Playing with plants

Landcarer’s recognised

At the recent 2023 Environmental Excellence in Landcare Awards, two of our regular landcare crew were recognised with the Landcare Achievers award. Congratulations Ros Cornish and Kathy Gall, and sincere thanks for your weekly contributions to caring for our local environment.

We are extremely fortunate to have a highly talented and knowledgeable landcare group that gathers every Thursday to assist our precious bushland reserves in their quest for survival against a backdrop of weed invasions, climate change and fragmentation.

Our Landcare team is on the front line of addressing biodiversity loss locally. They are seeing the changes in weeding and seeding, noticing the arrivals of new threats, and the changing seasonal growth patterns of old ones. It is the Landcare team that extracts the dumped garden waste, from the public reserves, that threaten the survival of local plants by taking soil space, water, light and nutrients from the native plants.

Most of our bushland restoration activities can be traced back to dealing with dumped garden waste. The recent dumping of succulents on the west ridge, west of the school on the lower track, meant another day’s work, just when we thought we were making progress from the garden escapees that had been rambling down the hill.

Council’s Green Waste bin is the perfect place for garden waste.

Our bushland needs all the help it can get if it is going to survive into the future with shifting and extreme weather. Please help us to help protect the abundant variety of plant life we have, that supports the mix of birds and animals we enjoy. Bin it, don’t dump it.

CPPA President - Suzanne Pritchard

Local Landcaring Locations

Want to join Us? Lots of information about what we do and where we do it is here.
If you would like to receive weekly emails about where we are landcaring and what we will be doing? email cppalandcare@gmail.com

Tools & techniques provided
Morning tea at 10am

• 18/1 Hampton St Link
• 25/1/West Ridge
• 1/2 -Hampton St Link
• 8/2 -West Ridge
• 15/2 - Ambrose St
• 22/2 -Burnage

Crocodile Point

1st & 3rd Wed  8:30-10am. 

Meet under the Fennel Bay bridge

December Gardening 🌸

• It’s going to be a hot summer so make the most of mulch on your garden beds.
• Water in the late afternoon so the plants can benefit from the water overnight.
• Net your fruit trees to prevent bats, possums, birds and/or rats from damaging the fruit.
• What’s ready to pick..well I am harvesting rhubarb, blueberries, strawberries, shallots, lettuce, a variety of herbs and tomatoes. Hope you are harvesting from your garden too.
• If you want to sow some seeds summer is a good time for beans, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, celery, chicory, cucumber, eggplants, endive, lettuce, melons, potatoes, pumpkin, radish, silverbeet, spring onions, sweet corn and tomatoes. (https://www.hunterorganicgrowerssociety.org.au/growers-guide)

CPPA Committee - Selma Barry

 

FREE Biodynamic Workshop 15/9/19

FREE Biodynamic Workshop, Facilitator, Daniel Piason at the Toronto HUB on Sunday, 15 September

2019 from 10am to 3pm.🍍🍓🌶🍇🍅 

Toronto HUB, 97-99 The Boulevarde, Toronto

Contact Linda 0427 519 900 to book or for further information.

Plant a seed - grow the future!

Come to learn and help the Toronto HUB in setting up it's Backyard into a vegie feast!

enjoy – fresh – local – seasonal – ripe – high nutrition

Basic gardening practical ‘hands-on’ techniques using premium biodynamic practices:

• Premium soil fertility
• Experience using simple and inexpensive biodynamic preparations for total soil care and protection from pests and diseases.

June Planting Guide

Gardening is a great excuse to get outside and watch a few things grow over winter. The

Hunter Organic Growers Society have taken the guesswork out of what grows in our region and here are a few suggestions for planting in June.

• Asparagus crowns
• Broad beans
• Cabbage
• Winter lettuce
• Onion
• Peas
• Rhubarb crowns
• Spinach

Have your green thumbs produced an abundant crop? There’s a LakeMac Crop Swap event held on the last Friday of each month at the Landcare Resource Centre, next one in 28th June at 9-11am.

