GV Seed Savers

Some browsing for you

2011-11-07T15:10:00.002+11:00

Just thought I'd share some of my browsing with you, the internet and utube can be excellent resources but we don’t all have the time to.

How to train zucchini - part 1 & part 2

When to harvest Garlic

Growing ginger in pots

Monthly Natter - November

2011-11-04T11:11:00.000+11:00

Busy Times....I always refer to a Jackie French quote during this time of year "What you plant in the next two months will determine what you'll be eating next winter and spirng." all this preperation planting and we have to be patient for that long? What she means is that the long tern crops that need some planning should be planted now and will see you thorough the next eight months or so. these are things like carrots, beetroot, parsnips, leeks, parsley, silverbeet, celery turnps and jerusulum artichokes. Even some cauliflowers could go in now, the long maturing ones like paleface which need 5 months to mature. These are a bit tricker to time, plant them too early & they'll just bolt, too late and they wont do anything till next spring. Try planting them in a cooler spot and slowing them down by mulching very heavily. Planting root vegetables every six weeks will ensure a continuous supply, corn every two - three weeks, beans a new lot every time the last lot starts flowering.

Our Rushworth visit was a lovely day, Big thanks to those that made it possible and so enjoyable.

Spring Seed Saving

2011-10-18T17:04:00.000+11:00

Just though I would share with you a few of the vegetables that are going to seed in my garden,

Borage, this will come up everywhere, excellent for attracting bees and providing potassium.

Rocket flowers, I will shake these inbetween my beds and around my fruit beds to encourage seeds to sprout in new spots.

Rocket seed pods starting to form, these plants were producing all through winter, left for another 4 weeks they should be sending seeds all over the place.

Dill, starting to flower. As I'm not growing any fennel at moment I should get fairly pure seeds. Fennel and Dill will cross so only grow one for seeds

Parsley Flower

The first group are the Volunteer Plants, these are the ones that germinate on their own accord in the garden. I don't make an effort in planting or collecting seeds, I just let the flower heads develop from the best plants at the end of their life-cycle. After the seeds have formed and dried, nature disperses them around for me. Sometimes a gentle shake in the direction I want the seeds to fall is all that is needed. The next step is to manage the volunteers and create order from the chaos. Identifying plants while they're juveniles is a very important gardening skill that gets better with practice. In my garden these plants are the rocket, Lettuce and parsley, borage, parsnips and dill and I'm always guaranteed a constant supply of these if I plan my beds to leave a few of each plant to go to seed.

The next group are the ones I spend a little more effort on and plan to let the plants go to seed, which I will then collect and dry for storing until the next suitable time for planting.

Peas, the best pods from the best plant was clearly marked so it wasn't picked.

Carrot sending up thick flower stalk

Carrot flower just forming, i will stake to give it some support as it will be a good 4-6 weeks before seed is mature and ready for collection

Broad Beans again like the peas these are the best pods, from the best producing plants.

This group of plants are the peas, broad beans, carrots, and Kale. I have to plan these a little better, leaving the ones I want to save to mature, then collecting for drying. The Peas and beans will dry on the bush then once the whole plant has started to brown off and dry I pull it up and hang them up for another week to dry out some more before I pick the pods off. The carrots will have been in since last spring, so I have planned to leave this space in my bed for them to sit over winter and send up a big thick flower stalk. I also need to stake these, keeping a close eye on the seed head as it starts to brown so I can cover with a paper bag before the seeds fall and spread all over the place, I will also leave these to hang with the bag covering them for several weeks before I process them for seeds.

As for the kale I want to save the cavalo nero seeds, not much is needed but I have been picking out the flowering heads of the other varieties I don't want, as this season I grew several types. I have also been picking out the flower heads of the cavalo nero plants that have been attacked more by insects, and haven't really preformed well at all, this ensures that the weaker plants don't breed with the better ones.

I hope these hints have helped you decide what you might leave to go to seed and which ones you need to give a little more thought to.

Pumpkins Zucchini & Melons - Clearing up what you can and cant do

2011-10-12T12:37:00.001+11:00

Pumpkins Zucchini Melons, & Cucumbers, these are the Cucurbits, and they always attract the most confusion and questions when it comes to seed saving.
The best way to approach it is at the beginning of the growing season so that you can plan what you grow and what to do when it comes to saving seeds.

My biggest tip if you want to save seeds from The Cucurbits - ONLY GROW ONE TYPE from each group, that way there is no confusion with cross- pollination.
When it comes to knowing which group it comes from ASK that's what I'm here for, but use this as a general guide.

Some species are simple --- cucumbers are all in the same species (Cucumis sativus) while most melons are in a related but distinct species (Cucumis melo.) Watermelons are in their own species --- Citrillus vulgaris. So, if you want to save cucumber seeds, plan to only grow one variety of cucumber in your garden. Same with melons, though you can grow watermelons and canteloupes side by side with no problems since they're in different species.

There are actually four species which cover the vegetables we call pumpkins/squashes - one from each group may be grown together without crossing

Curcurbita maxima
These are generally the big pumkins. Jarrahdale; Qld. Blue; Atlantic Giant; Golden Nugget; Baby Blue; Triamble; Hubbard; Turban; Banana; and Buttercup
Queensland Blue - - large pumpkin, dark slate grey ribbed skin, sweet deep orange flesh, top keeper

Triamble – large 3-lobed, tough grey skin, deep orange flesh, sweet, firm & dry

Ironbark – hard skin, dry orange flesh

Australian Butter – similar to Qld Blue, with yellow skin, mildew resistant

Blue Banana – thick firm orange-yellow flesh, pale blue skin, approx 15 x 40 cms, does well in dry, good keeper

Curcurbita moschata
Butternuts; Japs; Crookneck (Golden cushaw), Grammas.
Paw Paw gramma – sweet, thick deep yellow flesh with nutty flavour, trailing vine, fruit to 4kg, appearance of pawpaw, disease resistant

Bink’s gramma – Robena calls this one of the best taste wise

Dennis’ giant butternut – a fat butternut

Dennis’ trombone – green skin, trombone shape with long neck, sweet & used for pies, scones, soup etc

Long neck butternut – long necks mean more solid flesh with no cavity

Curcurbita pepo
all summer squashes (zucchini, yellow squashes, etc.), some of the gourds, patty pan, delicata, summer crookneck squash
Table Gem squash – heavy cropping, acorn shaped fruit approx 6”, dark green rind with thick dry orange flesh, bush, allow to mature fully before picking

Spaghetti squash – vigorous vine, cylindrical fruit to 12”, yellow, spaghetti like flesh, bake or boil (and use flesh as spaghetti, with sauce of choice)
Kumu Kumi also known as 'Kamo Kamo' by Maori people.

Curcurbita mixta
Windsor Black pumpkin – vigorous vine, dark skin, firm dry orange flesh
pumpkin like Green Striped Cushaw but this species is not common in Australia

One thing to remember with pumpkins is that if the seeds are the same - shape and colour they will cross.

If you want to grow more than one variety of the same group you will need to hand pollinate, if you don't want to or can't the following season it will grow a cross, sometimes still edible but no good for seed saving. Just enjoy the harvest, observe how each plant performed and share this information, just DON'T save the seeds. .

To hand pollinate you need to start the day before identifying male & female flowers that are almost ready to open. They are starting to yellow but still shut tightly.

Female flowers. A tiny baby pumpkin or swelling is located between the stem and the flower. The female flower will be close to the vine and the stem will only be a couple of inches long. In the center is a multi segmented stigma which must be pollinated in order for the fruit to develop. the picture above shows a mature female with her flower open. You need to select one that is un-opened, seal it and come back to it the next day.

and here are some more examples of female flowers

Female Watermelon flower (open)

Female Cucumber flower

Female Zucchini Flower

Male Flowers are on a stem that is fairly thin and shoots up several inches to a foot above the vine. The center stamen contains the pollen. Pollen is mature if it readily comes off the stamen and onto your finger. Again identify unopened flower, seal then come back to the next day. You really should select & isolate more than one male flower.

some more male examples

Male Zucchini flower (closed good one for selection)

Male Zucchini (open)

Male Watermelon flower (open)

Some Side by side comparisons

Zucchini (female top/ male bottom)

Zucchini ideal for hand pollination selection flowers have not yet opened (female left/male right)

Cucumber (female top/Male bottom)

Watermelons (male top / female Bottom)

Hubbard Squash flowers (female right/male left)

To make sure the pollen is mature. Touch the stamen with your finger and see if tiny yellow specks(the pollen) come off on your hand. Pull off the petals to expose the stamen which contains the pollen.

Using the stamen itself gently rub the pollen onto the inside stigma of the female flower. Make sure to come in contact with all segments of the stigma.You really should try to use more than one male flower to get the right genetics.

Hand pollination is now complete!

Now to avoid any further insect pollination of the female flower you must prevent insects from getting in there. A fleece bag, pair of stockings, a peg or some masking tape lightly tied over the female flower will do.

If pollination did not occur, the baby pumpkin below the female flower will shrivel and die.
I also recommend that you watch this excellent demonstration http://youtu.be/yrZ-VCI4Edc

Watermelons and cucumbers are essentially the same process but a little more fiddly because of smaller flowers this is another excellent demonstration http;//youtu.be/q5yz4_mPSXM

While you re going I suggest that you read the following, its from an excellent French site and has great info about pumpkins. http://masdudiable.com/2011/03/12/pumpkins/

Monthly Natter - October

2011-10-03T15:46:00.001+11:00

As I write this I look outdoors enviously as its beautiful day and all inspired by our meeting yesterday I want to get out in garden.
With spring finally here hopefully you have made a start on the summer veges in a warm spot or are planning what to put in next month. Don't bother planting anything out directly in beds this early otherwise they will just struggle. You can put in some root veg, maybe try snow peas or some Asian greens. We have lots of chard seeds (silverbeet) if you're will to give them a go and they are easy to grow too.

Our meeting at Val & Richard's place was terrific, luckily the weather was great too. I will post some info on her garden with some pics soon.
I hope you all received both the address update and newsletter. Apologies to those that didn't, I was away on holidays, so please let me know and I'll forward immediately.

If you haven't RSVP to our Rushworth garden visit please do i need numbers ASAP.

Finally some wisdom from Jackie French " give your local school or preschool a strawberry plant for each kid so they can wait and watch and pick and wonder"

Bye for now Carley

Spring news

2011-09-21T13:28:00.002+10:00

So Spring has come around again, this year has flown by. There is plenty to share

GV Seed Saver News

The Green Living Fair will be hosted by Valhalla Wines again this year on Saturday 22nd October. Over 40 exhibitors, Information sessions, workshops, great food and entertainment and loads for the kids to do. For further information visit the Green and Sustainable Living website on http://www.greenliving.org.au/

Our next meetings September we will tag along with Violet Town to visit Derek's & Kayes along with Val & Richards, a great chance to catch up with some old friends. In October we will also travel to Rushworth for a couple of garden visits. and finally November we will hold an open Seed Savers workshop where we will cover some spring flowering/seed saving techniques.

Seed saving tips

Plants starting to go to seed, rocket, fennel, rocket, peas, broad beans, Asian greens (grown through winter), carrot & parsnip (grown through winter), & lettuce.

Snow peas and broad beans should selected for desirable traits ie tallest, most health looking, having many fruits or seeds – heavy yielding, early yield, and should be marked clearly SAVE FOR SEED do not pick. Generally the pods at the bottom are the better ones to save , so you can eat some of the ones at the top.

Lettuces that have been growing through winter will soon bolt as the weather continues to warm. If you are saving seed or want them to self sow, make sure only one variety goes to seed. Either pull other out or cut the flower heads with the variety you don't want as soon as the flowers appear .

Lettuce flowers

lettuce flowers ready to collect (seed at end of fluff)

Carrot and parsnip that you may have left from last season will start putting on new growth then will send out a thicker flower stem. These will start to flower and you will need to give it some support as it grows.

Any broccoli or Asian greens that bolt to seed (send up flower stems early) are not so desirable to save seeds from, break them off and wait until the last one flowers, that's the one to save seed from.

Seed Saver Network News
interested in pine nuts? an excellent summary can be found here http://www.seedsavers.net/seed-blog/eat-it-or-lose-it-pine-nuts
Jude & Michel have collated all their clips and videos and can be seen here www.youtube.com/user/seedsavers

Jobs in the garden
Time to sow all Summer veg like cucumber, tomatoes, pumpkin,melons, eggplant, chili, & peppers indoors or in warm spot for sowing in garden 4- 6 weeks when frosts have past and soil temperatures are above 20oC. Plant a years supply of root vegetables now, beetroot, swedes, carrot & parsnips. Plant a lot of celery parsley and or spring onions, some more lettuces also add some cabbages, kale, and broccoli ,but make sure up drape with exclusion fabric or old net curtains to stop cabbage butterfly & aphids from infesting them.

Potatoes, Strawberries and Rhubarb,artichokes and asparagus (we have seed so of this if you are willing to give it a go) all go in now.
Now is also a great time growing Asian greens. some more info including uses and nutritional info can be found here http://www.natremed.com.au/food-of-the-month/asian-greens.html

Try Horseradish

2011-09-13T11:21:00.003+10:00

BOTANICAL NAME: Armoracia rusticana syn. A. lapathifolia

COMMON NAME: Horseradish

FAMILY: Brassicaceae syn. Cruciferae

ORIGIN: Eastern Europe

PLANT DESCRIPTION

A perennial to 1.5m high on a tapering, fleshy taproot to 60cm long and 5 cm thick, it has large basal leaves, 30-100 cm long, with toothed margins.

Leaves are unusual in that, two, quite different; leaf forms can appear on the same plant. Some are scalloped, wavy leaves, while others can be very deeply cut. The white flowers appear mid-summer to mid-autumn, flower stems rise higher than the leaves. Clusters of small, four-petalled, white flowers set at the stem terminals. Rarely, are seed viable

USES

Food; the fresh roots are used for flavouring meats, vegetables and pickles. They are also processed into sauce and vinegar. Young leaves have a pleasant flavour and can be added to salads or cooked. Roots can be brought indoors in winter and forced into producing white, tender, sweet leaves. In Germany, sliced roots are cooked like parsnips.

GROWING REQUIREMENTS

It tolerates damp soils and grows vigorously. It does best in temperate climates, to the point of becoming an 'edible weed' in some gardens. In warmer, more humid areas it can still be productive but is prone to attack by caterpillars in autumn

It should be planted in a permanent position and not disturbed as new plants will arise from any broken roots and it would quickly become invasive if cultivated.

Recommended Planting Time: Sring Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 25°C.

Space plants: 50 cm apart

Harvest in 16-24 weeks. Some improvement in flavour if left till after frost Propagate by root division in spring or autumn

Horseradish is an extremely powerful stimulant to the body. Hot compounds are released when the root is cut, or by chewing the root, which activates an enzyme action. During the Middle Ages, the whole plant was valued as medicine and condiment. Horseradish was one of the great spring cleaning herbs to revitalise the body after winter.

PREPARING HORSERADISH

In larger roots, the core may be fibrous and bitter. Remove and discard the core, along with any green spots.

Horseradish is like the allium family -- the finer it is chopped or grated, the more pungent the flavor.

When grating horseradish, it is easiest to use a food processor. Cut the peeled root into cubes and pulse to the desired consistency. The fumes will be quite strong and can actually burn your nose and eyes. Be sure to open a window, remove the lid at arm's length, and turn your head away.

COOKING WITH HORSERADISH

When serving horseradish, do not use silver. Horseradish will tarnish silver.

With its pungent aroma and heady flavour, horseradish is the perfect match for traditional roast beef, pork or rich oily fish. it adds extra zing to creamy mashed potato and can make an interesting addition to a bloody mary. Although the intact root has little aroma, the impact comes when it is cut or grated and the plant cells break down. The fresh grated root will lose its colour and pungency if not used immediately or mixed with vinegar, so its best to grate and add just before serving. its flavour also dissipates quickly once exposed to heat so if you want that bite, add it at the end of the cooking process

Preserved Horseradish - scrape or peel skin from 2-3 roots, chop into small pieces and place in food processor with a little water. process to a fine consistency ass 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt & mix well. You can preserve this, simply spoon the mixture into to small sterilized jars, seal with a lid, it will however loose its pungency after some time.

Roast beef accompaniment or as a sauce with beetroot, new potatoes or green salad.- combine grated horseradish, sour cream or cream, squeeze of lemon , dill and salt & pepper to taste.

With Fish - combine 1 tbsp grated horseradish, 1 grated apple & 1 cup mayonnaise. this is excellent with smoked salmon local smoked trout.

