New upcoming events
There are details of 36(!) local events over the next four weeks. 9 of the these are new to the News and are discussed in detail below. The other 27 were discussed in previous News and are summarised at the end of the email, together with links to the fuller information.
Glen Katherine Primary School Fete
What: There will be a farmers’ market stall at the fete, with much of the produce donated by stallholders from the Eltham Farmers’ Market.
When: Sunday, 22nd March, 10am-3pm.
Where: Glen Katherine Primary School.
Cost: free.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.
Introduction to permaculture
What: Angelo Eliades, from Deep Green Permaculture, will introduce the ideas behind the permaculture movement and offer practical guidance on how to get started.
When: Tuesday, 24th March, 10-11am.
Where: Watsonia Library.
Cost: free.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.
Growing your own fabulous home harvest with Tim Sansom, CEO, The Diggers Club.
What: A sustainable garden enhances health, wellbeing and the natural environment. Get inspired and learn the tricks to successfully develop your own home grown harvest. (Also, bring along any of your excess home grown produce and take part in an optional food swap from 6:45pm to 7:00pm.)
When: Wednesday, 25th March, 7-9pm.
Where: Civic Centre, Manningham City Council.
Cost: free.
To book: Manningham City Council, 9846 0579, waste@manningham.vic.gov.au.
Further information: LFC calendar entry.
Banyule Edible Garden Tours, Saturday 28th February and Sunday 1st March
To celebrate harvest month, Transition Banyule is offering a series of tours of local gardens growing edible produce.
Bookings are essential. Groups will be limited to ten people per tour, so don’t delay in booking your place. Cost per tour $10/$5, children free, includes lunch.
Book online here or phone Mary on 9455 2581 or email info@transitionbanyule.org.au or transitionbanyule@gmail.com.
Tour dates (Each tour includes lunch at the final garden)
Tour 1: Heidelberg Heights, Saturday, 28th February, 9.30am-2pm.
Tour 2: Macleod/Heidelberg, Saturday, 28th February, 9.30am-2pm.
Tour 3: Hibi Farm and surrounds, Sunday, 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm.
Tour 4: Macleod/Watsonia/Rosanna, Sunday, 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm.
Tour 5: Heidelberg/East Ivanhoe, Sunday, 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm.
Tour 6: Heidelberg Heights/Rosanna, Sunday, 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm.
Tour 1: Heidelberg Heights, Saturday, 28th February, 9.30am-2pm
Greta, Harris and Helen’s garden: A 2-year-old garden created from scratch, with limited time, low cost materials and no car. It contains both native plants and edibles, including fruit trees, vegetables, herbs and other surprises.
Eric and Eva’s garden: A one-year-old garden with a mixture of edible plants and herbs utilising two raised garden beds, a bathtub and other found items. Being a unit, this garden makes use of limited sunlight and space. Compost and recycled water tanks (yet to be installed) also feature.
Jonathan’s garden: An ongoing (6 year), one person, transformation of what was a standard suburban yard into an edible landscape, with fruit trees, nuts, companion and medicinal plants, vegetables and chickens. A key feature is the raspberry ‘driveway’ and a large number of strawberry plants.
These gardens are within close walking distance of each other so those who need to drive can park once and then participate fully in the tour as a walking group.
Tour 2: Macleod/Heidelberg, Saturday, 28th February, 9.30am-2pm.
Mala’s garden: A garden demonstrating how to get started growing food in small spaces, using no dig methods, replacing weed trees with fruit trees and utilising limited space. A new garden that has become remarkably productive in just three years.
Robert and Mary’s garden: Entire back lawn replaced by a flourishing veggie garden and orchard designed using permaculture principles. Front garden filled with dry tolerant indigenous, ornamental and productive plants, and a demonstration aquaponics system. Look out for the asparagus bed, the bananas in a greenhouse and the avocados.
Tour 3: Hibi Farm and surrounds, Sunday, 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm
A number of households and their gardens in West Heidelberg associated with the Hibi Farm as something of a small community – ‘The Hood’ of like minded people.
The Blackwoods (John and Yuki’s garden): A busy family’s occasionally-maintained, rambling edible garden. With the first of more than 50 fruit trees planted in 2008, this garden is an ongoing experiment in high density, low maintenance, urban fruit and vegetable production. Features include sugar cane, water plants, honey bees, backyard chooks, worm farm, wicking bed under mature trees, raised gardens built from recycled materials and low-=pressure irrigation with tank water.
Hibi Farm: Winner of the 2012 Darebin & Banyule Council’s Sustainability Awards (Home & Garden category) and the 2014 Making the Most of Your Garden Competition (Edible Garden category), the Hibi Farm is a suburban block converted into a thriving hub of sustainable living. Bicycles and bike trailers are used for transport. Front and back yards have become orchard and vegetable gardens including raised garden beds with tank-fed irrigation system. The keeping of milking goats, poultry and bees are all conscious steps towards increased self-sufficiency.
These gardens are within close walking distance of each other so those who need to drive can park once and then participate fully in the tour as a walking group.