May Grower's News

Growing advice from The Hunter Organic Growers says there is a chill in the air and the change of seasons appears to be under way. Regardless of the conditions in your little patch of paradise, there is still loads to do this month.

Still some good planting time left so pop in some Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. Peas and broad beans can also go in, as well as radish, turnips, swedes and spinach.

It’s time to get happy with herbs, so try some chamomile and lemon grass. You could give mint and lemon balm a go as well, but be careful to contain them as they can take over!

Why not try some lovely flowering stuff in your patch as well, like: cornflower, calendula, dianthus, pansies, viola, snapdragons, stock, ageratum and marigolds. These are great at attracting pollinators and beneficial insects to your patch, and the flowers look good as well.

http://coalpointprogress.blogspot.com

The online version of the Chronicle at http://coalpointprogress.blogspot.com offers a few extras that aren’t possible in the paper version. There are links to other local organisation’s web presences, surveys to complete, pictures in colour, access to maps and all the Chronicle articles since 2009 all in the one spot and highly searchable.

Some recent additions to the local links include

• LT Creek Sustainable Neighbourhood Group: http://ltcreek.wordpress.com/ This group also has Robyn Charlton as the community representative on the Newstan Community Consultative Committee for Centennial Coal. If you want the low down on what’s happening under the ground this is the place to look. http://ltcreek.wordpress.com/centennial-coal-the-community/
• The local vegetable growing community may be interested in the online calendar which outlines what to grow when at http://www.gardenate.com/zones/Australia+-+temperate?month=7
• There is also an eco-living blog by Michelle Teear, a local Community Garden stalwart http://bellbirdsnpeashoots.blogspot.com.au/

What to grow in April

If you’re wondering what to be planting at this time of year the Hunter Organic Growers website has a very easy to read planting guide.
In April globe artichoke,broad beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chinese cabbage, garlic, leeks, lentils, lettuce, onion, parsnip, peas, raddish, shallots, silverbeet, strawberries, swede and turnips are all recommended.

Vegetable Growers & Community Gardeners

Over the past 12 months a group of local vegetable growers have regularly gathered to discuss how, in the short term, to best to support the community in growing food in their own backyard and in the long term pursue a community garden project on public land.
 
Monthly meetings continue to be held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at Progress Hall from 7pm. The next meeting is Wednesday 14th December.
 
A proposal to convert the front yard of Progress Hall into a demonstration vegetable garden will be discussed and interest gathered to determine if it is a viable project. 
 
Also for your diaries, if you’re interested in having a Community Garden in the area, there will be a social picnic held on Saturday 18th February 2012, 4pm - 7pm at the Pony Club
 
For further information on or to RSVP for these events, please contact Michelle on 0402924819 or email bellbirdfe@gmail.com

In the vegie patch

Spring is here and the time has come to get out your tools and get busy planting out your vegie garden. During August hopefully you dug your plot over and gave it a good does of lime, compost and manure. You would have removed all the weeds and it would be brimming with life just beneath the surface awaiting the summer crop.

Salad vegies are probably the first that spring to mind and a variety of small sowings would be suitable now. It’s better to sow a little at a time every few weeks to give a continuous and varied supply throughout the season, especially if you’re only feeding a few.

Plants to grow include: cabbage, capsicum, silverbeet, lettuce, spring onion, tomato.
Seeds to sow include: beetroot, carrot, cucumber, marrow, parsnip, pea, radish, sweetcorn, zucchini and pumpkin.

A few tips:

• Cabbage: Sprinkle the outer leaves with Derris Dust to scare off white butterfly-one dusting usually does the trick.
• Sweetcorn: Plant 2-3 rows or in a group as it is wind pollinated. Pick when the tassle is brown.
• Carrot: Don’t manure prior to sowing as it causes deformed root growth.
• Pumpkin: When the flowers are formed pinch off the leading shoots to promote clumping growth.
• Cucumber: Sow amongst the Sweetcorn. They will use the spent corn stalks as a climbing frame.

Community Garden Goss

Since the workshop in August there has been activity in various areas.