Beetroot & horseradish relish - Beetroot and horseradish have a natural affinity. Boil or bake 350g beetroot until tender and finely chop or grate. Add 200g grated horseradish, 75 ml white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp Castor sugar and mix well. serve with meat fish or as a sandwich spread

Crispy Potato Cakes with Horseradish - grate boiled and cooled potatoes and i grated onion and toss in flour . then Stir in 2 beaten eggs, 3 tbs grated horseradish, lemon zest, chives, salt, and pepper until well-combined. Spoon about 2 tbsp mixture in non stick pan & shallow fry and drain on paper towels

Add 1 Tablespoon fresh grated horseradish to 1 cup applesauce for a piquant condiment to pork dishes

With Pesto - basically an ordinary green pesto with the addition of horseradish cream, lovely mixed through pastas

Peasants’ Right to Seeds: A Solution to the Food, Climate and Biodiversity Crise

2011-09-08T20:07:00.000+10:00

Peasants’ Right to Seeds: A Solution to the Food, Climate and Biodiversity Crise

Seed Treaty meeting in Bali
Seed farmers from all over the world, members of La Via Campesina, a global peasants' movement, will participate in the Fourth Regular Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (GB4ITPGFRA). During a series of meetings, seminars and events, they will represent seed farmers from all over the world who are the backbone of food production and the main creators and defenders of biodiversity. Some of the dates include:

Field visit, 9 March (morning): A visit to traditional farmers who conserve local varieties in Balinese terrace fields (in Jati Luwi)
Press Conference, 10 March 2011, 11 am, Goodway Hotel, Nusa Dua, Bali -"The Via Campesina Global Campaign on the Exchange of Peasant Seeds"
The Via Campesina Seed Fair, 11-15 March 2011, Westin Hotel, Nusa Dua, Bali
The International Peoples Forum on Seeds, 12 March, Westin Hotel, Nusa Dua, Bali (with 100 seed farmers from around Asia and other parts of the world).

This grass roots organisation representing millions of peasant farmers and landholders across the world endorses the importance to saving seeds. While for us this here in our comfortable western society the right to seed saving is is not a life or death struggle, but for many farmers if they dont save their own or a diversity of seeds to withstand many seasonal conditions, their income, health and societies are affected. Food for thought ha? but what is on our front pages AFL sex scandals.........

Seed are culture and the storage of history. Seed are the first link to agriculture and food systems. Seeds are the ultimate symbol of Food Sovereignty - Dr Vandana Shiva

Considering that small and family farming, which represent most of the world's farmers, are best placed to: meet their dietary needs and those of populations, ensuring food security and sovereignty of countries, provide employment to rural populations and maintain economic life in rural areas, key to a balanced territorial development,produce with respect to the environment and to the conservation of natural resources for future generations;

Considering that recent massive land grabs targeting tens of millions of acres for the benefit of private interests or third states - whether for reasons of food, energy, mining, environment, tourism, speculation or geopolitics - violate human rights by depriving local, indigenous, peasants, pastoralists and fisher communities of their livelihoods, by restricting their access to natural resources or by removing their freedom to produce as they wish, and exacerbate the inequalities of women in access and control of land;

Summer News

2011-02-23T12:13:00.001+11:00

Hopefully you have had a happy and enjoyable summer. The soil is wet, the tanks are full, the ground is still warm and the autumn period is upon us so quickly, it doesn't feel as if we have had a real summer. I think the garden knows this too as most veges have struggled or put up a late flowering effort, which in some cases will not set fruits in time before the frosts. I wont have melons this year, my eggplant have been few and far between. no Ceylon spinach (it really likes heat) and the prospects of luffa sponges this year don't look too good either.

Our Coming events

We are Looking for hosts & suggestions so please let me know if you are willing to host a meeting. or have any requests for workshops/visits.

Feb 27th - @ 658 Wyndham St Shepparton Propagating Day sharing of herbs and other woody shrubs / roots and plants, discussion about future of GV Seed Savers

March 27th - Seedy Sunday Summer Seeds Collection seed cleaning, recording, packing

April - Regional Seed Saver Annual Swap & get-together Albury date to be confirmed

Seed Savers News
Our seed bank desperately needs planting out we have a great collection but no-one is using it and the seed will become less viable. I think we need to keep our group and seed bank moving forward so that we develop a resource for the Goulburn Valley in terms of locally adapted seed and a knowledge base.

If you want some seed and are unsure about propagating or successful seed saving please come along to our garden visits and meetings, everyone learns from one another; everyone gets lots of unusual seeds and cuttings this is where we share this knowledge. But if you cant make it along then contact myself and we can arrange a cuppa or garden visit.

At our Feb meeting i would like to discuss where we are heading some aims of our group and governance of the group. we have a chance to leave something for everyone here. these are the Seed Savers Networks aims but i want you to think about what aims The GV group should have

To find, grow and distribute locally adapted seeds, particularly of vegetables and herbs as well as plants that are propagated by tubers, cuttings, rhizomes, bulbs, etc.,
To adapt new varieties to local conditions.
To promote the practice of seed saving and the importance of conserving diversity in our food crops, to schools for example,
To support other LSNs by sharing knowledge, skills, seeds and planting material,

Latest from the Seed Savers Network

Concentration of Ownership of Seed. Since 1995 the speed of take overs of seed companies has increased astronomically.... read on

See film clips we have selected from over 250 that we have uploaded. Some show how to save seeds, some are on seeds for sale on markets, others are interviews with Third World women. www.youtube.com/user/seedsavers

Jobs in the Patch

Make the most of this next 3-4 weeks, this is planting time; it is the time to put in all the veg you want to eat for winter, from more carrots and silver beet to broccoli, celery, caulies. It is also the perfect time to put in trees, bushes, asparagus… almost anything in fact.

Other jobs

Keep on look out for fruit fly destroy spoiled fruit at bottom of trees, and if you suspect damage put damaged fruit in plastic bag in freezer and contact DPI.
Use seaweed fertiliser as a foliar spray to keep vegetables healthy.
Keep an eye on citrus for scale problems, the first sign is usually the appearance of Black Sooty Mould, a fungus that feeds on the excretions of scale and aphids, spray with Natrasoap or white Oil.
Control caterpillars with Dipel or Success. Exclusion nets when used early will keep the moths out and eliminate the need to spray.
Thin apples and pears, Summer prune if you haven't already. Check for codling moth damage. Keep an eye out for Pear and Cherry Slug.

I also have several copies of seed savers manual for sale, and Jenny Lister has the Permaculture diary and calender available please email for details. gvseedsavers@bigpond.com

Ornamental Gardens and vegetables

2010-12-02T12:56:00.003+11:00

You do not have to be confined to growing vegetables exclusively in a patch out the back. Why not locate vegetables where they will be happiest, even if it’s among the bearded iris or roses. Once you are free of the mindset that dictates this you will soon realise the fabulous ornamental value of some vegetables and fruits. It also opens up new spaces, front back and side of houses. Those places may be the sunniest, or best drained. Plan vegetable plantings to surround a building or line a path, down along the driveway, against the fences or even out on the naturestrip.

Chard used as mass planting bedding plant

Lettuces ; they prefer a bit of shade in mid-summer and bolt quickly once summer arrives if left in the spring bed. I move them to my front garden under the shade of our big tree, the purple and frilly foliage contrasts beautifully with some of my bold perennials, this makes much more sense than buying punnets of bedding annuals.

Leeks at St Erth

Onions and leeks have strappy foliage and their flower spikes are a dramatic addition to any garden they also repel aphids. One of the better examples of this was at our recent visit to St Erth, the Leek flower spikes floated above other plants. Imagine them amonst purple flax or cordylines, they could easily be blended in with other bold plantings in rows, back of borders or part of a perennial border.

onions or leek flowers all in a row

I’ve discovered that eggplant grows vigorously well with roses, requiring similar soil, water and fertilise they have beautiful leaves and fruit that mix well in a sea of flowers.

By growing vegetables in unexpected spots it opens up the vegetable garden for plants that take up room. Zucchinis and melons sometimes grow into monsters but growing them with Nasturtiums, always a favorite edible flower, they will sprawl happily benefiting from the cooling growing mulch and the nasturtiums secrete a mustard oil, which many insects find attractive and will seek out rather than eating leaves of nearby veges and the flowers repel aphids and the cucumber beetle.

Other fruits and vegetables can double as ornamental, too. Blueberries might be great as a hedge you’ve been intending to plant against the garden wall. Strawberries make a fine ground cover . Cabbages, kale and and Broccoli are bold foliage plants. Carrots, and parsnips are the same family as Queens Anne lace and send up a beautiful flower spike.

Chilies and capsicums have bright colourful fruit I have sometimes used them as annual container display in the middle of my Christmas table. Planted as a border with garlic chives as the pic to the left shows they not only look great but also make strong insect repellent barrier and ingredients for a spray.

CERES Workshop calendar for 2011

2010-12-02T11:36:00.000+11:00

Summer fruit tree pruning Saturday 5th February

The technique of summer pruning fruit trees will be taught by Justin in this one day hands-on workshop.Learn how to use summer pruning as part of your annual maintenance to get the very best from your fruit trees.
COST: $125/ CERES member $115

Bushfoods workshop Saturday 26th February
An inspiring and informative workshop spent immersed in the taste, texture
and tantalizing variety of our native food plants.
COST: $125/ CERES member $115

Organic Vegetable gardening Sat. 19th March and Sat. 26th March
This extensive workshop is designed for the vegetable gardener who wants to know the whole story.
The workshop is a mix of classroom presentations and practical exercises.
COST: $190/ CERES member $180

2 day fruit tree workshop Sat. 21st May and Sat. 28th May

Discover how to grow a variety of fruit and nut trees in your backyard and have
all your questions answered in this informative workshop.
COST: $190/ CERES member $180

2 day fruit tree workshop Sat. 30th July and Sat. 6th August
Discover how to grow a variety of fruit and nut trees in your backyard and have
all your questions answered in this informative workshop.
COST: $190/ CERES member $180

Berry fruit workshop Saturday 20th August
Learn about the wide range of berry fruits that can be grown in Victorian gardens and how
to cultivate them for great yields and great flavour. This workshop will cover selection, planting,
fertilising, pruning and trelising (If required) of a range of berry fruit.
COST: $125/ CERES member $115

Organic Vegetable gardening Sat. 15th October and Sat. 22nd October
This extensive workshop is designed for the vegetable gardener who wants to know the whole story.
The workshop is a mix of classroom presentations and practical exercises.
COST: $190/ CERES member $180

Bushfood workshop Saturday 12th November
An inspiring and informative workshop spent immersed in the taste, texture
and tantalizing variety of our native food plants.
COST: $125/ CERES member $115
For more information on any of these workshops, or to book in, contact CERES Permaculture & Bushfood Nursery Ph. 93890111

Email: nursery@ceres.org.au

Garden of St Erth Visit

2010-11-30T21:37:00.000+11:00

You sure did miss out on a great day,

although the wather was a bit wet on the way over, we were treated to very green and lush garden, full of inspiration.

What I knowabout tomatoes

2010-11-30T21:24:00.001+11:00

Black Russian

Not that I'm an expert but this is a rough guide to how i grow my tomatoes and what i have found to work. i would really like to open a discussion and post the various suggestions or questions.

Tomatoes need warm soil and warm weather to thrive and ward off diseases. It seems to me that every year Bunning’s and other big garden suppliers sell their tomatoes sooner and sooner, knowing full well that the customer will probably be back for more. Depending on how the season is I don’t plant my tomatoes in the ground until after Melbourne cup, and well after if we are having a frosty spring.

Tigerella & Tatura Dwarf

Many times you can put in a tomato plant a good month after your too-early one, and find the later-planted seedling quickly catching up and surpassing the other deprived, stunted one you nursed along during a too-cold spring. Another good time to plant your second successive crop is on Boxing Day or when first lot flowers.

Tomatoes need good nutrition. To get big fat healthy tomatoes, First dig a deep hole and at the bottom of that add a fish head. This adds both nitrogen and calcium as it decomposes over time. I then add two or three crushed chicken eggshells; The value of eggshells is that it's a cheap, organic method of adding calcium to your soil. Sulphate of potash is next which is high in phosphorus, which aids in both root formation and blossom production. The more flowers you get, the more fruit you get, and it adds to the flavour.

I also put two handfuls of a good dry, all-purpose organic fertilizer in the bottom of the hole. "All-purpose" means that all three macro nutrients are represented in similar quantities. The macro nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, making sure it is organically approved and not just called organic approved. Check here or here

A tablespoon of worm castings goes in and two regular aspirin tablets a few inches into the soil about 6 or so inches away from your planted tomato seedling. Aspirin contains salicylic acid, which has been shown to boost the immune system of tomatoes, making them more disease resistant.

Tomato plants want to be planted deep, so get at least two thirds of that stem under the ground. This is because all of those tiny fuzzy hairs sticking out of the stem turn into roots once buried. The more roots there are, the better able the plant is able to uptake more nutrients. You can either dig a deep hole, or use the “trench” method, which works particularly well with long seedlings. Dig a narrow trench, about four or five inches deep, then lay the plant in sideways, bending the top up and out of the end of the trench. Make sure you water all along the length of the trench for a while, in order to get the root ball wet.

Tomatoes don't like to be crowded. Tomato plants also need a free flow of air around them to keep down foliar diseases, and crowding them will inhibit airflow around 90cm apart. allow them to grow up naturally using good vertical and horizontal supports. i use 2mt high cylindrical cages. Simply cut lengths of large square chicken wire or weld mesh , attach them into a cylinder using either narrow gauge wire, or bend back and twist the cut ends together to secure. These cylindrical cages can then be placed over your plant (one per cage). Drive a star picket or bamboo well into the ground next to the cage, and then tie the cage to the picket at several intervals. As the tomato plant starts to grow out of the cage, gently push back the growing tips inside the cylinder, training the plant to grow up inside the cage.

Feeding your tomatoes Use an organic fertiliserer every three weeks (every week if growing in a pot). I particularly like using worm casting tea. It's simple to make: throw a handful of pure worm castings and some comfrey leaves into a 20lt bucket of water.(dairy bucket) Let "steep" for two -three days.To use get yourself a 7.5lt sprayer add one and a half regular aspirin in the bottom of diluted worm casting tea dilute it up to four times with water then strain through cheesecloth. Spray this elixir once a week, but at least once every two weeks on the leaves in the morning. It tends to settle to the bottom of the bucket, so stir it up before watering.

Don’t over or Under Water .Most people water their tomatoes too much. It makes for watery tasting tomatoes, more diseases, and less fruit. The only time that a tomato needs to be watered every day, is if it's in a pot and the weather is consistently in the high 30's and in direct sun.

You should observe your plants every day and see how they are doing with moisture. If the ground is wet, they don't need watering again for a while. If the plant is wilting, it may not be water deprived; it just may be hot for a few hours in high heat and will perk back up in the cool of the evening. Also some diseases cause the plant to wilt, and no amount of watering will cure that.

Worm Tower

2010-11-22T14:49:00.003+11:00

This I came across from a permaculture site and I just had to share it with you all. I love easy solutions and this in situ worm farm is as good as it gets. make sure you check out the comments at the bottom, they explain it even further

how-to-make-a-worm-tower/

Seed Saving Tips and Tricks Part 1

2010-11-22T14:45:00.000+11:00

RECORDING YOUR COLLECTED SEED

It is important to record the details about the seed you have collected because:
• you may forget why you saved it by the time you want to plant it
• you may want to give it to someone
• you may want to compare it with another variety

How to record your collected seed at home

Keep a notebook or old diary with the dates.
Write down the following details on the date you picked the seed:
- Name of vegetable
- Special qualities of vegetable e.g. disease resistant, long yielding
- Dates of collection
- If there were special conditions at the time it was growing e.g. very dry
If you sent some to your seedbank send these details on the packet
Address of sender
Name of seed and special type
Details of the seed – e.g. can grow in dry season
Date of collection
On the envelope you have placed the seed in, write the same details.

From Michel and Jude Fanton, The Seed Savers’ Handbook, Byron Bay, Australia, 1993

Italian Torpedo or Italian Red Torpedo Onion

2010-11-08T15:22:00.001+11:00

I came across this while checking one of my regular blog reads and i know these onions have been shared around by the Violet town group, and Derek is growing them at the moment, very similar results here Do check it out and give it a go maybe planting late summer.

http://masdudiable.com/2010/11/02/onion-rouge-de-florence/

Monthly Natter - November

2010-11-07T19:42:00.000+11:00

Now is the time to take stock of what y0ou have planted and what you need to, successive plantings of crops will stop the glut. Carrots parsnips, celery, corn, and lettuce corn and lettuce every three weeks beans peas can be timed whenever the first plantings begin to flower, and another lot of zucchini, tomatoes and cucumbers in December. In the seed garden broad beans and peas will be fruiting, don't be tempted to take the best looking pods leave these for seed. generally the first pods are the best to save. if they are affected by chocolate spot, or other spotty fungal disease try and save pods from plants that are least affected.

These are my purple carrots setting flowers, they are the prettiest flower, and could be part of any cut flower collection. A
Foliar feed with liquid manure, worm tea or seasol. A great recipe can be found on ABC gardening http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1805268.htm
or http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2947565.htm

This week in my garden

Beans General McClay & Purple King
Basil Purple & Genovese
Onion - long keeping Stuttgart
More Peas Telephone & Sugar Snap
Carrot, baby round
Beetroot Choggia & Golden
Beneficial creature attracting Flower mix - Cosmos, queens Anne lace, phacelia, coriander, red clover, cosmos, dill, caraway, marigolds, buckwheat and sweet Alice.
Planting out seedlings

Cucumber Lemon & Richmond River
Spinach Ceylon
Tomato Yellow Pear
Watermelon Moon and Stars
Zucchini Lebanese - Rondo De nice

CERES November/December Workshops

2010-11-04T10:53:00.000+11:00

In the Nursery Workshops
Australian Bush foods
With Justin Calverley
Saturday 6 November 2010 10.00AM—3.30PM
$125/$115 CERES member/concession

In the Kitchen Workshops
Gluten Free Cooking
With Gad Assayag
Sunday 7 November 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM

$88/$77 CERES member/concession
Preserves and Jams
With 7 Stars Food Project
Sunday 14 November 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Fresh Sausages
With Sausages Made Simple
Wednesday 17 November 2010 6.30PM—9.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Turkish Cooking
With the 7 Stars Food Project
Sunday 21 November 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Fetta Cheese Making
With Carole Willman
Sunday 28 November 2010 10.00AM—4.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Sour Dough Bread Baking
With Jao Blair
Sunday 5 December 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$120/$110 CERES member/concession

In the Garden Workshops
Seed Saving and Propagation
With Matt Daniele
Saturday 6 November 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Beekeeping With Lyndon Fenlon
Sunday 7 November 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Understanding Soils
With Annie Raiser-Rowland
Sunday 14 November 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Kitchen Gardens for Schools and the Community
With Justin Calverley
Saturday 20 November 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Potted Gardening With Justin Calverley
Saturday 27 November 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Chook Care With Louise Kay
Sunday 28 November 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Waterwsie Gardening With Justin Calverley
Saturday 4 December 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Composting and Worms With Justin Calverley
Saturday 11 December 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Beekeeping With Lyndon Fenlon
Sunday 12 December 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM
$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Backyard MedicineWith Melissa Collins
Sunday 12 December 2010 1.30PM—4.30PM
$66/$55 CERES member/concession

For further information contact Luisa Brown, Training Coordinator on 9387 2609 or luisa@ceres.org

For bookings contact: CERES Visitor Centre on 9387 2609.

