Lower King Community Garden Produce Swap

The Lower King Community Garden's first ever Produce Swap got off to a good start yesterday - Saturday, 19th of May 2012. The weather was fantastic and there was a real mix of autumn produce on hand from contributing gardeners as well as plant cuttings, seeds and plants, cooking and preserves.

The Produce Swap is held in the grounds of the Lower King Kindergarten every 3rd Saturday of the month between 10 - 12. Instigated by the Kindergarten community it is hoped that the surrounding community will become more and more involved. Given that the kindergarten is situated right in the heart of the suburb it should be easy enough for folks to walk a couple of hundred feet from their door to the Produce Swap to check things out. So great to see community folk turn up with produce for the table, especially for the grand kick-off!

We hope to see this one thrive.

The Super Plant Muster

 Hi Everyone - this is something of an event - though there is no time or place as yet, although a temporary cut off date is set for the 2/6/2012 which falls on the next Produce Swap at the RCNC Community Garden.

The Seed Savers Plot @ The Community Garden is nearly ready for planting out with perennials and unusual and exotic plant varieties. See previous posts below concerning the progress from the start.

We are seeking plants/seedlings/cuttings of unusual perennials, exotics and plants that are not always easy or indeed possible to propagate from seed. To give you an idea of what we are after we have already received plant material for: guava, sugar cane, pepino, sweet potato, dragon fruit, blackberry, yacon and cossack pineapple.

I have listed this as an event on the Facebook page so that you can place offers of plant material in the comments below the post. For those of you not using FB or if you are a member of the community viewing this post - the same process applies to this blog post. So that we don't double up too much and can gather a variety of plants - if you have plant material you can offer please post your offer in the comments below this post. We can then confirm with you as to whether it is something we are looking for or have a need for, and arrange to contact you privately.

We may arrange pick-up of some items as we go but will likely ask for plants to be brought to the Garden ie: at the next available Produce Swap, being the 2nd June 2012.

Mulching The Plot

Another Busy Bee at the Seed Saver's Plot is under our belts now and it's all shaping up nicely. Lorna pretty much summed up the day on the facebook site with this.

Great effort from the people that turned up for the busy bee this morning! Mulching the plot would have been an ordinary job with one or two people, but the conversation was great and the time just flew. Mission pretty much accomplished, and we can now start PLANTING! Wooo Hooo! Thanks everyone! Oh, and the shared food was once again a big hit. Well done people......

For those that were not able to make it there will be another in a few more weeks as we begin to plant out the area with perennials to take advantage of the winter rains. For today's effort we were lucky to have overcast skies and the rain stayed away while we worked which was fantastic - for why stop to smell the roses when you can work and take of the perfume at the same time! See you at the next one.

More of The Plot

 

Lorna and myself spent an interesting morning down at the plot digging out some relics from the previous plots and doing the final preparation to the ground before getting the rotary hoe in. After a few stop and starts Lorna has managed to get a large area dug over.

The next step is to define the garden area and dig the first of the trenches that will be our main preventative to the grass returning. Then we are having another Busy Bee & Morning Tea to shift the mulch we have had delivered down to the back bed.

 

We are meeting at the Community Garden on Saturday the 28th of April 2012 from 9 am to 12. The plan is to shift as much of the mulch as possible to the back. If you can bring a shovel and wheelbarrow that would be great, otherwise simply bring something to share for morning tea and lend a hand where required.

Artist's Impression of Seed Savers Plot

Lorna and I managed to get to the garden today and begin to remove some of the blue metal from the central part of the plot. I would guess that it was put around the bed to try and prevent the Kikuyu grass from entering the beds. It didn't work though. Which is why we are looking at having to maintain a small trench around the plot to prevent further grass getting in while we eliminate the grass that will inevitably begin to pop up as we get more and more rainfall.

The Kikuyu is everywhere as you will see in the photo in the post below, and although it has died down somewhat over the summer period it will keep coming back as it is in most of the bordering gardens and along the fence line. So it will take some on-going maintenance but will be worthwhile if it prevents it getting established like it has done over the last few months.

The initial concept for the garden is to establish something of a food forest in the background with garden beds for seed raising varieties in the foreground. Over time the large pile of grass and garden stuff will break down and we can hopefully make the composting area a little smaller and compact - and more efficient. The removal of the blue metal stone will mean we can rotary hoe the area from time to time and the foreground area can be flexible depending on the crops and varieties we want to gather seed from or conserve.

So, please begin to keep in mind that within hopefully the next few months we will be chasing various fruiting plants for the beginning of the food forest. If you have plants that can be propagated during autumn for an eventual home in the plot then that would be great. If you come across any plants that require a new home and that you think would do well in the food forest, please let us know through the Facebook page. It is hoped that in time the back fence will be hidden by the growing trees and shrubs.

We will also be requiring a sign if anyone is willing to create one or knows someone that can do a fine job of sign-writing. If anyone is willing to contribute to this mini-project in some way could you please email me at rcseedsavers@gmail.com and I can forward the relevant details required.

Seed Savers Busy Bee @ The Community Garden

The plot on the 3rd of March 2012 prior to our Busy Bee.

Our first Busy Bee for our Seed Savers plot at the Community Garden was a success. It was largely a matter of un-masking the hidden materials under lots and lots and lots of dry garden waste and dead grass. Clearing as much of the area back so that we have a clean area to work with when it comes to planning the garden layout. Much pruning, raking, bagging of rubbish and generally just working out what was lying amongst the dirt and hidden under all the grass and overgrown garden plots.

Before we knew it, it was time for morning tea. Ciabatta with cheese and jam and relish, banana cake and ...

Pink pomelo fruit that Lorna had brought to share. Lovely!

A break from the work and the heat of the morning. Then back into it. At the end of it all we had one extremely large pile of dry matter and a bit more of a clearer area - with much of the disintegrating carpet underlay, perishing black plastic and carpet removed from the ground. Thanks to all who came and gave of their time and tools. For those that missed out there will be a date set for the next phase soon. Hope to see you there as we begin to document the evolution of our plot.