The Community Gardening crew meet regularly on the 2nd Wednesday  of the month All are welcome. The group will discuss how to go about getting a great crop in your own backyard and progress gathering interest in a community garden.

LMCC has a Community Garden Policy. It is well worth reading as it clearly describes the process that has to be undertaken for planning a community garden, approvals etc:

Some great community gardening websites:

http://communitygarden.org.au/

http://www.northeystreetcityfarm.org.au/

http://www.thesharehood.org/community-gardening

http://sydneycityfarm.org/

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/?p=1263

Do you want a Community Garden at Carey Bay?

This year the VegeTTable group formed with two main aims

1. To support and encourage locals to grow vegetables in their backyard.
2. To determine if there was community support for a Community Garden on the site of the Carey Bay Pony Club.

A community garden is a public space where people gather and work cooperatively to produce fresh food. There are different styles of gardens ranging from communal to individual plots and everything in between.

As the density of housing and food prices increases, having somewhere to grow vegetables and share knowledge may be a good community project.

We'll be collecting comments and interest during the rest of the year so post a comment on the blog, email cppa.communitygarden@gmail.com, put your name on the register of interest at the Hall or phone Geoff Woods on 4959 3470.

VegeTTable club- by Jean Austen

As a member of the VegeTTable group supporting growing your own backyard vegetables I was fortunate enough to have Geoff Woods, our teacher and advisor, visit me and my garden to see where the best possible place was to start my project.

We learned in our lectures that vegetables need approximately seven hours of sunshine daily to grow successfully and some of soils in our area is not suitable, my challenge was trying to address these two issues. Geoff agreed that growing seedlings in two old wheelbarrows where they could get maximum sunshine should work. I have trialled this idea and am getting great results.

During Geoff’s visit I had many questions to ask and was readily given answers and advice.If you haven’t already joined I would encourage you to do so as Geoff has a wealth of knowledge which he is happy to share with members.

The next garden to be visited is at Michelle's place 62 Kilaben Rd Kilaben Bay on Saturday 9^th July 2-3pm. Most of the garden is raised beds but unfortunately the potato bed is somewhere down the hill due to the recent rain.There is plenty of parking so drive in.

Getting the Winter crop underway?

The second inspiring installment from the VegeTTable talks to get you growing.

Recap: It all starts with the soil and location location location.

• Vegetables grow mainly in the top 6cm of the soil, so it’s up to you as a gardener to make the best soil. Think of your vegie patch as a lawn improvement device.
• Face your garden North to North-east if possible to catch the most rays.
• Start small with a 1m square, it's big enough. Make it easy to access all around the patch.  Once you've got the hang of it expand a bit at a time.
• Tools of the trade include a spade, fork, rake and hose
• Soil preparation is important.Break up the clods, add organic matter, dynamic lifter, blood and bone, dolomite (MgCO3 )
• Mulch is magic. Cover the surface, to reduce evaporation, keep the soil cooler in summer and warmer in winter
• Compost is dug into the garden...it's international compost awareness week soon
• If you don't have enough room for a garden and want to delve into pots as the preferred growing medium styrofoam boxes are very versatile as growing pots. Ceramic/earthenware that are not glazed need to be lined with plastic because they loose water through evaporation. 

Sowing Seeds

• Read the back of the back, we live in a temperate climate and use by dates matter
• For an instant garden lettuce and spinach are great and you can pick the leaves all year round.
• Parsnip seeds only last a year at the most but are quick growers

How to sow?

• Use a rake handle to make a groove, the drill.
• Water the drill and remove any lumps
• Sow the seed, the smaller the seed the shallower the drill and cover over
• Put a stick at either end to remind where you planted
• Thin out when second set of leaves emerge

What to sow in May

• Seed : broad bean, cabbage, cauliflower, onion, pea, spinach
• Seedlings: cabbage, celery, leek, onion, silver beet, spinach,turnip

The VegeTTable group will meet on the 2nd Saturday of the month 10-11am at various gardens around the community to gather ideas, advice and support. Contact Geoff for more information on 4959 3470

Handy Tip- There is a manure selling business at 110 Macquarie Rd Fassifern, about 400m past the train station turnoff. They sell chook, cow and horse manure at very reasonable rates.