Valhalla Wines Green Living Fair

2010-10-29T13:57:00.004+11:00

The Green Living Fair showcased ways of living sustainably – on the land, in your home and with our food - including demonstrations, presentation and stalls on how individuals can make a difference.

Had a fantastic day thanks to Joanne Diver for inviting me along and I urge you all to check out the faboulous winery and get along to the festival next year

The Fair was hosted by Valhalla Wines, Wahgunyah - a straw-bale built winery using green power, worm-composting toilets and recycled waste water, and Fantastic wines!
http://valhallawines.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=1&Itemid=52

CERES garden workshops in October

2010-10-06T10:17:00.002+11:00

Sour Dough Bread Baking With Jao BlairSunday 3 October 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM$120/$110 CERES member/concession

Frugavore With Arabella ForgeSunday 10 October 2010 10.00AM—2.00PM$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Sprouts and Seeds With Carolina CordeiroSunday 17 October 2010 10.00AM—12.00PM$44/$33 CERES member/concession

Cured Sausages With Sausages Made Simple Wednesday 20 October 2010 6.30PM -9.00PM$120/$110 CERES member/concession

Camembert Cheesemaking With Carole WillmanSunday 24 October 2010 10.00AM—4.00PM$150/$130 CERES member/concession

Edible Weeds With Annie Raiser-RowlandSunday 10 October 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Introduction to Backyard Aquaponics With Dr Wilson Lennard and Steve MushinSaturday 9 October 2010 10.00AM—4.00PM$150/$130 CERES member/concession

Advanced Aquaponics Design With Dr Wilson Lennard and Steve MushinSaturday/Sunday 23 and 24 October 2010 10.00AM—4.00PM$280/$260 CERES member/concession

Introduction to Permaculture With Matt DanieleSaturday/Sunday 23 and 24 October 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM$150/$140 CERES member/concessionIn the Home Workshops

Sustainability - Living your choices (Part 2)With Ian CullbardSaturday 2 October 2010 1.30PM—3.30PM$45/$35 CERES member/concession
Buying Green With Gavin HughesSaturday 9 October 2010 1.30PM—3.30PM$35/$25 CERES member/concession
Sustainable Building and Renovations With Paul AdamsSaturday 30 October 2010 1.30PM—3.30PM$35/$25 CERES member/concession

Getting Creative Workshops
Soapmaking for BeginnersWith Joyce ReedSunday 24 October 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM$88/$77 CERES member/concession

Regional Seed Savers Day Roundup

2010-05-13T12:33:00.019+10:00

Last Month we gathered at Violet Town for our first Regional Seed Savers Meeting. those that could make it were entertained by Jude and Michel Fanton from Seed Savers Network, and then we moved on to Murrnong after lunch for practical seed saving workshops in Dave Arnold’s vegie garden.

It was so nice to see so many people coming together and sharing ideas and learning new ones, I think it is integral to the survival of LSN's to gather resources and ideas from our region, and although we may differ in our structures our strength is that as a group we can then go back and pass on information and planting materials to our local groups.

I'm going to use one of the feedback responses i received to sum up our day because it sums it up so well.

Hi Carley,

We were both so inspired by the day. The setting for both sessions was perfect.
I was so impressed with the school/community garden – it is amazing what can be done in a small area and how much children can benefit from hands on experience at an early age. That is something that will stay with them all their lives. I wonder how many of those children have gone home and convinced their parents to start a vegetable garden as well. I believe Bunnings here in Shepparton is about to help provide information and assistance to schools in the area to get a similar thing happening here.

The film was also inspirational. To see so many indigenous people in their various countries, and how they grow their vegetables, and cope with the rape and pillage of their native lands by money hungry multi nationals destroying their crops to plant more lucrative ones, was certainly an eye-opener.

There is no doubt our world is in a very sorry state, and hearing today’s news about the tonnes of toxic vegetables being exported from China, some of which are destined for our supermarkets, means that the time for growing our own healthy vegetables is now not only sensible but imperative.

Catering for the morning and afternoon teas was superb, the food was fantastic and there was certainly plenty of it, and a wonderful variety to suit all palates, the team of workers are to be congratulated.

What a wonderful opportunity it was to participate in the four sessions during the afternoon. Our host was so knowledgeable and only too happy to share his experiences with us enthusiastically. He is doing an incredible job on that property. I found each of the segments really interesting and all the way home we discussed ways in which we could incorporate what we learnt into improving our own garden.

It was wonderful to have the trading stall there and I was fortunate to pick up some garlic, cos lettuce and spinach seedlings as well as a couple of types of sunchokes. We were able to contribute a lemon scented geranium, 3 peach trees and a fig tree to the stall, which I was pleased to see have all found new homes. I hope one of the peach trees is going to be planted in the school garden. I have bottled over 60 jars of peaches from the parent plant this year.

The variety of packets of seeds was amazing, I purchased quite a lot and even garnered a few from the seed saving segment as well, and you will be pleased to know that every day since then we have renovated another segment of our garden. ..............Thanks again for a great Sunday. Val (Val Hutchinson)

Some other feed back

" haven’t stopped talking about it to all my work mates ..... I am a true convert and will never buy packaged seed again."

" had planted some Yates seeds as they were donated but now I feel so inspired to use seed savers supplies for so many reasons"

"Especially loved your and terry's practical demosntration of saving seeds and walks around gardens.."
http://www.youtube.com/seedsavers#p/u/15/el0QZ27HARI (see it here)

"The variety of packets of seeds was amazing, I purchased quite a lot and even garnered a few from the seed saving segment as well, and you will be pleased to know that every day since then we have renovated another segment of our garden"

Dear Carley and Terry
We had a lovely time last Sunday! Thank you for organising it so well. I think it was really successful all round and the participants seemed very happy....
Thank you again for the wonderful welcome and consummate organising!
Best wishes, Jude and Michel

BROAD BEAN

2010-05-12T14:21:00.008+10:00

Published on Seed Savers Network (http://www.seedsavers.net)

Broad beans are a hardy bush. They are also called Horse beans, and in northern Africa, where a smaller version is common, Tick beans.

Plant Names Botanical Family: LEGUMINOSAE
Common Name: BROAD BEAN
Genus: Vicia
Species: fava

Origins: Broad beans have been cultivated since prehistoric times in Europe. They were unearthed in the ancient city of Troy and found in Egyptian tombs and with Bronze Age artefact's in Switzerland. Their exact origin has therefore been hard to determine. It is recorded that the Romans used them as voting tokens and that they reached China by the first century AD. Before the explorers brought the common bean back from the Americas, the only bean that Europeans and Middle Easterners knew was the broad bean. Folk (or primitive) varieties grow in the Sahel, the southern part of the Sahara Desert, in poor agricultural lands.

Plant Description: Broad beans are a hardy bush. They are also called Horse beans, and in
northern Africa, where a smaller version is common, Tick beans.

Variety Notes: The Gene flow journal (1989) mentions that cultivars collected in Sicily, Portugal, and Cyprus show a great diversity of type and landrace. Wide variation was evident in respect of the size and shape of the grains as well as the earliness of the crop.

For colder areas, there are the long-podded types with up to eight beans in a pod. They are hardy and are ready for planting from early through to late autumn. Examples are Early Long Pod, Polar and Acquadulce.

Longfellow produces up to ten beans in a pod. Red Epicure is grown for its chestnut flavour and colour and is hardy and heavy cropping.

The Windsor or Broad-Pod beans will not survive winter in frosty areas but will die back and shoot from the roots in spring. Their pods have up to five beans in them and they have a pronounced flavour.

The dry seeds of Green Windsor are green and hold their colour when cooked.

Scarlet Cambridge has a deep burgundy-coloured bean.

The Sutton is a much-branching bush with white-seeded pods that mature early.

Dwarf broad beans are useful for windy areas: Cole's Early Dwarf is one of the many good English types and bears all its pods touching the ground.

Cultivation: Broad beans respond well to the addition of compost and moderate soil moisture. May to July is the best time for planting in most areas. Prune the tops when the bushes are half-grown to encourage branching and try these as a salad green or spinach. The beans are best planted in double rows or blocks because then they support each other. In New Zealand, many experienced gardeners often surround their double rows of long pod types with stakes, fix a rigid rail on top and tie strings around. It makes harvesting them easier, considering each plant might have five stalks which often fall over each other. Broad beans can be cut back to the ground after a sub-tropical winter and can be expected to shoot again.

Seed saving notes: Broad beans are partly self-pollinated and partly cross-pollinated. Several hundred metres is a fair isolation distance to ensure purity if you happen to be growing more than one variety. The first pods to form are best for seeds. They are to be found at the base and are larger than subsequent pods. Allow the pods to dry on the bush and choose those from the most vigorous individual plants. Such refined steps cannot be taken on a large scale where a whole field is combine-harvested and threshed.
Shell out the beans and dry on a rack until a bite on the seed will produce only a little mark. Thresh and store in a loose knit bag. The bean seeds will not need any winnowing.
Seed storage:
Seed can last for up to ten years but only if kept in conditions with low humidity and constant

and to cooking Broad Beans...

one of my favorites is a salad recipe that goes just as well on bruchetta or thick sourdough, or hollow out a batard and fill with salad to take on a picnic/lunch

Ingredients (serves 4)
375g (2 1/2 cups) shelled fresh broad beans

100g thinly sliced mild pancetta, coarsely chopped
80g baby rocket leaves
1 red onion, halved, thinly sliced
16 fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of salt
60g reduced-fat feta, crumbled

Method
Cook the broad beans in a medium saucepan of salted boiling water for 8 minutes or until tender. Drain. Refresh under cold running water. Remove skins and place in a large serving bowl.
Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until crisp. Remove from heat.
Add the pancetta, rocket, onion and basil to the broad beans and gently toss until combined.
Whisk together the vinegar, oil, mustard and garlic in a jug. Taste and season with salt. Drizzle over broad bean mixture and gently toss to coat.
Sprinkle feta over broad bean salad and serve immediately.
Notes
You will need 1kg of unshelled fresh broad beans for this recipe.

May Monthly Natter

2010-05-02T18:44:00.005+10:00

Today we travelled to Beechworth to visit Charlie & Faye Robinsons property. Here Charlie and Faye are creating an expansive food sustainable system, with strong design and aesthetics. A lot of work has gone into the design and infrastructure of the 5 ha property, which will be one of its strongest points in the future. Shaded walkways, apple and citrus walks, raised no dig garden beds and beautiful crafted brickwork were highlights of the day along with Faye and Charlie’s hospitality.

Their vegetable patch which could sustain the entire neighbourhood was built up waist level using a double course of bricks. This not only raises it up to an easy height but also creates a thick insulation.

A concrete water tank had been converted into a storage pantry where cans of fruit, sauces and preserves stay a constant temperature.

Charlie has even built an underground cellar which will store more perishable and fresh food items, using the cooling properties of the surrounding earth.

We sampled a delicious Moon and Stars Watermelon, which of course we saved some seeds from. Finally we travelled home through the very scenic Millawa , Beechworth regions, Big thanks to Violet Town Group who organised trip.

Our next meeting will be at Mike Schulz’s in Toolamba on 30th May, 1pm start.
Mike ran a research project on saltbush a few years ago and has maintained an interest, and has many different varieties to see. Bring a plate to share and own mug. Directions: From Mooroopna take the Murchison road. Cross the railway line north of Toolamba. Mikes drive is immediately on the left. Look out for the goat and stone wall.

Also Derek has 4 Carob trees emerging from the ss workshop - so happy to give 3 of these to a good home.

We have compiled our current list of seeds which I will distribute later this week, please look over and try a few different varieties, also look for something that you know well and grow it on for us to return some seeds.

We need to increase the quantity of seed and also distribute the seeds we have to everyone. At the moment we surviving off seeds saved from just a couple of people, and the seeds are not being used, they are sitting in the bank growing old, and this won’t sustain us for very long. I urge you to try saving just one variety, choose something off the list and give it a go I myself started with some easy things and letting a couple of these go to seed by themselves is really quite easy. When it comes time to selecting, collecting or cleaning seeds and you need some guidance I’m always available for a advice or even a visit.

Easy Seeds
Basil
Beans
Broad Beans
Coriander
Dill
Garlic Chives
Lettuce
Marigold
Nasturtium
Pea
Tomato
Capsicum (don’t grow Chilli in the same year you wish to save)
Chilli (don’t grow Capsicums in the same year you wish to save)

With all these seeds if you are worried they might cross with something just grow the one variety. For example grow only one type of lettuce in that season or only let one variety go on to flower.

Finally this is going to be a wet season, make the most of it incorporate lots of compost into your soil grow green manures and mustard (good for soil nemotodes).
Celery - it loves a liquid feed, and remember it’s impossible to over water
Kale can withstand the most intense cold. In fact the best kale of all is picked after a frost Broad Beans should now be sown and growing on. They are another plant that can stand winter cold. Give them a little sulphate of potash. It will toughen up the leaves, induce early flowering and that will give a better crop. Spinach needs perfect drainage so if you’re planting these out build up little ridges and plant the seeds/seedlings on top of that.

Happy Growing Carley

CERES Workshop Program

2010-03-31T10:11:00.002+11:00

For those that know of CERES, their upcoming workshops are below, if anyone interested yell out we might be able to make a day of it.

April Workshops
MEET YOUR GARDEN (ORGANIC PEST CONTROL) WITH VEG (very edible gardens)Saturday 10 April 2010 10.00AM—12.00PM$44/$33 CERES Member/Concession Be introduced to the many creatures that inhabit your garden, from wondrous soil microbes to problem and beneficial insects and beyond. How do we invite in the good insects and other natural predators so we can garden without sprays?

DROUGHT PROOF YOUR GARDEN WITH VEG (VERY EDIBLE GARDENS)Sunday 11 April 2010 10.00AM—12.00PM$44/$33 CERES Member/Concession Drought is no longer the exception, it's the rule. But in the city, we can still grow much of our own food through water-efficient planning and gardening. Covers the basics of everything you need to know to grow abundant, healthy food despite water restrictions.

THE CONSCIOUS COOK WITH GISELLESunday 11 April 2010 4.00PM—6.00PM Included with CERES Harvest Festival EntryHow can we live more sustainably, changing our behaviour in ways that work for ourselves and for the world? Giselle Wilkinson, author of The Conscious Cook will take you on a journey into the breadth of food-associated issues, help join the dots connecting the issues and demonstrate the complexity of sustainability and the simplicity of many of the actions involved in achieving it.

MEET YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT WITH TREVOR PLUMRIDGEWednesday 14 April 2010 6.00PM—9.00PM$66/$55 CERES Member/Concession In this workshop you will measure your own carbon footprint and you will also learn tips to reduce it! Along the way, you will gain a greater understanding of ‘Carbon Footprint’, ‘Carbon Neutral’ and ‘Carbon Offsets’. Bring your questions, leave with answers …COOKING FOR KIDS WITH KEMI NEVAKAPIL (AGES 7 –12)Friday 9 April 2010 10.00AM—2.00PM$66/$55 CERES Member/Concession This workshop empowers children by teaching them to prepare a variety of dishes by themselves including simple sushi, yummy salads, easy dinners and fresh deserts. We will also look at general safety in the kitchen.

MOSAICS FOR BEGINNERS WITH GORDAN MANDICHSaturday/Sunday 17 and 18 April 2010 or 10.00AM—4.00PM Saturday/Sunday 19 and 20 June 2010 $190/$180 CERES Member/Concession Join master mosaic artist, Gordan Mandich and discover the colourful world of mosaic art. Over two days you will learn about a variety of mosaic techniques and design methods. The course includes all materials and tools and you will create your own piece to take home.

SEED SAVING AND PROPAGATION WITH MATT DANIELESaturday 17 April 2010 10.00AM—4.00PM$88/$77 CERES Member/Concession Propagation by seed is one of the most commonly known methods of producing new plants. Take away the mystery of creating new plants from cuttings—it is much easier than you think! Complete the cycle by saving your own seed for propagation next season.

CHOOK CARE FOR KIDS WITH LOUISE KAY (AGES 5 –10)Sunday 18 April 2010 10.00AM—12.30PM$30/$20 CERES Member/Concession Chooks are great for the garden; they deal with weeds, eat bugs, are great fertilisers and provide the best tasting eggs you’ll ever eat. And they make great pets for kids. Whether you already have chooks or are looking to start a new backyard flock, this workshop will teach your kids all about basic chook needs and how to become an expert egg collector!

