Hi everyone,
I wanted to remind everyone that we will be planting
the Autumn/Winter crop into our newly fertile garden beds on this coming
Saturday, April 20. As usual we will start at 10am to avoid the hottest part
of the day. The planting should be finished by 1pm. You are all invited to
enjoy a BBQ lunch following this event. This is an important event in the
gardens calendar as this crop will sustain the garden until the Spring crop
is planted in October. I encourage everyone who is free on Saturday to drop
by the garden and join in.
The olive crop was harvested late last
week and we still have several kilo's of prime Kalamata olives that have not
yet been claimed by volunteers for processing. It would be such a shame to
waste these olives given how great they taste when properly processed. The
process is very easy and cheap. Please take a look at the You Tube link I
sent to all of you a couple of weeks ago. Julie has already started the
process with 3 kg's and the whole thing took about 10 minutes initially. The
olives are inside the shed and can be picked up anytime or perhaps take some
home with you on Saturday.
I look forward to seeing as many of you
as possible in the garden on Saturday.
Best wishes,
Greg.
This year looks set to give our biggest citrus yield to date.
What is the Docklands Community Garden?
The Docklands Community Garden is sustained by a group of volunteers
and we hope it gives pleasure to our fellow Docklanders and visitors.
The volunteers have regular planting days and working bees as well as
occasional social events. Funding for plants, fertilisers, maintenance
etc. comes substantially from the volunteers and additional donations
and sponsorships are welcomed
If you would like to join our volunteers, contact Greg (0408 818 980)
for more information.
How does this garden operate?
Many community gardens operate with an annual fee to rent a private
garden bed and often have long waiting lists. Such gardens are often
locked at night.
Here at Docklands we have decided to have communal garden beds and to
not fence off the area from the general public. This has meant trusting
our fellow Docklanders to treat the garden with respect.
How can I get involved?
Volunteer gardeners are welcome to take part in planting days and
working bees and to become part of the weekly roster for watering and
weeding.
If you would like to join our volunteers, contact Greg (0408 818 980)
for more information.
Can I pick the vegetables?
The volunteers maintain the garden for the pleasure of all
Docklanders and you are welcome to pick the vegetables for your personal
cooking. However please only take enough for your next meal and wait
until the vegetables are fully mature. Herbs are a good starting point
as they regenerate quickly. Check the notice board for a list of
plantings that are currently suitable for picking. Remember to wash the
vegetables well as they have been in a public place.
Why does it sometimes looks messy or bare?
Some plants are allowed to go to seed. The seeds are then used for
cooking (such as coriander seed) or collected for future plantings. Some
plants (such as broad beans) are allowed to whither before being dug
back into the soil for their nitrogen content.
Some times of year are unsuitable for planting and provide an
opportunity for the soil to regenerate. During winter, some of our
volunteer gardeners nurture seedlings and young plants on their
balconies ready for spring planting.
Compost & Fertiliser
We would love to offer a communal composting facility but that is
well beyond our monetary resources. Compost needs to be supervised and
contain the right balance of ingredients.
The volunteer gardeners collect the nutrients from a number of worm
farms on balconies and rooftops throughout Docklands and the city.
Contributions of organic fertiliser are always welcome and can be left
outside the shed.
Respecting the space and the gardeners
Please enjoy the garden but remember that it cleaned and maintained
by volunteer gardeners and not the council. There is nothing more
disheartening for a volunteer after finishing a full day’s work to come
down to the garden and find they have to spend half an hour cleaning up
cigarette butts before they can do any gardening.
Enjoy the space but please respect it and the volunteer gardeners ask
others to do the same.
The birds and the bees
A fruit and vegetable garden can’t survive without bees, beneficial
bugs and birds. Numbers of the plantings are bird or bee attracting
plants. Some plants are allowed to go to seed because that is the way
the birds and bees like them.
How can I contribute?
We are always on the lookout for organic manure and fertilizer.
Contributions of tools are also welcome. If you like, you might make a
monetary contribution to our small bank account.
If the garden and the work of the volunteer gardeners gives you
pleasure you may want to consider giving a little back.
Check the notice board or this website for resources we are looking
for at the moment.