VegeTTable Talks

The VegeTTable group will start regular 2nd Monday of the month meetings 7-8.30pm, at the Hall as of Monday 11th April.  The session will include,

• Q & A/trouble shooting
• a special interest subject
• a trading table to share produce
• a brag or moan session.

The other aspect to the group’s gatherings will be garden visits to showcase or support local vegetable growers.

 These will be on  the Saturday following meeting 10-11am, the first visit at 54-56 Amelia Street, two gardens to think about how they tend their crops. 

April In the Veggie patch

Jobs to do: Prepare the area to be planted by top dressing with compost and blood and bone. Dig in and rake over.

Sowing and Growing:

Seed: broad bean, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, onion, silver beet

Seedlings: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, silver beet, lettuce

If space is limited make a herb garden in a polystyrene box. Place Styrofoam chunks for drainage and shade cloth in the bottom to prevent soil escape, fill with potting mix and plant with herbs such as thyme, parsley, chives. Place box in sunny position on a verandah or patio.

VegeTTable Talks

During February Geoff Woods delivered a series of highly informative talks on how to grow vegetables in your backyard as part of the Transition Town project. What follows are the insights gained from the 1st talk.

Lesson #1 behind every good vegepatch is great soil. Around Coal Point there are two main kinds of local soils, the very unproductive ridge soils which have had their nutrients leached out over time and the much more productive gully soils which have received the sediments washed from the ridges. The waterfront soils are aquatic deposits, which aren't too bad either. If you live on the ridge an elevated garden or pots are the best options.

Lesson #2 Soil horizons-Improve the top 20. As far as vege growing goes it's the top 20cm of soil, full of organic matter, where all the action happens as most vegetables have a shallow,fibrous root system.

Lesson 3# Soil is not dirt. Dirt is dead and is the stuff of vacuum cleaners. Soil is a living system made up of organic materials such as earthworms, insects, bacteria, fungus and decomposing plant material (humus)and inorganic material such as sand,clay, pebbles, water and air.

Lesson #4 Be kind to compost worms. There is a difference between compost worms and earthworms, the former needing plant material as their food source and doomed to starvation if added to soil...sorry to all the compost worms I have freed from captivity. Earthworms eat the humus in the soil.

Lesson #5 Location, location, location. A daily dose of sunshine for 5-7hours a day, especially morning sun which warms the soil and gets the sap flowing will keep veges on the sunny-side of life. It's important to watch the shadows before deciding a location and the best aspect to aim for is North. Slope was considered something to avoid by building up the low side.

Lesson #6 Soil chemistry. The optimum pH of 7, neutral, is good for growing vegetables, knowing your soil pH will help determine what you need to add to ensure the bumper crop. The best organic complete fertiliser was deemed to be cow manure which is rich in Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, the key elements for leaf, root and flower growth. Worm castings were also given a big thumbs up.

Vege TT able

As part of our Transition Towns project the CPPA aims to support residents who want to develop a backyard vegetable garden. Many already have a productive garden and are reaping the benefits of nourishing, home grown vegetables. 

By growing your own you save money and have fresh, not old cold-store, artificially & chemically ripened fruit and vegetables. You also play your bit in lowering greenhouse gases by reducing long haul transportation and refrigeration emissions.

In years gone by almost every home had a backyard vegie patch. People took pride in their ability to grow their own and share their knowledge, as well as vegetables, with their neighbours. Many still do and many would like to join them. 

The good news is that help is on the way in the form of introductory lectures on how to start a garden, what plants need such as soil, water, light, warmth, food etc. These talks will be down to earth and non technical.

The talks will happen on Monday 14, 22 and 28 February 7.00-8.30 pm at Progress Hall. Interest from these meetings will then determine what happens next. We're hoping that we can continue to provide support with home visits for ideas to set up, trouble shoot or admire local vegetable gardens.