SOUR DOUGH BREAD WITH JOHN DOWNESSunday 25 April 2010 10.00AM—3.00PMorSunday 20 June 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM$120/$110 CERES Member/Concession Take a workshop with master baker, John. You will learn about all the techniques which govern how to make good sourdough bread as a crusty and a sandwich loaf. Come bake bread and a few special treats in the CERES wood-fired oven and share the still warm spoils for afternoon tea.
May Workshops

UNDERSTANDING SOILS WITH ANNIE RAISER-ROWLANDSunday 2 May 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM$88/$77 CERES Member/Concession Fall in love with good soil as you work through an understanding of basic soil properties and functions followed by principles for repairing, building and maintaining your own patch of earth. You will never see the ground in the same way again.

HOME BREWING WITH PAUL RIGBYSunday 2 May 2010 $88/$77 CERES Member/Concession 10.00AM—4.00PM The workshop will be a practical demonstration of full grain brewing covering ingredients, equipment, brewing theory and most importantly, the brewing process including mashing, lautering, boiling, sanitation, fermentation and packaging. Samples will be made available for tasting.

GUIDE TO SMALL SCALE WIND POWER WITH DEMIAN NATEKHANWednesday 5 May 2010 6.00PM—9.00PM$66/$55 CERES Member/Concession Is a wind turbine a viable energy option for your home, farm or business? In this workshop you will gain an understanding of what is required to run a small scale wind power system.

ROMANO CHEESE MAKINGSunday 9 May 2010 10.00AM—4.00PM$150/$130 CERES Member/Concession In this hands-on workshop you will learn how to make your own small hard romano style cheese and yoghurt. Workshops are hands-on and include light lunch, detailed class notes and of course taste sampling!!

KNOW YOUR SOLAR RESOURCE WITH BRYCE GATONWednesday 12 May 2010 6.00PM—9.00PM$66/$55 CERES Member/Concession Find out if it is worth installing solar hot water or solar electric systems at your home. This workshop covers the basics of solar energy and explains how to understand if a solar hot water service or solar electric system is positioned for best efficiency.

EARTHSHIP BUILDING TECHNIQUES WITH CERES EARTHSHIP GROUPSaturday/Sunday 15 and 16 May 2010 10.00AM—4.00PM $160/$150 CERES Member/Concession A two day hands-on workshop and information session for anyone wishing to learn more about the process of building Earthships in Victoria or would like to find out about Earthship Australia. You will get your hands dirty and be involved in building an Earthship style tyre wall here at CERES.LIVING

FOOD TREATS WITH KEMI NEVAKAPILSunday 16 May 2010 10.00AM—1.00PM$66/$55 CERES Member/Concession Chop and blend your way to guiltless sweets that are high in nutrition. Whether for kid’s lunch boxes, your lunch, post workout or a dinner party, you will be amazed at what is available. Chocolate truffles for breakfast anyone? All recipes are gluten, egg, dairy, wheat, sugar, soy and junk free! This workshop is not for nut allergy suffers.

ORGANIC GARDENING FOR KIDS WITH POPPY (AGES 5 –10)Sunday 16 May 2010 $88/$77 CERES Member/Concession 10.00AM—3.00PMGet your kids engaged in the world of growing their own vegetables and herbs. We will help them discover the wonder of planting a seed and watching it grow and getting ready for harvesting. Through hands-on activities, your children will uncover the sense of pride associated with growing it yourself.

SAVING WATER, SAVING GARDENS, SAVING THE PLANET WITH TIKI SWAINWednesday 19 May 2010 6.00PM—9.00PM$66/$55 CERES Member/Concession Feeling drained about your storm water running away to sea? Is your garden washed up but your laundry water going down the sink? Wanting that flush of success when your cistern fills with water you’ve collected? Come to this informative workshop to learn how to save, collect and reuse all types of your household water.

WATERWISE GARDENING WITH JUSTIN CAVERLEYSaturday 22 May 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM$88/$77 CERES Member/Concession In this workshop you will learn how to create a luscious oasis that is water-efficient, pleasing to the eye and a welcome haven for native birds and insects. You can expect to learn about soil preparation, water catchment and use, indigenous plants and bushfoods.

COMPOSTING AND WORM FARMS WITH JAMES SPRUNTSunday 23 May 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM$88/$77 CERES Member/Concession You will learn the fundamentals of composting, turning green waste into useful fertiliser for your garden as well as the benefits of having worm farms in your garden system.

SPROUTS AND SEEDS WITH CAROLINA Sunday 23 May 2010 10.00AM—12.00PM$44/$33 CERES Member/Concession In this workshop you will learn how to grow your own sprouts and baby greens. There will be samples to taste and you will receive a pack of seeds to get you started.

POTTED GARDENING WITH JUSTIN CAVERLEYSaturday 29 May 2010 or Saturday 26 June 2010$88/$77 CERES Member/Concession 10.00AM—3.00PMFeel that you are missing out on growing your own veggies and herbs due to lack of space? In this workshop you will learn how to maximise your small space to create an abundant food growing area, provide shade and privacy as well as an area that is pleasing to the eye.

EDIBLE WEEDS WITH ANNIE RAISER-ROWLANDSunday 30 May 2010 10.00AM—3.00PM$88/$77 CERES Member/Concession In this workshop you will learn how to use edible weeds to create delicious dishes in the kitchen. You will also learn how to enhance your organic gardening techniques

Dear friends of Seed Savers

2010-03-23T23:15:00.000+11:00

The best vegetable seeds are those given by one friend or family member to another. “Here, try these seeds, they grow well around here!” This simple gesture is the modus operandi of our eighty Local Seed Networks (LSNs) around Australia. Jude and Michel at The Seed Savers’ Network hope that you will join a seed group or create one around you. This may help you to grow from local seeds and eat more diversely = nutritionally. Find out how more about Local Seed Networks

Local Food Anyone?

Local Seed Networks circulate locally adapted varieties. These varieties are the basis of local food. They have been circulated in the local community for donkeys’ years and grow well in the area. They don’t necessarily have names.

Hardiness

Local varieties generally grow pesticide-free because they are attuned to local climates and regions. Some rainfed varieties bred by farmers manage to give a crop without irrigation and even tolerate insect damage and salinity.

Real Social Networks

At LSN garden visits and meetings, everyone learns from one another; everyone gets lots of unusual seeds and cuttings and makes new garden friends. Seeds are sometimes pushed deep into your pocket, so watch out. None if this is a commercial enterprise by any stretch of the imagination. When you grow vegetables and fruit, what do you do with the excess?? LSNs exchange produce as well. None of this is calculated in the GDP!

Go Perennial

Local Seed Networks are the perfect source of vegetative propagules: artichoke slips, asparagus crowns, mulitiplying onions, potato tubers. Then there are the fascinating unusual tubers such as:
• the super profilic oca (Oxalis tuberosa);
• the trendy health food, maca (Lepidium meyennii);
• achira (Canna edulis) to make arrowroot;
• arracacha, the Andean parsnip, a tuber for delicious soups;
• nashua, the tuberous sister of nasturtiums;
• yacon (Polymnia sonchifolia) the “pear of the earth”, sweet only when stored.

Michel and Jude Fanton Report
We have just returned from two months in Rajasthan, India, and one month in Malaysia so we have colourful news and videos on seedsavers.net. There is even an environmental video made by Channel 10 where we are speechless.
Recent media coverage:-
• “Our Seeds” on Manhattan cable TV
• Japanese Asahi TV – early March
• The Age Epicure 9/3/10
• OK Magazine 20/3/10
• Reader’s Digest, Health Smart - soon

We are giving workshops in Victoria 10th and 11th April. See our website for details. www.seedsavers.net

SEED SAVING WORKSHOPS

2010-03-18T10:36:00.001+11:00

Join Jude and Michel Fanton, founders of the Seed Savers Network
Learn from these world renowned teachers how to teach others to
select, harvest, process and store seeds from their food gardens.
Suitable for teachers / leaders / volunteers from
school / kitchen gardens, community gardens, gardening clubs,
local food / seedsaving and permaculture groups
Sunday April 11, 9:00am-3pm

Morning and afternoon teas provided.
Bring home grown produce or lunch to share.
Plants and Seedsaving books for sale.

Central Region Seed swap & Edible Garden Workshops

2010-02-28T21:30:00.006+11:00

The Edible Garden Project is a series of activities and workshops based on the notion of sustainability and improving food nutrition in the community.

We have been lucky enough to be included in Jude & Michel Fanton's tour of Vic, and they will be joining us to run a workshop on seed saving.
The Day will culminate in a viewing of 'our seeds' doco which they filmed around the globe over the past year and a half, and our regional seed swap.

More details will follow as they come to hand. but mark Sunday April 11th in your Diary.

Seed Savers Network Update II

2010-02-16T23:09:00.005+11:00

This was from 29th Jan, sorry i havent got around to posting until now ..

We have arrived in Pulau Pangkor a 10 square km coastal island harbouring fishing vessels and fish-drying houses on stilts. Migrant workers and political refugees with UNHCR official cards work on the mangrove side. Home-stay tourism is budding on the sunset side along with scars of fast-buck highrises.

The Cameron Highlands, where we worked two weeks ago, has a much older tourism industry going back to British colonial days. Now grey travellers and young naturalists backpackers "treck" along marked paths in the very wild rainforest.

The lower slopes (1000 to 1500 metres = 3000 to 5000 feet) are being bulldozered, with valleys and hills alike fitted with poly-tunnels on very large terrraces, housing strawberry farms and temperate crops to feed equatorial cities such as Singapore, KL and even Japan. The workforce is supplied by low-waged Indonesians, Burmese, Nepalese and Bangladeshis.

Pesticide and hybrid seed sales booming, heavy machinery booming, construction of highrises (with thick rainforests in background) booming, investment companies booming, trucking companies working overtime.

An hour downhill toward Ipoh there are palm oil and rubber plantations and marble quarries also using imported labour.

Meanwhile in ten days in Malaysia all the carrots we have seen have been grown in China. Same with oranges, mandarins, pears, nashi and apples. Some are labelled "organic". One wonders about the standards and stringency.

Michel & Jude Fanton

Directors, Seed Savers Foundation Australia

Wild tree bean eaten as snack (Parkia sp) is obviously leguminous seen on Malaysian Market today

Duku in aboundance in Malaysian highlands (Lansium domesticum) Piles of Durians in villages sold by orang Asli

Gourds (lagenaria sp) and small squashes (Cucurbita pepo) traded for Chinese New Year in Penang Malaysia

2,1 kg = 4,5 lb mango near Penang Malaysia. This is a huge variety indeed not an astronomical individual!!!

Seed Savers Update

2010-01-29T11:17:00.002+11:00

News from Michel and Jude, the people behind the 24 year old Seed Savers’ Network based in Byron Bay, Australia. We are now on a working sabbatical in Malaysia, after two months in Rajasthan, India, and some weeks on a speaking tour in Japan.
Love food gardens? See our perceptions of food plant diversity and food issues, as short pieces, pictures and film clips at www.seedsavers.net We continue to take footage for a third documentary, after the success of “Our Seeds”(have you seen the trailer on our website?).

Left Michel with women and their local varieity of corn

A second, “Our Roots”, was shot in Vanuatu for French CIRAD, is now in post-production and due out in March this year.
The Seed Savers Foundation is a registered charity that fosters fruit and vegetable seed exchanges in twenty countries. It manages eighty local seed networks around Australia - see Google map at www.seedsaver.net.
We would be tickled pink to receive emails from Seed Savers' friends, fans and supporters and be part of your dreams and realisations. This month you will receive news from wherever we travel, now in the equatorial forests of the Cameron Highlands Malaysia, the home of a cornucopia of fruits and, importantly, the Orang Asli, the original forest people. The highlands are the vegetable basket for Singapore and lowland Malaysia, even Japan.
All the best for 2010.

Our Dates for 2010

2010-01-27T11:50:00.001+11:00

2010 We are Looking for hosts & suggestions so please let me know if you are willing to host a meeting. or have any requests for workshops/visits

Sunday Feb 7th 1:30 - Community Garden, Violet Town - seed cleaning, recording, packing. We are going to join up with Violet Towns first meeting and have a look at what they have achieved at the local community garden meet in Shepparton at 12:45

Feb 28th - Propogating Day sharing of herbs and other woody shrubs / roots and plants
March 28th - Seedy Sunday Summer Seeds Collection
April 25th -
May 30th -
June 27th - Seedy Sunday seed bank sorting, recording & packaging
July 25th -
Aug 29th -
Sept 26th - Seedy Sunday Regional Seed Swap
Oct 31st
Nov 28th

SOS save our seeds

2010-01-21T13:45:00.002+11:00

Seeds are critical to our success as gardeners and farmers. They are compact packages of genetic information and stored food reserves, just waiting for the conditions found in warm, moist soil in order to germinate and create tomatoes, carrots, beans and thousands of other delights out of sunshine, air, water and soil. For most of the last ten thousand years of human history, seed-saving was something nearly everyone practiced, because in order to eat and therefore to survive, it was necessary. The grains and beans which formed the basis of most diets were both seed and food. Grown in large quantities, the best were saved for planting and the rest were eaten. Our ancestors did this each year, generation after generation through the centuries. Variations in climate, soil and techniques from garden to garden and community to community, accumulated through the years, creating the incredible diversity which existed over much of our planet well into this century. These local seeds were integral to life and culture everywhere. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these varieties have disappeared.”
From Bill Duesing - Living on the Earth 1999

Some Statistics

According to FAO estimates 75% of the genetic diversity of crop plants was lost in the last century. A survey by RAFI found that approximately 97% of U.S. Department of Agriculture lists have been lost in the last 80 years

Before the 1940's very few pesticides were used on crops. Now 800 million pounds of pesticides alone are used on US farmlands each year and yet crop losses from pests are on the increase. The big producers of agro-chemicals have bought control of seed companies in order to produce seeds that require doses of their chemicals.

Seeds companies are being bought up at an alarming rate by Monstanto. Their most recent purchase was Seminis. It is estimated that Seminis controls 40 percent of the U.S. vegetable seed market and 20 percent of the world market

Almost all these cultivars have been replaced by 4 or 5 supermarket varieties because, as one grower stated, the supermarket buyer is not interested in buying any apples or peaches with less than a 4-month shelf life. This is the reason why 90% of all fruit and vegetable varieties have disappeared.

Our food is so altered that the supermarket hybrid tomato has become both the box and its contents

Preventing farm saved seed
An estimated 1.4 billion of the world's poorest people now depend for their survival on farm saved seed. Hybrid seeds and their required fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation systems have trapped many of the world's poorest farmers into a cycle of debt.

Terminator technology sterilises a seed as it develops in a plant. This means farmers can’t store or replant seed from season to season as many now do. Instead, they must buy new seed and pay a technology fee. If Terminator were commercialised, farmers would be prevented from using the ancient practices of harvesting, saving and replanting seed. Farmers rely on these processes to adapt their local varieties to unique environmental, soil and management conditions. As climates change globally this will become even more crucial. As the plant’s pollen remains fertile, Terminator genes can be transferred to other plants. This would sterilise them, too, wreaking environmental havoc and threatening food security

In India hundreds of farmers have committed suicide due to debt. Monsanto pushes their pesticide-producing Bt cotton, “there was no non-BT hybrid seed available in the market,” says agronomist Kiran Sakhari.

Farmers had to borrow heavily to pay four times the price for the GM varieties, along with the chemicals needed to grow them. In spite of glowing promises of higher yields by Monsanto’s ads, Bt cotton often performs poorly. Tragically, tens of thousands of indebted desperate farmers have resorted to suicide, often drinking unused pesticides. In one region, more than three Bt cotton farmers take their own lives each day.

In the US Monsanto are vigorously pursuing their proprietary rights. Using investigators to identify farmers suspected of saving their seed, Monsanto threaten criminal charges and damages in excess of $1 million. The company requires farmers to sign a contract that they will not save and replant GM seeds from their harvest

Conclusion
Commercial interests currently dictate the path of research and development of new crop varieties. There is a chronic shortage of research looking at the adverse effects of, and the alternatives to, the chemical paradigm. Scientists are discouraged from co-operation and publishing their work by the secrecy required for patenting.

It is a myth that large, intensive farms growing modern high response seed are efficient. Such measures of efficiency exclude social and environmental costs. Numerous studies indicate that utilising practices such as mixed cropping; small farms practising alternatives to chemical agriculture can produce greater yields

We can all help on a grass roots level by

Refrain from purchasing seed varieties controlled or purchasing chemicals by Monsanto

Grow your own food and save seeds from each crop and share them with others

Support local seed banks

Purchase organic, heirloom or open pollinated from independent seed companies who’s mission are to save seed diversity.

JANUARY IN THE PATCH

2010-01-18T16:22:00.005+11:00

Its hot, the winds are drying and we all can't be bothered after the excess of Christmas, (or ConsumerMass as I heard it put recently) Unfortunately January is an important planting time, time for things to get going to make the most of the Autumn flush. Things you plant now will feed you from autumn to spring, I always seem to forget this and by the time I plant later in Autumn they don't have enough time to mature.

Sow some winter crops like cauliflowers, cabbage, broccoli etc keeping them moist and shaded at all times and pot them on in containers such as this htpp://scarecrowsgarden.blogspot.com/2007/11/growing-on-pots.html and tuck them up safely in a shade house, they should be planted out in garden mid Feb.

