creation of 5 Community Gardens & 6 POD Community Food Spaces in regional Victoria, Elaine has put together this fantastic manual.

There is a wealth of information from how to gauge the communities needs, how to asses a site for suitability, how to design and prepare the garden, and how to form a management group that can continue to engage the community and evolve the garden into the future. 

 

easy onion & leek planting

The garden beds have been bursting with produce over the Summer, but now it is time for a new season of planting.

Spent plants have been pulled out and added to the compost pile. The beds are being refreshed with a little extra stable waste, and planted out with the winter vegi crops.

 One of the best value for money seedlings to buy must be those from the Allium family.  There are so many plants in the one punnet, that we have planted out 2 beds with Leeks, Red Onions and Brown Onions from just 5 punnets.

 They also have to be one of quickest seedlings to plant too.

1) Run a small trench through the bed.

2) Separate each seedling and lay the roots in the trench

3) Back fill the trench  - No need to stand the seedlings up!

 4) Wait for a week or so, and you will see that the roots have taken hold and the seedlings now stand tall and upright.

Saving Tomato seeds

Did you happen to see Gardening Australia last night? They were visiting the Tomato festival at the Sydney Botanical Gardens, and the variety of heirloom tomatoes was fantastic. You really can't go past a home grown tomato for flavor, and they really would have to be one of the easiest veggies to grow in our area. Our long hot summer days are perfect for growing tomatoes. So to save the seed of your best specimen, take a look at the hints from seed saver expert Clive Blazey on the Gardening Australia fact sheet. What could be easier?

mmmmm Honeydew Melon

At the garden's 6pm catchup tonight, we were deciding if the Honeydew Melon was ripe or not. It sounded hollow when we tapped it, the skin was pale yellow and it smelt ripe. So armed with a sharp knife, we cut it open. It was beautiful, as Clare and Ali can testify.

I've done some further reading on how to tell if a Honeydew is ripe, so along with things we looked for you could also try these.

• If you rub your hands over the melon, you will feel some fine veining that you can't easily see. You can see the veins on an immature melon.
• The flower end of the melon (opposite end to the stalk) is soft to the touch.
• If you gently shake the melon, the fibers surrounding the seeds will pull away and you should be able to hear the seeds moving around.
• Lick your thumb and rub it over the melon. If you get the melon to squeak, it is ripe.

Lee-Anne's update 26.03.2014

Hi all,

At last night's meeting we discussed what to do short term with the veggies that are ripe in the garden. We decided that an honesty table would get us going so I have set up a table inside the little front fence and have put a container to collect the donations inside the cage at the front.  The veggies are on a first in best dressed basis so stop by and check it out if you like. Signs will direct you.

We also decided to meet each Thursday night at 6pm for a very casual harvest of what's ripe and to just observe what's going on in the garden and have a chat. As the nights get darker we'll have to change the timing but I'll keep you posted. There  is no commitment needed so just pop in if you would like to join in.  Someone will be there each Thursday, but of course weather permitting.

The minutes will go out soon with the items we discussed.

Hope to see you there soon.

Produce table

The number one question we seem to be asked is what will happen with the veggies grown at the garden. With this in mind, we have set up a produce table at the front of the garden with fruit & veggies that are ready to eat. You can see it as you drive past, so feel free to stop by and help yourself to the veggies on the table. To keep the garden running, we ask for a small donation (donation container is in the cage), in return. To keep things super fresh, as different fruit & veg become ripe we will be picking it add it to the table, so keep your eyes open.

By the way, the beans are brilliant just as they are!

Lee-Anne's update 20.03.2014

What a fantastic turnout on Saturday for our launch.  I counted (from photos) about 100 people.  Everything seemed to go as planned and I think everyone had a good time.

Thanks to Megan for doing the beautiful timeline and to Bev for manning the membership table.  Thanks also to those helped out with setting up and assisting at the refreshment tables and also to those who brought along a plate.  The food was outstanding and there seemed to be enough for everyone.

Thanks also to Nancy for her pictorial of the journey since last July.  I would like to spend more time going over the photos so have organised to have them on display for a while at Sticky Tarts.  I hope then to find another space that will allow for everyone to take time to have a good look. I'm no artist but thought it was a well thought out display and captured the feel of the garden and the people who volunteered during the build.

I have attached the minutes of the last meeting. (see "Minutes of Meetings" tab)  The next meeting is scheduled for the 2nd April but it seems that 3 or 4 of the regulars are unable to attend on that day.  If you are planning on coming to the next meeting, would you please respond with a day or days that would suit you during next week so I can try to pick a day that suits most.  6pm at the garden seems to be a good time but I'll confirm that over the weekend.

Thanks again to all the fantastic helpers who made Saturday a special day in the life of the garden.

Lee-Anne's update 11.03.2014

What a fantastic day we had at the garden today. The Community Gang came along and helped Les with the roof of the verandah and we did lots of other finishing off jobs.  A few volunteers got together tonight to put a few more finishing touches to the beds and are very excited about our efforts.  Can't wait for Saturday!

So we don't get too stressed about being finished for the opening I'll be at the garden from 6pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night if anyone would like to pop in and lend a hand.  We'll mainly be finishing off the mulching and doing some cleanup stuff, and making sure everything looks ship shape.  I'll also be on deck at 7am on Saturday with a band of trusty helpers to set up for the launch.  Things are moving along well and we are getting lots of responses to our invites so looks like being a huge event.  If you are able to come along please rsvp by return email.

Have a look at the SGA facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/sgacommunitygardens?ref=hl