Tour 4: Macleod/Watsonia/Rosanna, Sunday, 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm
Robin and Paul’s garden: Thriving fruit, vegetable and herb garden including perennial vegetables. Both front and backyards have been converted to edible gardens. This garden is being developed on permaculture principles and includes an integrated orchard, chook run and compost bays, as well as wicking beds.
Ian and Heidi’s garden: With a flourishing mixed orchard (front and back: fruit, nuts, berries and vines) and veggie garden based on permaculture principles. It is in the process of replacing an ornamental garden with one where there is always something fresh to eat. Features include multi-grafted fruit trees, some uncommon varieties, simple berry propagation and bananas.
Peter and Monique’s garden: Peter and Monique are attempting to create a low-maintenance food and play garden. They are currently integrating a watering system and a long term animal enclosure (for rabbits and chooks) that keeps the garden and animals safe. They are following a minimal resource approach with learnings from traditional Italian gardens. Beekeeping and beehives have become a major part of the project and have now expanded past the house boundaries and spread across others in the street and area.
Tour 5: Heidelberg/East Ivanhoe, Sunday 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm
Ume’s garden: This garden, a contemporary and creative use of a small backyard developed over ten years, has been part of Australia’s Open Garden Scheme. It incorporates raised garden beds, chooks, bees, grapevines on a pergola, dry stone wall, water tanks and compost.
Angie’s garden: This garden began to combine established ornamentals with edibles over three years ago. The focus has been to create a garden that has both the pretty and the practical/edible. Within the garden, there are 15 wicking beds. Some are made from apple crates and others have been built from recycled timber pallets. A variety of garden beds as well. There is an aquaponics system with the tank set in the ground. A chook run down one side of the house, with a chook house built around a loquat tree from recycled timber. There are over 30 fruit trees, many are espaliered and some are in pots. There are 3 rotating compost bins and three free standing. A variety of places to sit and enjoy each setting. All on a standard house block. Solar panels, water tanks, fish and frog ponds.
Marsha’s garden: Designed to cope with limited sunny space, large trees and possums, this garden uses the concept of ‘the magic square’, raised beds and netting.
Tour 6: Heidelberg Heights/Rosanna, Sunday, 1st March, 9.30am-2.30pm
Sue’s garden: A backyard garden with lawn and established fruit trees, vegetables, chooks and compost, adapted to minimise heavy garden work. The veggie garden focuses on permanent crops and raised beds. The garden is also influenced by family history and the challenges of birds, tree roots, a new puppy, a play area for grandchildren, and a shading multi-rebuild next door. A bit of a hotchpotch that feels good to live in.
Ken and Jenny’s garden:: This fruit and veggie garden includes a number of large raised wicking beds and a variety of fruit trees; garden pond; compost bins; chicken yard and run. It illustrates what can be done in a short time using the wonderful VEG (Very Edible Garden) service.
Peter and Monique’s garden: Peter and Monique are attempting to create a low-maintenance food and play garden. They are currently integrating a watering system and a long term animal enclosure (for rabbits and chooks) that keeps the garden and animals safe. They are following a minimal resource approach with learnings from traditional Italian gardens. Beekeeping and beehives have become a major part of the project and have now expanded past the house boundaries and spread across others in the street and area.
Upcoming events from previous LFC News
Over the next week
Starting the shift to smart living: Wednesday, 25th February, 7-9pm.
Seed saving for your garden: Thursday, 26th February, 6.30-8pm.
Tomatorama: Saturday, 28th February, 9.30am to 1pm.
The Great Tomato Taste Off: Sunday, 1st March, 10.30-11.30am.
Simran Sethi: Sunday, 1st March, 1.45-2.45pm.
Hurstbridge Gardening Club: Tuesday, 3rd March, 7.15-9.15pm.
Creating a balanced lifestyle through smart food: Wednesday, 4th March, 7-9pm.
Over the next month
BAAG Autumn Harvest Festival: 7th to 15th March.
Designing a smarter garden: Wednesday, 11th March, 7-9pm.
Tomato preserving workshop: Saturday, 14th March, 10am-1pm.
Home Harvest Feast 2015: Sunday, 15th March, midday-3pm.
Diamond Valley Library Food Garden Club: Tuesday, 17th March, 11:30am-12:30pm.
From Africa to Brighton; one woman’s extraordinary story: Tuesday, 17th March, 7-8pm.
Closing the loop on food and garden waste: Wednesday, 18th March, 7-9pm.
Edendale workshops: over the next few months.
Click here for the complete calendar of upcoming events.
If you know of any events that should be included in the newsletter and website, email us. If you have a flyer, we can also include that. Just one request: please make sure that the details are in a form that we can copy/paste – in the email itself, as a Word document, etc..
Other matters
Community market stall
We are still looking for home growers to sell their surplus produce at Eltham farmers’ market on 8th March. See www.localfoodconnect.org.au/community-market-stall for more information. If interested, contact Guy Palmer (guy.palmer1@gmail.com; 0416 203067; 9444 1400).
Preserving kit for loan
Click here to borrow our new Fowlers Vacola Preserving Kit.