Rocket or Arugula: This is my favorite salad green, and my favorite weed. It loves our conditions here and naturalizes happily around my patch. Throw some seeds in and let them self seed.
Plant some more beans as soon as each new lot start flowering. Plant another 6-10 plants, after pre-sprouting them and a little deeper than usual to promote deeper roots,

Corn when last lot about ankle high, mix a good amount of potash into the soil when sowing to encourage good flowering. Keep the water up to the plants because they will quickly grow.

Zucchini and cucumbers, take the older ones out when mildew starts showing. Water new ones with milk solution to discourage mildew spreading using a mix of one part full cream milk to five parts rainwater. Repeat after heavy rain or irrigation or every 10 days.
Some more capsicums and chili they will fruit right up until May- June or longer if protected from frost.
Continue sowing regular crops of beetroot, coriander, carrot, parsnips, radishes, silverbeet, kale, mustard greens.
Sunflower use established seedlings - Sun King Helianthus annuus this will provide some welcome shade and bee fodder.

Colin Campbell said a good tip for propagating hard to germinate seeds during hotter months or in general is; “If a small amount of Epsom salts is added to water, when applied to the soil the magnesium in it will help the plant to activate the enzymes that breaks down the food supply in the seed. A light misting is adequate. Too much water will rot the seeds." Found in the Gardening Australia Fact sheet here:

Plant some lettuce greens or asian greens, but make sure they are well shaded otherwise they are tough bitter and will bolt to seed. For lettuces that are a bit tricky to germinate if soil temperatures are over 25 c“ Jackie French suggests to try putting the seed between two damp paper towels in the fridge for three days before sowing. (from Earth Garden summer # 146)

Other Garden chores include;

Continue foliar feeding crops once a fortnight with seaweed and or compost teas to help developing fruit/veg and strengthening plant cell walls.

Don't prune off any dead or burnt growth leave it as it provides valuable shade for both the roots and bark of trees and shrubs and vegetables. I left my spent peas and corn in place to shade more tender crops such as lettuce and spinach. If you absolutely need to prune mulch and water well immediately after pruning.

Clean up any diseased or spoiled fruit which may be a source of re-infection fruits and place in well sealed plastic bag in hot sun for a couple of days or bury at least half a metre deep, and this breaks the cycle. We have a responsibility to be vigilant in our region, for pest and diseases, if in doubt call the Dept of Primary Industries they are more than happy to have a chat and will even come and collect suspect samples from your house for identification. Enquires should be directed to the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

Happy Gardening - and wear sunscreen!

CarriageWorks Kitchen Garden Workshop - #3

2010-01-06T11:42:00.003+11:00

This Seed saving workshop was held in Sydned in Dec and is worth a look

EarthWatch from Organic Gardener

2009-11-27T11:56:00.008+11:00

Each couple of months i will post the latest article from Organic Gardener called EarthWatch, these articles highlight the use and implications of chemicals in our environment. Please take the the info on board as one point of view, to make your own judgements, but mostly as encouragement to convert to organic methods.

Will you have NITRATES with That?

Recent US Research implicates the use of nitrogenous chemicals in agriculture and food processing in an increased incidence of illness like type 2 diabetes. Simon Webster reports.

Processed food and the use of nitrogen fertilisers in conventional agriculture may be to blame for the rise in several diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes, scientists say.
Researchers at Rhode island Hospital in the US found strong parallels between human exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines ( all nitrogenous chemical compounds) and increases in the death rates of these diseases.* These compounds have long been known to be harmful to human health. they are sound in processed and preserved food, including some cheese products, beer, and cured meats such as bacon, as well as drinking water and vegetables - especially green leafy ones. "We have become a 'nitrosamine generation'", said the study's leader, Susanne de la Monte, referring to the carcinogenic compound that is formed when nitrites meet amines, a common type of protein.
"In essence, we have moved to a diet that is rich in amines and nitrates...We receive increased exposure through the abundant use of nitrate-containing fertilisers for agriculture "
"Not only do we consume them in processed foods, but they get into our food supply by leaching from the soil and contaminating water supplies used for crop irrigation, food processing and drinking."
Nitrogen fertiliser consumption in the US increased by 230 per cent between 1955 and 2005, researchers said, with is usage doubling between 1960 and 1980, just before the onset of and epidemic of these insulin-resistant diseases.
The researchers found that sales of fast food and processed meats increased more than eight fold from 970 to 2005.

Cellular damage
At the cellular level, nitrosamines became highly reactive, altering gene expression and causing DNA damage. Researchers said those that occurred with ageing, Alzheimer's , Parkinson's and type 2 diabetes.
"All of these diseases are associated with increased insulin resistance and DNA damage," de la Monte said. "Their prevalence rates have increased radically over the past several decades and show no sign of plateau. Because there has been a relatively short time interval associated with the dramatic shift in disease incidence and prevalence rates, we believe this is due to exposure-related rather than genetic etiologies."
According to the researchers, chronic lo-level exposure to nitrosamines could be enough to explain the epidemics of these diseases.
Solutions might include eliminating the use of nitrites and nitrates in food processing and preservation, as well as in agriculture. de la Monte said.
In Australia the use of nitrogen fertilisers tripled between 1955 and 2005, says organic group Biological Farmers of Australia. Organic standards ban the use of synthetic nitrogenous compounds in the paddock and in food processing
"Recently released information from the UK has confirmed that organic food has lower nitrogen levels than non-organic food, which is a real advantage for organic consumers.," said BFA nutritionist Shane Heaton *
*for a full report see www.j-a;z.com/issues/17/vol17-3.html

From Organic Gardener November/December 2009 Simon Webster

Monthly Natter November

2009-11-16T11:04:00.006+11:00

As I Write this I look back over the past couple of weeks and wonder where they have gone, in fact the same can be said of the whole year! So many jobs to do and so little time. The biggest time killer this month has been the excessive heat, earlier in the month when I was supposed to plant out most of my summer fruiting veg , I had other things on and so leaving it a week or two late has put me in the middle of all this terrible weather. I have now taken to getting up very early and doing my garden chores, and putting up shade cloth/hessian covers to protect fragile new plants. Luckily I have had a few volunteer seedlings that have happily popped up in the front garden and will supply me with the early tomatoes.

I had to resort to buying some zucchini plants, Bunnings have a brand called the naked farmer, http://www.nakedfarmer.com.au/ they are NASAA Certified organic products, and I figure best to have some rather than none at all. They look quite healthy and are in packs of 6 for around $6.00. With Everything in and fingers crossed this year will hopefully be a more fruitful one.

While at CERES I picked up a couple of tomato varieties as well. These are grown from Eden seed stocks so will be open pollinated, and I'll be able to save their seeds.

Our Next Meeting will be held first Sunday in December along with Violet Town, 1:30 we will try and car pool so please let me know if you're coming along. BYO plate of goodies to share. Please have a think about what you would like to do next year and if you want to host a meeting or have some willing workers over to do a working bee please let me know .

I'll leave you with a little bit of Jackie French's wisdom From Jackie (October 2009

Spring -" Let some vegetables go to seed and let them flower and go to seed around your garden. This is perhaps the most important spring advice there is: flowering vegetables are one of the best ways to attract pest-eating predators. Most adult predators eat nectar from flowers; only their offspring are carnivorous. Happily, most prefer the nectar from the plants their offspring like to forage as pests: your vegies....Now that we can get golf ball tomatoes and pineapples any time of the year, a lot of the old spring foods have been forgotten. Most people won’t eat or harvest anything they don’t recognise from the supermarket – and most of us now prefer much blander foods. Bitter food was presumed to be a spring tonic in both European and Asian folklore.Many traditional ‘hungry gap’ foods are all good, if now unconventional. Try them before you reject them. If you baulk at eating prickly pear fruit, mistletoe jam or carrot tops, remember that it’s better than an elderly, well-travelled tomato, that wasn’t much good in the first place" http://www.jackiefrench.com/index.html

Carley

Worm wicking beds

2009-11-13T15:01:00.004+11:00

If you haven't heard about wicking beds, please look it up. Its a great way of reducing water usage and the time taken to water. The following link is about worm wicking box gardens. I figure that in a semi shaded spot in the garden these would extend our harvest of lettuce & celery right through summer. I'm also going to give them a try for my Zucchinis - I'll keep you all posted, and let me know if you give it a try too.

http://scarecrowsgarden.blogspot.com/2008/02/wicking-box-gardens.html

Chooks, community, Cob ovens & common ground

2009-11-04T15:56:00.007+11:00

Ceres Park CERES (the Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies, pronounced ‘series’) CERES is located on 4.5 hectares on the banks of the Merri Creek, in East Brunswick.

What was once a wasteland and rubbish tip is now an urban oasis that has evolved into an extraordinary space situated in a native bush setting, It combines community gardens, an organic farm, permaculture gardens, walking trails, a renewable energy park and Ecohouse, as well as cultural villages and spaces, urban agriculture projects, mixed in with quirky spaces and a landscape that is gentle and complimentary. It is a with site groups to join or participate in; such as the chook group, the bike group and baking group and more. You can relax and enjoy the fresh organic fare at the Cafe, get your retail fix from the nursery and do your weekly shopping at the CERES farmers market, a hub of lively local food action.

Monthly Natter - October

2009-10-16T09:57:00.010+11:00

Well , you should be well and truly up to your ears in spring, I hope you haven't been to keen and planted out tomatoes yet? Around here I don't usually plant the solance family out until after Melbourne Cup also keep an eye out for the commercial tomato farmers, when they start to plant out, you should too. Tomatoes planted too early and hit with a cold spell, such as last night, will be set back and will not out perform those planted out later.

For those interested in moon planting the best time to sow or transplant fruiting annuals (we eat the fruit or seed bearing part), and flowering annuals, grains and melons is during the First Quarter Phase. That is between 25th - 30th November you can get a rough guide on moon planting here

http://aussieorganicgardening.com/?p=32

and a moon calender in PDF here http://www.afma.gov.au/information/publications/fishery/moon_phase/calendar_2009.pdf

Our Trip to Ceres was fantastic, unfortunately not very well attended, nevertheless we headed down to Melbourne and enjoyed fantastic food, great facilities, picked up some fresh organic and in season produce, then on our way out picked up a few plants at the Nursery. Hopefully we will visit again next year.

Finally our last meeting will be held in conjunction with Violet Town's on December 6Th where we will celebrate the end of year and catch up with some old friends, should be a great day. i will send out details towards the end of November.

Monthly Natter - August Part II

2009-08-31T12:57:00.003+10:00

Our August meeting was very productive, planting up seeds and lots of seedlings of lettuce & Asian greens for selling at upcoming markets. The proceeds of all our markets, at this stage around $40 we will use for our October meeting which will be a visit to CERES park in Brunswick. Our next meeting will be at Derek & Kaye's in Mooroopna. We have also been invited to have an entry in the Moorooppna & District Gardening Club Annual Flower Show, let me know if you have the best looking veges around. Until then happy gardening

August in the Patch

2009-08-26T10:22:00.003+10:00

I’m a week or so behind in doing so but today I planted up my spring & summer veg to get started in the warmth of my little green house.

Tomato Lycoersicon esculentum
Black Cherry - Eden Seeds
Tatura Dwarf - Eden Seeds
Capsicum Capsicum annuum
Toppero Rosso - The Italian Gardener
Eggplant Solanum melangena
Thai Green - Digger's seeds

Planted into Veg Garden this month :
seedlings of Derek’s Asian Greens sensopai & tatsoi
Spinach
Leeks

chicory

Cos Lettuce - Derek Poulton

Carrot Daucas carota -

Chantenay Red-Cored - Eden Seeds
Parsnip Pastinaca sativa

Hollow Crown - Saved by D. Poulton
Beetroot Beta vulgaris

white Heirloom Mix - Eden Seeds

Elephant garlic sets - passed on by L.Watts

Self Sown - Celeriac

Also ready to set seed are the rocket & bok choy (white stemmed) these I will let self seed in garden and towards the end of spring I will choose the best producers/survivors and save those seeds.

I have cleaned up a lot over the winter added espalier wires behind my apple trees and a growing frame for the cucumbers and Luffa, strengthened the archway (it had pretty much fallen down by the end of last summer). Along with a little compost making, cleaning/sharpening of my tools & soil improving along the way, I have had a reasonably busy winter.

Why not try some flowering stuff in your patch as well, like: nasturtium, petunias, marigolds (French) and celosia. These guys are great at attracting pollinators and beneficial insects to your patch. interplant them with you veges and the bugs will get confused, and they look great as well.
If planning on putting in some tomatoes next month, prepare a bed now (your toms will thank you for it). At the bottom of my planting hole, two or three crushed chicken eggshells (cheap organic source of calcium) blood and bone heaping tablespoon of pure worm castings, two plain aspirin tablets. Aspirin has been shown to increase disease resistant of tomatoes, in addition to increasing blossom production. Fill hole with a little soil then plant on top. I then water fortnightly with worm tea , seaweed concentrate and two aspirin watered down to a weak tea colour and sprayed on plants as a foliar feed.

There's a bit happening in the vegie patch, so you could try spinach, broad beans, Jerusalem artichokes (put them in a pot or they can take over!!), potatoes, peas, onions, parsley, cabbage, broccoli, rocket, silverbeet, cauliflower, lettuce, leek, Asian greens, radish, beetroot and parsnip.Get spraying! To prevent peach leaf curl (which also infects Nectarines, Almonds and other Prunus species), spray your trees once a week with a low environmental impact copper spray from mid to late winter, or from when you can see the buds swelling!

Kitchen Garden

2009-08-24T20:55:00.004+10:00

This video is well worth a look, there are so many books, movies and headlines telling us what we are doing wrong to this world, yet so few that tells us what to do right. This is one of them, so simple and so right!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npB8qltaB6g&feature=player_embedded

Monthly Natter - August

2009-08-17T17:06:00.000+10:00

Hope you have had a productive winter, now is a great time to be requesting seeds so take a look over the list and make sure you let me know what you require.
Our next meeting will be Sunday 30th August at my place 658 Wyndham st Shepparton; I will have a cold frame to look (if you have any cold frames or great ideas bring them along) and also will attempt a demo of espaliering. Greg wanted to know if anyone was interesting in seeds from EDEN so we can make a bulk order, perhaps we will look at this too. Usual time ect…

Hopefully I will get to the Queens gardens markets this weekend and will have some seedlings on offer, I you have any seeds you wish to pass on and can’t get to our next meeting you can see me there. I will be planting some tomatoes in the greenhouse this week so again if you want anything please let me know.

Also coming up I have a talk at the Mooroopna garden club this Friday 21st at 2:00 anyone welcome to come along, I will be doing a talk at the Dookie PS soon, and hopefully we will be running a trip to CERES in October (midweek sometime) if we get enough numbers we will look at taking a bus.

Some moon planting info – I will be posting these to website when I receive info (weekly I think) so if this interests you make sure to take a look
We are in the last quarter of the moon with new moon on 20th August. Its best, until the 21st August, to use these days for cultivating and not planting, as moon forces are their weakest during this last quarter of the lunar cycle

See you all soon – Carley

Cold Frames

2009-08-06T13:17:00.011+10:00

Get your crops off to a flying start with a simple cold frame

Sometimes nothing more than some bricks or timber with a pane or old window frame or a styrofoam box with a plastic lid, they protects new plants from frosts and will extend the growing season for others. They can be built from new materials but with an abundance of second hand materials available there is no shortage of materials to choose from

what a good use of all the end of season fruitboxes

Having the roof sloping up, away from the sun ensures maximum light can get into the cold frame they should be lower on one side and orientated to catch more sun Location, Location, Location. Make sure you locate your cold frame somewhere where it will get maximum areas of sunlight and where it won’t be too exposed to wind. Backing onto a brick/rock wall is a good idea as the wall will act as extra insulation

The cold frame can lose warmth through the glass at night, if it is not covered. Place hessian bags or crumpled shade cloth or weed mat on the glass panels in the late afternoon, and remove them mid morning when air is warmer

Think about the insulating value of the material you build it out of i.e. one made out of bricks will store much more heat than one made out of thin timber or you could line it with styrafoam boxes

It should have an opening or hinged lid to allow adequate ventilation.I will be using something like this adaptble to my existing beds.
options are open to interpretation .

Must Grow Vegetables

2009-08-06T12:37:00.006+10:00

Vegetable gardening is an ongoing process, and sometimes the timing can be a little overwhelming, with the next season sneaking up on us too quickly or the crazy weather patterns blurring our judgment.

Don’t use planting times as a hard and fast rule. Judge it by the warmth of the soil and what other plants are doing, i.e. I wait until I see tomatoes self seeding from last years strays before I plant out my carefully nurtured seedlings. In truth, each season is different and garden planting dates have been even harder to peg down than the traditional wisdom would lead one to believe.

I do find that planning your coming growing season is a great start and at the end of winter is and an ideal time to do this. Start by sorting through your seeds and decide what varieties worked and thrived, and which ones you would like to give another go. Those not needed and too old throw into a jar or container and use these for green manure.

Then I decide what varieties I need new supplies of and which new ones I would like to try out. This is the hard part: when faced with all the beautiful catalogues and choices everything sounds so tempting. What to order or if you’re starting from scratch how do you decide what to grow? There are a lot of things to take into consideration

You might have access to farm fresh produce locally, you might want to save the space in your garden for the vegetables you truly love and that aren’t always available and you might

be limited by space.Your first consideration should always be to plant what you like to eat. Don't waste garden space producing wonderful crops of eggplants, if no one in the family will touch them.Think about those that you constantly purchases from the grocery store. These are your must grow vegetables.

Your next priority might be the vegetables that you can’t get in your area; I like to grow kale, its hard to buy here and l love eating it. Asian vegetables, these are always better picked fresh, and at the supermarkets are often limp and harder to buy.

Then I will give more exotic things a try, ginger has proved to be a success for me, and this year I’m going to try turmeric. I also tend to give less priority to things that are available locally and reasonably priced, i.e. Potatoes I don’t have lots of space and can get nice organic potatoes all year round. On the other hand, garlic can get a bit pricy so is always worth the effort.

Taste is another priority Onions and carrots are much superior freshly grown, and I don’t need to advocate the tastiness of the home-grown tomato.

Its important not to be discouraged, if you fail miserable or try to grow something that is not ideally suited to our area give it a go for a few growing seasons. Give them time to adapt to our local growing conditions, selecting the plant that looks the healthiest to collect seeds for next year’s crop.

My Must Grow Vegetables

Onions

I can't cook without onions so these are top of the list, I also much prefer fresh white salad onions, and the smaller Italian red onions. Spring onions are dead easy to grow and last a lot longer in the soil growing happily than they so in the crisper.

Garlic

Same goes for garlic although I always underestimate the amount of garlic we actually use each week and I would never be able to grow enough for all year round so I dry & store all that I grow and buy the organic garlic in season.

Carrots

These closely follow onions and garlic, as a kitchen staple. When you have tasted a crisp and fresh purple carrot, or serve up a dish of multi coloured roasted carrots you will understand why.

Peas

Nothing beats fresh peas in the pod, at our house they rarely make it out of the garden.
Lettuce

It really should be a crime to buy the supermarket prepackaged bags when lettuce is so easy to grow. I sow more than I need to give me a reliable daily picking and give the excess to the guinea pigs. Keep a regular supply growing by sowing a couple of cell trays each month.

Broad Beans

Freshly shelled broad beans are a delight. As they get older and bigger, the skin becomes tough and bitter and they have to be "double peeled". Peeling the fine skin around each bean is a task a good cook learns to love; the process is as important as the result I grow copious amounts to freeze and keep me going thorough the year.

Asian Greens

Although I have not perfected the art of growing all the greens I love being able to pick them freshly. The crispness is far superior and often I pick just a few leaves of each for an Asian salad or stir fry. They are best left to self seed, and come up by their own.

Zucchini

If there was a vegetable that was perfect for our climate it would be zucchini. They hardly need any encouraging, are very prolific and its easy to get overwhelmed by them so I pick them while they are still small and are sweet and crisp. And pickle the rest.

Capsicum

Another well suited variety. Incredibly versatile, capsicum are delicious raw in salads, stir-fried, stewed, stuffed or in soups and casseroles or dried they can be ground to make chili pepper powders. Start early and you can be picking peppers from the start of summer to the end of autumn outdoors or year round grown as houseplants.

Kale Silverbeet & Spinach

Our household could not be without these, the finish to many dishes involves a quick trip out to the patch. Spanakopita pie is a family favorite and so I grow enough to fill a big baking dish. They grow very easily, kale and silverbeet self seed happily and so need no encouragement.

Beetroot

Beetroot can never be brought fresh without it being too big and fibrous or limp. There are the deep purple reds, but also pink, yellow and white I grow them all. Beetroot is delicious baked, boiled or raw and it makes a really great soup. Beetroot can be eaten raw. You just need to peel it and it's ready to use.

Beans

Freshly shelled broad beans are a delight. They freeze well are a great food source dried to use in soups or for making fried rissoles or dips

Taste is really the only word to describe the benefits of growing these last two vegetables .how can you grow food without these two?

Strawberries

Not watery and bitter like store brought varieties and not shipped over ridiculous distances. The flavour is both sweet and intensely rich and lingers on the palate like a fine wine. An extremely fragrant and beautiful addition to any garden even if the birds get to the majority of the crop.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are juicier grown at home - some of the juiciest varieties can't be shipped without damage. Tinned tomatoes are reasonable good and so I tend to concentrate on the eating sun drying and sauce/relish varieties. Find your favourite and best varieties and grow them in abundance. You can never have too many tomatoes.

If I had the room I would add, corm pumpkins and watermelons to this list. Then there are the herbs I couldn’t be without and the fruit I have started to add to every corner for all round supply. My list could go on and on, that’s why I find it important to put it all in perspective before time gets ahead of me. Find some time in the warmth and think about your list. Please share some of your favourites with me.

National Tree Day 2009

2009-07-21T13:26:00.006+10:00

Coming up on 1st weekend in Aug is National Tree Day,

Planting native trees and shrubs on National Tree Day can help combat climate change, provide food and shelter for our wildlife and brings people from all walks of life together to achieve something valuable for their community... And importantly, growing trees helps children learn the value of caring for our environment so i urge you all seek out a local site, or plant one in your street or neighbourhood.

Australia's largest community tree planting event with many sites for volunteers
Phone: 1300 88 5000

31-Jul-2009	Undera Landcare & local schools	Koenig Road, Mooroopna	Mooroopna Vic http://treeday.planetark.com/site/43014
02-Aug-2009	University of Melbourne	Nalinga Hwy	Dookie College Vic http://treeday.planetark.com/site/43486
02-Aug-2009	Greater Shepparton City Council	510 Echuca Rd, Mooroopna	Mooroopna Vic http://treeday.planetark.com/site/41138
02-Aug-2009	Crouching Emu Revegetation Project	Dhurringile Rd	Tatura Vic http://treeday.planetark.com/site/41452

Kale Brassica oleracea

2009-05-07T11:56:00.015+10:00

Kale and collards are hardy biennials that will overwinter in milder climates, and improve in flavor with the onset of cold weather. Direct sow as soon as soil can be worked or start transplants 4 weeks before planting date. Sow early autumn plantings to avoid late winter frosts. Harvest full size leaves as desired. Start transplants 4 weeks before planting date.

PLANTING INFO:

Ideally, choose an area with full sun and rich, well drained soil with a pH of 6.0-7.0. If the soil is too acidic, add lime. If the soil isn’t already rich, dig in compost or well-rotted manure. As you are growing kale for foliage, high nitrogen content is recommended.

For direct seeding, sow about 1 cm deep and about 30-45 cm apart. Three or four seeds can be planted together and thinned out at the two-leaf stage. If you ensure the soil doesn’t dry out, seeds should germinate in about 5-8 days.

DISEASES & PESTS: Kale and collards are subject to the same insect pests as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, but tend to be less preferred. Catepillars and aphids can be controlled by Bacillus thuringiensis (such as Dipel DF) are young; use row cover (make sure edges are sealed) repellant molasses and chilli sprays and hand picking griubs are also effective

Varieties

Red Russian
25 days babyleaf, 50 mature leaves Bright purple stems with slate green, deeply lobed foliage. Leaves are tender and smooth compared with other kales Perfect for salad mix or full size leaves. there are many sub-varieties of red russion

Spring Sweet – A selection of the red Russian type that is sweeter in the spring. Oak shaped leaves have less color than others.

Winter Red - A red Russian type developed by Tim Peters of Peters Seed and Research for good uniform color and cold tolerance. A tender salad kale that is said to have a little wild mustard in its sap. Works well in a crop scheme with other kales to supply harvests from early fall – spring. Napini from this variety is a month ahead darker red and thinner than other napus kales. A vigorous Red Russian kale that colors up well even before cold weather, but especially after cool weather. The oak-leaf shaped leaves of this kale are more deeply cut than some other common strains of Red Russian kale. Excellent for salad greens when leaves are thumb size; larger leaves make delicious and nutritious cooked greens. Origin: developed by Tim Peters, Peters Seed and Research, Riddle,

Greenpeace – 32 days. Rare Russian strain, greenish blue plants purple stems, highly variegated leaves. Origin: Greenpeace experimental farm on Denman Island off British Colombia.

White Russian
30 days babyleaf, 60 mature leaves Delicate, sweet flavor that improves in complexity with frost and light cooking. Tolerates wet soils better than any other kale and has the cold hardiness of the
toughest Russian.

Wild Red - 55 days. Variation on red Russian. 2 foot plants. Silver green foliage overlain with bright red on the stems and leaf joints. Extremely hardy and productive.

Western Front – This Red Russian kale mixture has survived a variety of growing conditions that killed all Scotch kales and over 90% of everything Russian or Siberian. Eating Quality is quite good. Up to 50% will regenerate from base of plants for up to 4 or 5 years in wild plantings

Lacinato/Nero Di Toscana/Cavelo Nero
30 days babyleaf, 60 mature leaves Also known as "Dinosaur Kale" due to its bumpy
leaf surface resembling dinosaur skin! This unique variety has the richest, darkest blue-green color of any kale. Deeply savoyed leaves are blade-shaped with smooth margins.

Siberian
30 days, 60 mature leaves Huge, blue-green leaves with white stems and an oak leaf shape. Its superior tenderness makes Siberian one of the best varieties for raw salad use and spring “napini”. Plants are extremely hardy and grow rapidly. Flavor is improved by light frost, but is exceptional anytime.

Scotch Borecole
Intensely curled dark green leaves. Plants to 60 cm.long harvest period. 55-65 days

Gulag Stars – A mix of Russian and Siberian kales from the original Gulag. Contains some completely unique leaf types and incredible colors. Same breat Brassica napus eating quality. Very adaptable and diverse population. Seems to have a bit of B. rapa mustard mixed into its genetic make up. Origin: Bred By Tim Peters at Peters Seed & Research in Riddle, Oregon

VATES BLUE CURLEDVigorous plant to 40cm high with heavily curled, blue-green leaves. Rich in vitamins. Withstands cold weather. Leaves will not yellow from frost or heat. 55 days.

DWARF BLUE CURLED

Heirloom. Heavily curled, light green leaves with bluish tinge & short, white stems. Hardy, low growing plant to 30cm. Pick whilst young for use in salads, or leave to mature for use like cabbage. Mature plants tolerate frost - light frost will improve flavour & sweetness. 50-60 days

Red Bor F1 Tightly frilled leaves of
deep purple and burgundy

Montly Natter

2009-05-05T14:37:00.007+10:00

A bit late, so sorry to all whom have been waiting by their screens glued to the inbox....Ha.

April and March were both busy months for myself and family, unfortunately seed savers suffered as a consequence. I assume most people were the same, due to the lack of queries or complaints.

I do however hope you still managed a bit of gardening time, as March and April are the best gardening times for our region. Gone is the sting of summer and we can prepare our soils for the autumn, winter period. Our rain forecast over the next month looks good so put some good work into the soil and it will benefit.

We have on hand after our Feb meeting a large amount of seeds available, mostly thanks to Derek. At the next meeting we hope to sort and package some of this, so please make it if you can, the more hands the better. If you need anything from the list below please call out.

Yalca Fruit Trees 2009 catalogue is available to download now – all you have to do is click here (or, control and click) http://www.yalcafruittrees.com.au to get to our website - once there, you can click again, and download the catalogue, and order form.

You may have noticed an article in the Shepparton news Your Home magazine April. This starts a marketing push I’m about to start in local press. I will also be doing a couple of talks in the coming months to different groups; I will post details, for those interested. If you know of any group’s publications or newsletters I'm happy to contribute. And don't forget if your school is interested in a kitchen garden our group can help with a visit, seeds or a lesson.

The Queens Gardens markets will start up again and I'm looking for volunteers to share this with me on alternate months. (The market is the third weekend of each month) it’s a great social outlet & observations of people busying about make the early morning worthwhile. Please contact me if you are interested- I need someone for May.

Finally I just want to share with you some of the gems i have come across on the web over the last couple of months

If you haven't come across this catalogue before, please have a look its one of best and lovingly prepared i have seen. http://www.fedcoseeds.com/forms/sds31_cat.pdf

This is a beautiful wet pot, for those that haven't come across these, Wet pots are terracotta clay fired pots, buried beneath the soil level, filled and sealed to allow water to slowly seep out, and water the root zones of plants.

The new seed savers home page so take a look around http://www.seedsavers.net/

A herb spiral and keyhole garden combined with pond and flowform water feature, what a great permaculture approach. (right)

Even though they are hard to come by, with the popularity of raised vege patches in recycled tanks, this is another way or re-using them as a wall and raised garden bed.
(left)

This is a nature strip in Adelaide suburb, which has in conjunction with various groups and council have transformed their font lawns into a 1km walk through native habitat. This should be the norm, not an exception.

Seeds on offer - Carrot, parsnip, tatsoi, red Russian kale, grey kale (from VT), Italian parsley, Broad Beans, Snow Peas, Broccoli, odourless onion, White beetroot, chard,

Join our Blog

2009-03-19T10:25:00.003+11:00

This is a little message to all our Seedsavers members, please take some photos of your patch of earth and share them with us. Or tell us about what you plan to plant in autumn. Tell us you are still there and have not given up after our summer heat. Lets share our successes and failures, on the blog

Tomato Troubles

2009-03-16T10:39:00.005+11:00

Tomatoes are usually one of the most rewarding vegetable to grow in your backyard, however their fussy tendencies and willingness to up and die at their peak makes me wonder why Ibother. This year I thought I had it right; I rotate the crops accordingly & planted a cover crop of mustard and legumes, added compost. Then at planting I added calcium aged manure and aspirin deep in the planting hole, a method to add disease resistance. They flourished beautiful strong healthy plants, which I watered and fed fortnightly with fish emulsion, seaweed concentrate and aspirin dissolved in water. I also covered their pretty little head with shade cloth to protect them from the suns rays.

So what went wrong? I figured the heatwave was just too much for them and so decided to pull them out. The real answer was glaringly obvious, staring right at me in a knobbly ugly knot of roots. My tomato plants were affected by Tomato root knot nematodes.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are minute, worm-like animals which are very common in soil. They have a wide host range, causing problems in many annual and perennial crops. Tomatoes are among the most seriously affected, with the nematodes causing problems in all growing area Root-knot nematodes do not produce any specific above-ground symptoms. Affected plants have an unhealthy appearance and often show symptoms of stunting, wilting or yellowing.

Symptoms are particularly severe when plants are infected soon after planting. More commonly, however, nematode populations do not build up until late in the season and plants grow normally until they reach maturity. They then begin to wilt and die back with flowering, fruit set and fruit development being reduced.Below ground, the symptoms caused by root-knot nematodes are quite distinctive. Lumps or galls, ranging in size from 1 to 10 mm in diameter, develop all over the roots. In severe infestations, heavily galled roots may rot away, leaving a poor root system with a few large galls.

The common species of root-knot nematodes all have a wide host range, and most plants are able to host at least one species. Many important fruit, vegetable and ornamental crops are good hosts of these nematodes, they include:
banana, cucurbits, grape, carnation, passionfruit, nectarine, capsicum beans, kiwi fruit, chrysanthemum, pineapple, tomato, carrot, eggplant, strawberry, rose, peach, celery, ginger, lettuce, papaw, pumpkin.

Nematode management
Crop rotation
Root-knot problems increase, and control becomes more difficult, when tomatoes or other susceptible crops are grown without rotation. Crop rotation will not eliminate infestations because root-knot nematodes can remain in the soil as eggs for at least a year between host crops, and most species can feed on a wide range of weeds.
However, rotation can significantly reduce losses when a field is again planted to a susceptible crop. Winter cereals are useful because they are generally poor hosts and little nematode reproduction occurs during the cold winter months. It is more difficult to find summer crops with good resistance to root-knot nematode but sorghum x Sudan grass hybrids (particularly cv. Jumbo) are useful against most populations of the nematode.

Fallow and cultivation
Repeated cultivation kills nematodes in the upper soil layers by exposing them to mechanical abrasion and the heating and drying action of the sun. If the field is maintained weed-free, nematodes also die of starvation. In warm, moist soils in Queensland, a 4 to 6 month fallow may reduce root-knot nematode populations by more that 95%. Longer periods of fallow are not normally economically feasible, and risk of soil erosion is increased.

Sanitation
Nematode populations have the capacity to increase rapidly, so to prevent further multiplication, plants should be ploughed out as soon as the crop is harvested. At this time, most of the nematode population is in the roots rather than in the soil, so if these roots are removed from the field and destroyed (e.g. by burning), there is an immediate and substantial reduction in the nematode population.

Organic matter and numbers of root-knot nematodes in tomato
Soil organic matter is known to be detrimental to nematodes. Laboratory and glasshouse experiments examined the inhibition effects of molasses on root-knot nematodes. Molasses was found to inhibit both egg hatching and juvenile nematode motility. This result indicates that the inhibition is probably due to antagonism towards nematodes by micro-organisms.
The suppressive effects of sawdust+urea, filter press, molasses, a green manure cover crop and a nematicide were compared in the field. The plots were maintained for three successive tomato crops to determine the long-term effects of such treatments. The effects of the organic soil amendments on root galling and nematode populations are shown in Table 3.

Timetable for decision-making on nematode management in tomatoes
Approx. time before planting date (months)

-12 months
Remove plants without shaking the soil from the roots. Destroy nematode-infested root systems Infested plants must be burned, or sealed in plastic bags and disposed of in the garbage.

-8 Months
Plough out crop immediately after harvest.
Maintain a weed-free fallow until a cover crop is planted.
Plant a cover crop that is not susceptible to root-knot nematodes, e.g. winter cereals or forage sorghum, mustard,

-2 Months
Collect soil samples and either: do a bioassay; or test soil for nematodes.

0 Months
If the results of nematode analyses or bioassays, or the previous occurrence of nematode problems, suggest nematodes are likely to cause damage, either:
plant a nematode-resistant variety; or
apply a pre-plant nematicide. Where severe infestations occur, rest soil from growing host plants for three years. Control weeds assiduously.

Nemodode Information supplied by Tony Pattison, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland.

Saving Tomato Seed

2009-03-10T20:41:00.010+11:00

Tomatoes are self pollinating, making them an easy choice for saving seeds. The earliest and more attractive plants of a variety should be marked, staked and inspected during the growing season for desease and immunity from pest attacks. the best fruit of the lower three bunches/hand of each plant is best for seed.
Allow the fruit to ripen just beyond the eating stage. cut them open, squeeze out the jelly and seeds. if it is a dry variety such as Italian plums ect you may have to ad a tiny amunt of water.

Label the container and leave in a warm spot for two-three days, undistirbed. a foamy scum will form on top and it will look as though something has gone horribly. Don’t worry. This is a beneficial fermentation process that kills off several diseases that can affect tomato plants, but the mould can cause premature germination of the seed, if it is left too long

As soon as the foam forms, scoop it off the top and fill the container will clean water. Viable seed sinks to the bottom of the jar. Carefully pour off loose jelly floating at the top of the jar, then pour the jar contents into a sieveadd water . Wash and rub until clean. The jelly around the seeds will have been washed off. Spread them out in a single layer, somewhere dry and out of the sun.

Letting them dry on a plate or large dish stops them from sticking to the surface and then after a few hours of drying you can rub them between your palms to stop them sticking together.

Put the seeds in a labelled envelope and hang to dry for two weeks. It is imperitive that you label at all stages, especially if you are saving more than one variety of tomato.

Kindly reproduced from Seed savers handbook

Monthy Natter - Feb

2009-03-08T12:17:00.008+11:00

Our first meeting for 2009 went well, small but nevertheless productive.

As I mentioned in our group email the calender for 2009 was discussed, some good ideas resulted and I will post it for comments sometime this week. If anyone would like to host a meeting please speak up.

Tomatoes... again small but productive. Derek & I discussed a couple of ways to save tomato seed and found his method suggested of letting the seeds ferment in situ to be very logical, after all that is how nature intended. That is; to pick best bunch or branch of tomato/s and hang them in dry sunny place so fermentation occurs withing the tomato. I would be very interested to hear if any one else has tried this method, and their results. This is opposed to fermenting seeds in dish, as below. As for our varieties to show off. Derek had a nice yellow tiger, which he was a little disappointed in size, but it still made an excellent salad tomato, and I had the Tatura dwarf varieties purchased earlier from Eden seeds. So far they have been excellent, in taste, vigour, disease resistance, however the heat knocked them and they haven't really bounced back.

We also compared other summer successes...bunching onions were a winner for me, neither of us had much luck with climbing french beans in the heat, Derek once again will have a lovely crop of muffet beans, dried for winter soups and stews. My Romanesque zucchini is a real winner, no sign of mildew at all and doing exceptionally well growing in a pot. The flowers for stuffing much superior over black & gold varieties. Derek also passed on a great bounty of seeds,, fresh parsnip, lots of coriander, kale.

On writing this Kaye will be performing with the community choir at the SheppARTon festival this evening, so I wish her well and hope to see you all soon.

Carley

2009 Meetings

2009-02-24T22:21:00.004+11:00

Our First meeting will be held this Sunday: It will be a seed saving Workshop on saving seeds of Solanacea family which includes
Tomatoes, Capsicums, Chili and Eggplant, and the Fabaceae or Bean family.

It will also be a chance to set our yearly calendar, so if you cant get along and would like to hold a meeting at your own place or have a request or idea for a meeting please send me a email with details.

So see you around 1:30pm at my patch 658 Wyndham st Shepparton. Bring along Afternoon tea and any plants you have to share and gold coin donation for bushfire appeal.

Roughly – Feb - Summer veg seed harvesting
March Seedy Sunday – seed collection storage & recording workshop
April / May –
June - Seedy Sunday sorting collection seed bank distribution
July/August –
September – Seedy Sunday seed saving seed harvesting
October/November –
December – Xmas Break up

Some other ideas consider
Visiting other seed networks,
Guest speakers
Fruit tree pruning grafting
Propagation day
Have a compost making and/or worm farm demonstration
Water saving techniques
Public or open garden visits,
Working bee at someone’s patch
Volunteering at a community space/garden
Backyard poultry
Permaculture, biodynamics, lunar planting, no dig gardening
Seed saving harvesting workshop
Kitchen Garden Day (Aug)

February In the Patch

2009-02-05T11:20:00.006+11:00

Gardenate suggestions for February (temperate zone):* Broccoli (seedlings)* Cabbage (seedlings)* Carrots (sow direct)* Cucumbers (direct)* Dwarf beans (direct)* Florence Fennel (direct)* Leeks & onions (seedlings) well after heat has subsided (maybe wait till march this year)* Mustard greens (direct)* Sweetcorn (direct)

Sowed seeds of: Lettuce Flame, Butter crunch, Cos, Rocket Mustard streaks, Kale red Russian, Carrot western red, Beetroot white (Eden Seeds) & Bulls Blood, King of the Blues beans: Jade beans (I've had no success to date with these sprouting, Peas Greenfest, Broad beans, Cucumber Marketmore : Capsicum Topepo Rosso, zucchini Romenesco.
seedlings of Pak choy Broccoli with a net curtail over them to deter cabbage moth and celery

Seeds collected to date:: King of the Blues climbing beans: Parsley: Coriander: bunching red onions: Kale Red Russian:

Applied foliar fertiliser (Organix Harvest) to my garden to build up plant strength & reduce heat stress and i have also watered Tomatoes fortnightly with 2 dissolved aspirins in watering can. Supposedly to build up disease resistance; to date no diseases affecting them, just heat.
I have also side dressed most of my veg with compost.

Sweetcorn needs to be absolutely soaked with water at the crucial stage when the cobs are forming. When the little tassel at the end of the cob starts to wither it's almost ripe. A good watering, and it will produce delicious corn. · There are a number of tell tale signs one when to harvest your cobs:
· Harvest the ears 18 to 21 days after the silk first appears.
· The female silk goes from pale yellow to dark brown.The angle of the cob changes from being straight to around 30 degrees from the stalk

I pruned all the non producing branches of my fig by about half and any smaller figs in a bunch, so i get fat juicy figs and stimulates a second crop. I will attempt to summer prune my apples by cutting back all new shoots to leave about four buds.

Ooh i found this idea, that i though i might share with you all, just brilliant, as I'm always looking for my yogurt container labels at the start of another planting. http://debsvegetablegarden.blogspot.com/2008/11/from-chaos-to-order-in-few-minutes.html

November in the Patch

2008-11-26T16:23:00.007+11:00

Lovely bit of rain and what a start for our seeds & seedlings we have been nurturing over the last couple of months

The vigour of growth in the vegetable garden is always helped along by enriching the soil. I have worked a combination of sheep & chook manure, blood and bone and mushroom compost into the soil, ready to plant the greediest of the vegetables; the pumpkins, zucchini and cucumbers. Because of my space constraints zucchini and squash are planted alternately along the edge of a garden bed to hang over, and in this way they will take up minimal room, and my cucumbers are growing in a pot fed fortnightly a with a liquid brew of compost, chook and sheep manure, comfrey leaves.

Our wonderful range of beans that Virginia kindly donated can be planted: Jade Beans are a favourite for flavour; Scarlett Runner Beans are the traditional, old fashioned climbing beans unsurpassed for flavour; Purple King Climbing Bean is a good variety for warmer climates. It does not matter if the seeds are sown too close together, as they are easy to thin out later when the seedlings come up.i have planted them out in my egg carton seed trays as i have a big problem with Slater's, they eat off the young emerging shoots before they even break the surface, then planted out in the last weeks of Nov. When the first flowers are starting to grow into little beans i plant another half dozen plants then I always have a steady supply of good healthy plants. Virginia suggested to me to plant several varieties of beans for saving at opposite ends of yard.

I'm trying a three sisters bed of corn modified to suit with some climbing cucumbers at the outside edge of each row. They will climb up the sweet corn plants and the bed will give you a double harvest.

This is the perfect time of year to plant those tender vegetables, the ones that are frost sensitive. Tomatoes need warm soil and warm weather to thrive and ward off diseases. if there is a late November cold snap water them with a seaweed and fish emulsion as per directions hopefully they wont suffer too much of a setback, and avoid them becoming weakened to most diseases. At the bottom of my planting hole, two or three crushed chicken eggshells (cheap organic source of calcium) blood and bone heaping tablespoon of pure worm castings, two plain aspirin tablets. Aspirin has been shown to increase disease resistant of tomatoes, in addition to increasing blossom production. Fill hole with a little soil then plant on top. I then water fortnightly with worm tea , seaweed concentrate and two aspirin watered down to a weak tea colour and sprayed on plants as a foliar feed.

The garlic and onion bed has been successively planted from autumn right through the coldest part of winter. If the garlic foliage takes on a peculiar colouring then it indicates that it is just becoming mature, and if it bolts to seed it does not affect the bulbs. But the opposite is true with onions. The potato onions are starting to divide up into their individual bulblets, and are thriving.

Garlic, which I'm not sure where it came from, are little sweet nuggets of flavour.

And this from the SS discussion board

2008-11-26T16:16:00.000+11:00

Real Spinach and Freezing Kale
25 November 2008
Ever wanted a real spinach taste or wondered how to keep all that kale?
Robyn Williamson, coordinator of North Western Sydney Community Seed Savers recently went to the Aldinga Farmers Market just outside Adelaide.
She was delighted to run into organic vegetable growers, Poppy and John [pictured below] who were selling "Real Spinach from The Seed Savers Network". Poppy told her "Jude Fanton was here about three years ago and gave me the seeds." It is called European Spinach and is wider and thicker and lighter green than Foodhook type beets. The flavour is much more mild, not bitter, with a hint of mushroom in there.
Robyn reports: Poppy is originally from Egypt and gave me a wonderful tip about preparing her delicious kale. She told me, "After harvesting, wash the leaves and keep them in the freezer until you are ready to steam or stir fry them. Kale is exposed to freezing temperatures in its natural habitat and freezing the leaves before cooking enhances the natural sweet flavour."

This article can be found on the Web at:
http://seedsavers.communityfoods.com.au//news/1227585119_16873.jsp
This message has been generated automatically using Social Change Online's AIMS Web publishing suite.

Here are some more Rushworth Pics,

2008-11-05T22:00:00.011+11:00

Here are the pictures I took

Rusworth P12 Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden

St Marys P.S.

Rushworth B&B cottage garden

Iris Farm

Rushworth Community Garden

thanks Billie.

2008-11-02T19:03:00.005+11:00

Rushworth open garden day was great. Time was limited so I visited 4 of the 6 gardens.

succulents used to create a dividing wall - community garden

cement sofa

interesting raised bed

The wood fired pizza ovens were a feature. Examples at both community garden and college. The ovens are made from half bricks gradually tapered in then rendered.

Rushworth College - neat way to use tyres to make a wall. The beds in the background were made from sand bags and then rendered.

Q and A

2008-10-22T21:39:00.002+11:00

Why did my seeds not come up?
Seedlings may not have emerged from the potting mix or from the soil for these reasons:

Seeds were too old, or infertile for other reasons – use better seed
Too little water – water more regularly
Too much water – hold off water and increase drainage
Arrested water supply – this happens when you water, then stop watering causing the germinating seed to die
The seedlings may have emerged but been bitten off before you noticed them – check for snails, slugs and earwigs, slaters or cutworms around the stems and use natural pest control.
Seedlings may emerge then suddenly die; this is usually due to ʻdampening offʼ which is a fungal attack to the young stem – if in pots, raise the level of the potting mix so as to avoid having damp air stagnating around the young plant.

The Three Sisters are a special family....

2008-10-22T21:13:00.005+11:00

Who are the Three Sisters?
“In late spring, we plant the corn and beans and squash. They're not just plants - we call them the three sisters. We plant them together, three kinds of seeds in one hill. They want to be together with each other, just as we Indians want to be together with each other. So long as the three sisters are with us we know we will never starve. The Creator sends them to us each year. We celebrate them now. We thank the Creator for the gifts given us today and every day.”
Chief Louis Farmer (Onondaga)

The Three Sisters, corn, beans, and squash, are the traditional Native American garden foods of North America.
Each of the Three Sisters helps the others grow.
- Beans give nitrogen for the other sisters.
- Corn supports beans.
- Sprawling squash vines with prickly leaves protect from hungry animals, and hold in the
soil moisture on hot dry days.

The Three Sisters teach a sophisticated way to farm that evolved over generations of watchful farmers. Indigenous knowledge is the practical experience and living traditions of Native people passed on from generation to generation. Native American farmers observed that corn, beans and squash are stronger when grown together rather than separately. Why? Growing corn in straight rows wastes planting space, does not follow the natural contours of the Earth and requires heavy fertilization. Beans like a support system to hold on to. Squash and corn need
abundant nitrogen from the soil. Each of the three sisters has an important function. As corn grows straight and tall, beans cling onto the strong corn stalks for support. The broad prickly squash leaves hold in soil moisture and protect from marauding animals. The leguminous beans breathe in atmospheric nitrogen, absorbing it into the nitrogen-fixing nodules on their roots, and then give it to the soil to fertilize the other two hungry sisters.

Planting a Three Sisters Garden
In Spring when the oak leaves are the size of a deer’s ear - stand with two other friends in garden soil ready for planting. Clasp each other’s hands to make a circle together. Place your circle three people’s outstretched arms from other people’s circles. Everything in your circle is part of the Three Sisters garden. Look up to see the birds and bugs flying above your circle. Look down to the soil creatures crawling under the soil. All the life in the circle above and below is part of the Three Sisters Garden.

Make a hill of a hand height in the soil that is the same size circle as your arm-circle (about 2-3 feet
across). In the center plant seven corn kernels a hand apart in a circle. When the corn has grown as tall as your hands – plant beans a hand apart in a circle around the corn. Plant seven squash seeds around the edge of the circle. As the beans grow gently wind them around the corn. As the squash grows, guide them outside the circle.

Many Native American tribes honor the seven directions, Father Sky above, Mother Earth below, north, south, east, and west. Feel these directions with your feet firmly standing in this place. The seventh direction, the center of the circle, is in our heart.

Reprinted from 'From Generation to Generation' Fedenco Seeds Publication.

Our Seeds

2008-10-02T17:24:00.006+10:00

The following is our current list of Seeds for distribution.
Please send a stamped, self addressed envelope to PO Box 331 Shepparton 3630
with the details of what packets you want i can send a max of 5 packets per request.

Contact me if you have questions or have any seed to return to bank ctrant@bigpond.com.au

Broccoli Di Cicco
Broccoli Green Sprouting
Bush Bean Jade
Bush Bean sex without strings
Bush Bean Violet Queen
Cabbage Sugarloaf
Capsicum Toppepo Rosso
Carrot Western Red
Climbing Bean General Maclay
Climbing Bean King of the Blues
Climbing Bean Muffet
Climbing Bean Purple King
Coriander
Eggplant Listada Di Gandia
Eggplant Thai Green
Eggplant Tokyp long Black
Gramma Butternut
Indian Saag
Kale Lacinato
Kale Red Winter
Luffa
New Zealand Spinach
Onion Odourless
Onion Stuttgart long keeper
Pak Choi
Parsnip
Pumpkin Marina De Chioggia
Rockmelon Minnesota Midget
Snake Bean Black podded
Snake Bean Brown Podded
Snow Pea Melting Mammoth
Tomato Black Cherry
Tomato Black Russian
Tomato Tatura Bush Dwarf
Watermelon Small shining light
White Beetroot

October in the Patch

2008-10-01T15:07:00.009+10:00

Spring has sprung, exciting times, blossoms, shoots and leaves with lots of promise, and the days are warming to whats ahead. its tome to plant your veges out and prepare your garden for the dry months ahead. These are the main planting time for the year, you will be planting the veges you'll be eating all summer, so take a grip, whatever you plant now you'll have to tend in December, the more you dig now, the more you'll have to weed in a months time. start small and extend your plot week by week. that way you wont start more than you can tend.

One crop plantings, that will see you through most of the year such as ,corn, silverbeet, celery, leeks, parsnips, turnips, potatoes and pumpkins and watermelons. plant enough to pick and store or if you don't fancy preserving the harvest plant only enough to eat.

Then there are the staggered croppers, - beans peas, lettuce, tomatoes, spring onions, beetroot carrot, and zucchini. Plant in succession when the first lot is just starting to flower, or form root swellings.

Prepare beds for sweet corn, by working in sheep manure laced with blood and bone, an old saying is to plant corn when the peach blossom falls- unless of course it has been frosted off.

Sow those pumpkins, zucchini and squash seeds directly or the plants that you had planted on back in August, into a lovely rich mound of mushroom compost and old manure.

Sow root crops such as carrot, parsnip, beetroot, swede and turnip. keep the seedbed moist and cover with old net curtains to keep the birds from scratching.
Plant the lase of the seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower broccoli, and kale. Seeds planted now will not develop in time before the heat of summer and will just bolt to seed.

You can get a quick crop of Chinese greens and lettuces, water well and fertilise with seaweed spray to get rapid growth before the heat of summer. Plant in dappled shade.

Spring onions can be grown now as easily as lawn. sow them in rows direct in the soil which has had a generous handful of dolomite raked through first. cover with a thin layer of soil and in two weeks they will erupt. then in 4 weeks time plant another, you'll be guaranteed a steady supply.

Celery is grown from seed sown into containers keeping the seed raising mixture quite wet. water twice daily if possible or sit them in a container of water . when big enough plant them out in a well limed soil.

Use a mulch of old manure and pine needles around strawberries for bigger sweeter yields.

Hold off on those tomatoes till the end of the month, keep watering well in pots and allow to become slightly root bound in pots that way they will jump out of their pots and set flowers early. Some more on tomatoes at end of month.

Beans and peas can go in directly where you want them to grow. Slater's can be a problem so use a collar pushed down into soil around seed made from an used yogurt container etc with the bottom cut out.

Hopefully this covers it all - if not post a comment with your expertise or a question....

Monthly Natter - September

2008-10-01T14:34:00.003+10:00

We met last Sunday at Billabong garden centre and the gods certainly put it on for us, not only was the weather super, the lovely people at Billabong allowed us use of a lovely shaded spot with table overlooking the spring blossoms and meanderings of their customers. I urge everyone to hurry out there ASAP and buy some goodies.

Lots to talk about being our Seedy Sunday, we organised our seeds into those for selling and those for our group's use, we decided that the our list of seeds will be distributed and any one wanting them will send a stamped self -addressed envelope to Carley. the market will also continue to be a place to swap or available for purchase. Dec, Jan & Feb markets not worth doing however. Seed packets are available to download. some great ideas for next years meetings were discussed as well, anyone wanting a garden working bee, ideas for meetings or volunteering their backyard is more than welcome.

Derek brought along a big bag of new Zealand Spinach and lots of bok choi and tatsoi and fennel seeds all of which we will use at market. He was also appointed the group's authority on Chinese greens and over the growing season will hopefully have some seeds and lessons to share. Jenny was very excited on propagating some of the Marina Di Choggia pumpkins for growing on to sell at markets ... "In the time I was away My Di Choggia pumpkin came up further and a mate joined him. Very exciting stuff. Eggs, Chinese greens and lettuces were exchanged and we bid happy gardening till next time.....Carley

Monthly Natter

2008-09-12T09:35:00.009+10:00

Amongst the emerging blossoms and a whole Lotta vegetables we all enjoyed our August meeting and International Kitchen garden day. Despite our little deviation towards Echuca we arrived and the Sun was shining, a beautiful nearly spring day.

A few new faces, and some familiar ones, a HUGE thanks to Tania & Campbell for not only hosting the day, providing us with goodies, but also for their wonderful example of a self sufficient lifestyle. their farm not only provides a welcome relief of old fruit varieties to the GV, but they also exchange their masses of produce for milk, and other produce with their neighbours. We all left inspired, some with a big planting day ahead of them and some with new ideas.

For those of you that couldn't make i have put a few pics on our web page and Cam's advice on spur pruning for apples/pears. Campbell probably has one of the best examples of espaliered peaches, cherries, apples and pears around.

Our next meeting will be Spring seedy Sunday, at Billabong Garden Centre on 28th @ 1:30. We will take stock of our collection to date and distribute our summer seeds for collection.

Till then, happy growing - Carley

Passionfruit

2008-09-10T14:15:00.007+10:00

Everyone can Grow a Passionfruit .....

Passionfruit vines are known for their tendrils, which are little curly spring-like things that attach themselves to wire and really grip on like a python. That’s how they climb. Often what happens with a passionfruit vine is there is green growth on the outside, where the tendrils have attached themselves, and they have woody material in the centre. In late winter and early spring it’s time for a clean up. You don't have to prune hard every year. But in early spring take off about 30 centimetres - that’s ideal.

Varieties
There are many different varieties of passionfruit. Some to look out for include:The grafted Panama Gold - which has big fruit and its skin is a golden yellow colour. The Panama Red – which is red skinned, has rather large fruit, and is also grafted. Both are good to grow in the tropics. But for southern Australia, the grafted Nelly Kelly black passionfruit is the best choice.

Growing
A great spot for a passionfruit vine is one that’s out in the open, has full sun and no trees or competitive roots. Grow it on a structure like a strong trellis or up and over on a pergola. In the olden days every passionfruit vine was planted on top of a lamb or sheep's liver, ox heart, or some other piece of offal, to provide iron. Stick it at the bottom of the hole, cover it up a little bit, and then plant the passionfruit as normal.If you don't want to use a lamb's liver, or offal, you could use pelletised chook manure. And scatter that about a metre around the root system. Do this about twice a year. Remember that passionfruit vines are also hungry and thirsty and love a well-drained soil. It’s also a good idea to put some mulch around the root system, to protect it from the hot sun. In its first year the little vine will tendril its way across the wires. Just nip out the top little bud and it will shoot out laterally. This means you'll get lots of side shoots, and expect fruit in about 18 months.Given plenty of food, well-drained soil and lots of water, you will end up with a great passionfruit vine.

And, a little tip - when you see the fruit developing, get your little child to get a nail and scratch their name into the fruit and you end up with your own branded passionfruit.

Problems
Why do my vines flower but don't set fruit?
There are several reasons for vines flowering but not setting fruit.
Poor pollination. This is the main cause and can be due to bees not working the flowers (for example during heavy rain); temperatures being too low or too high for pollination (optimum temperatures for pollen germination are between 20°C and 35°C); or rain directly reducing the viability of the pollen (moisture causes the pollen grains to split).
Boron deficiency.
Extended periods of overcast weather. This may cause flower drop regardless of pollination problems.

Why are fruit dropping off my vine?
There are three possible reasons for fruit dropping off vines:
irregular watering in which the vines at times get insufficient water
fungal diseases
fruit fly and severe mite damage, particularly with young fruit.

Why are my leaves going yellow?
The most common cause of leaves going yellow is passionfruit woodiness virus. Other possible causes are:
magnesium deficiency
nitrogen deficiency on sandy soils
'winter yellows'. This is brought on by cold weather, windy conditions, low humidity or a combination of these.

What are these spots on my fruit and leaves?
Spots on fruit and leaves are usually caused by fungal diseases. The most likely causes are:
Alternata spot
Brown spot
Septoria spot.

Why are my fruit bumpy or malformed?
There are several causes of bumpy or malformed fruit. Here are the main ones.
Passionfruit woodiness virus. This is the most likely cause, particularly if your vines are not growing well and there are mottled yellow leaves present.
Boron deficiency.
Insect damage, particularly fruit fly.

Why are my fruit shrivelled?
There are several possible causes of shrivelled, poorly developed fruit. The main ones are:
fruit fly damage
sucking bug damage
poor pollination
boron deficiency
insufficient irrigation when a heavy crop is set.

Why are my vines dying?
There are three possible causes of vines dying.
Phytophthora blight, which shows first on the new growth, particularly after prolonged wet weather.
Fusarium wilt. This is most likely if resistant rootstocks were not used. It normally causes rapid (within one or two days) wilting of the entire plant, especially in very hot weather.
Base rot - a dry corky collar rot at ground level.

Why are my vines growing poorly?
The most likely cause of vines growing poorly is passionfruit woodiness virus. The disease is generally present at some level in most vines. When vines are growing vigorously, symptoms are not normally evident, but when vines are under any sort of stress (for example, cold weather, lack of water, lack of nutrients), the disease becomes evident and slows growth. Affected leaves are yellow and mottled and affected fruit bumpy and malformed.

Cabbage Capers

2008-09-10T13:18:00.010+10:00

Cabbage, if your like me you always grow more than what your can use and think we all have memories of someone overcooking it to a grey mash, The notorious odor problem is a result of over cooking. and as a result, we don't use this wonderful veg.

Cabbage is easy to grow if you select suitable varieties and practice proper culture and insect management. Always regarded as a good source of vitamins, cabbage recently has been shown to have disease-preventive properties as well. As with broccoli, may reduce the risk of some forms of cancer. Cabbage is also high in beta-carotene, vitamin C and fiber

Green cabbage is grown more often than the red or Savoy types, but red cabbage has become increasingly popular for color in salads and cooked dishes. The Savoy varieties are grown for slaw and salads. Varieties that mature later usually grow larger heads and are more suitable for making sauerkraut than the early varieties.

Transplant early cabbage soon enough that it matures before the heat of summer and two or three varieties with different maturities can provide harvest over a long period. Hardened plants are tolerant of frosts and can be planted among the earliest of cool-season garden vegetables. Cabbage is easily transplanted from seedlings grown from seed sown in punnets. Use starter fertiliser of seaweed brew (see ) when transplanting and side-dress with compost & blood & bone mix when the plants are half grown. Ample soil moisture is necessary throughout the growing season to produce good cabbage. Splitting is caused by the pressure of excessive water taken up after the heads are solid, so don't over water -water little but more often.

Don't over plant just one or two plants planted out every 4 weeks over winter and early - mid spring will do, after that grow Kale. it tastes better in my opinion and can be picked as per loose leaf lettuce.

The Cabbage moth; as always prevention is better than cure so be vigilant, when you see them flitting about, hand pick grubs or just cover the whole lot. Old net curtains from op shop do the job wonderfully. You can also try making plastic butterflies or spreading white eggshells around plants as butterflies wont land where there are already butterflies around. Building the populations of natural predators is always worthwhile so grow Good bug mix http://www.greenharvest.com.au/seeds/good_bug_mix.html

Least toxic chemical control - Choosing a least-toxic spray will reduce the impact on your good bugs! Garlic spray can be used as a repellent and to kill caterpillars or Dipel, or Bt for short. This biological control is a bacterial stomach poison for all caterpillars, which is mixed with water and sprayed onto foliage. It is totally safe to beneficial insects, bees and mammals. Bt is broken down by sunlight within a few days; so repeated applications may be necessary

Last of all this is what you can do with the Stuff -

Small Scale Sauerkraut
This recipe is very easy, and it does not take all day and a bushel of cabbage. You can make 12 cups of sauerkraut from one medium head of green cabbage. Spices such as juniper berries, dill seed and garlic can be added to the cabbage, if desired.
9 cups shredded green cabbage
1/4 cup pickling salt
clean jars
Trim dark, limp outer leaves and wash the cabbage.
Remove the central core & thinly shred. As you slice, measure 9 cups into a large nonreactive bowl.
Sprinkle salt over shredded cabbage. Using clean hands, mix well.
Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours. In the meantime, sterilise jars. (To sterilize jars, place them in a large pot, cover with warm water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 15 minutes. Leave jars in hot water until ready to use.)
Rinse, drain and rinse again.
Pack wet cabbage into sterilised jars (using a wooden spoon or pestle) firmly and keep packing down until liquid rises to cover the top of the cabbage. Spices may be added between the layers of cabbage. Leave a couple of cm of head space at the top of each jar. More space is okay.
Wipe away any stray pieces of cabbage not under the liquid inside the jar. Crumple a large piece of plastic wrap and force it into the jar to exclude air from reaching the cabbage in the space left inside of the jar. Use more than one piece if necessary. Seal loosely.

Place the jars in an area where the temperature stays at 20-22°C. This is the ideal temperature for fermentation. Check the sauerkraut every few days for froth. There should be no froth if plastic is keeping air away from the cabbage. If froth forms, remove it with a metal spoon and place a fresh piece of plastic wrap in the jars.
Fermentation should cease in 2-4 weeks. The sauerkraut is ready when no more air bubbles are at the surface of the cabbage. The smell will be pleasantly pungent and pickled.
If sauerkraut is too salty, rinse it just before using. Rinse only the amount you intend to use.
Store the remainder in the refrigerator. It will keep for several months

Cabbage Curry

tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
12 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Finely slice the cabbage wash and strain

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mustard, curry, and turmeric; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in cabbage and remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

CABBAGE ROLLS
2 tablespoons oil
3 to 4 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2kg ground beef
2kg ground pork
4 cups cooked rice
4 eggs
1 200g can diced tomato with green chilies
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
4 cans diced tomato
2 to 3 heads cabbage
Add the oil, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook uncovered over medium heat stirring occasionally until onions are beginning to brown around the edges. Remove heat.

Put a large stock pot of water to boil on the stove to make the cabbage leaves more pliable.While the onion mixture is cooking, prepare the cabbage. Cut around the core and remove the core. Remove the whole leaves from the cabbage (under running water if necessary). You should be able to remove a little over half of the head before the leaves become too small. For the above recipe, we used two heads of ‘flat head’ cabbage. In a large dish pan or other large container, add ground beef, pork, rice, eggs, can tomato with chilies, salt, pepper, cayenne (go easy, a little goes a long way) and the cooked onion mixture from the skillet. Using your well washed hands mix everything thoroughly. In the large pot of boiling water, place 6 to 8 leaves of cabbage at a time for about 2 minutes or less. The water does not have to return to a boil. You’re not cooking the cabbage, just making it a little softer. Put the slightly limp leaves aside until they’re all done. Place about ¾ of a cup of the meat-rice mixture, shaped into a meatball, inside of one leaf and roll the leave around the meat ball. Put the cabbage rolls, loose edges down, in a 6cm (or more) deep baking dish. It took us four 11 x 17 inch baking pans for this recipe. Using the remaining 4 cans of diced tomato, pour one can over cabbage rolls in each pan. You can use diced tomato and green chilies if you prefer just decrease or eliminate the cayenne pepper. Cover the pans with foil and bake at 180 C for about 2 ½ hours. Cooking time is less if you are making a smaller recipe. Cook long enough for the meat to be done.Recipe yields 30 to 40 cabbage rolls

Japanese Pickled Cabbage

3 cucumber
3 leaves of cabbage
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
less than 1 tablespoon salt
Directions
Cut cucumber into less than a bite piece.
Cut cabbage into 1/2 inch.
Cut ginger into shredded.
Put (1)-(3) in bowl add salt, push down on material with weight overnight.

August in the patch

2008-08-17T19:01:00.002+10:00

August brings so many jobs to be done as spring arrives, but to me August means potatoes. They can be placed directly on the surface of the soil and covered with about a third of a metre of peastraw. They won’t grow in straw alone because there is very little nourishment, so a thick layer of sheep manure and soil/compost is placed on top, then liberally apply blood and bone over this to provide calcium and nitrogen for the potatoes when they come through. The bed needs total saturation to rot down, and the manures and compost will break down through the straw and be used by the potatoes as they come through. The pile will remain moist after this initial watering, so only water as required after this. Additional straw can be added, with the crop being ready by Christmas. Don't grow them in a straw/wire ring as suggested by many, it does work, but dries out easily and thus demands lots of WATER...something we dont have the luxury of. i have grown potatoes in tyres in early spring and autumn, to extend the season. the rest of the time , and if you have the room, grow them in soil for godsake, thats where they grow best.

Artichokes - Jerusalem artichokes are a type of sunflower and their tubers make wonderful eating. They can be roasted, put in the microwave and make marvellous soups. Bury the tubers and cover with a mulch of compost, blood and bone and manure. This will seep into the soil and produce a plant with yellow-flowering daisies three or four metres tall.

Globe artichokes are an Thistle. The buds before they open are the part of the plant that is eaten as a vegetable. The flowers are a beautiful blue and the foliage is popularly used in landscaping. A proven producer of good artichokes can be propagated from offsets. These are new plants produced at the base of the parent plant. Pull them off or dig them out from the side, making sure they have a few roots, burying this new plant firmly in the ground, allowing the new plant to spread about 1.5 metres, with the same height. The edible part of this undeveloped flower makes delicious eating.

It is also time to sow peas. Dwarf Snow Peas and Snap Peas can be planted with a lattice placed in the middle of the rows to support both of them when they come through. If the rows are planted thickly with peas it will allow for the losses caused by birds, and a good crop will grow without the need to replant.

give your soil and folage a bit of a boost by watering with a brew made up - to 10 litres of water add :½ a cup of fish emulsion – 1 cup of seaweed concentrate – 3 teaspoons of zinc sulphate.-3 teaspoons of epsom salts (magnesium sulphate)Mix well. This is a very strong mixture – far too strong to apply directly to the foliage of plants. In fact it could damage or even kill young plants if applied at this strength.

Vegetable Potager

2008-08-15T17:31:00.007+10:00

I Know this is very English and formal, but i love the all together nature with flowers thrown in and rambling over the oblesks

This design can turn even a suburban backyard into a potager (loosely translated as "a garden to make a pot of soup"). Gravel paths divide four rectangular beds, anchored by a central terra-cotta oil jar. Each bed is about 6' wide and 8' long, so you can reach in for weeding or harvesting without having to step much into the tilled soil.

The berry patch - Think about how and when you will be picking each crop before you plant. Strawberries ripen daily (and grow low to the ground), so it's important they be reachable from the path.

Guilt-free snipping -Cutting flowers, like these assorted dahlias, are traditionally grown in rows like vegetables. That way, you don't feel like you are spoiling a garden composition every time you gather some.decorative herbs A row of flowering herbs like lavender provides fragrant ornamentation and can be harvested late in the season to dry for the house.

Herb is the word - useful herbs mix up this area with mass plantings of several kinds of herbs. Some annual types such as basil and cilantro will go to seed quickly in hot weather, so include perennials like rosemary, sage and thyme.

Themes and variations - formally designed beds can be symmetrical without being mirror images. Contrast the yellow 'Russian Giant' sunflowers at upper left with a row of dark-brown 'Velvet Queen' sunflowers here.

morning glories, meet garlic. Highs and lows add some height Towering plants like these 'Russian Giant' sunflowers create a living fence. The rows of flowers will make an attractive see-through screen

All-season structure Nonbotanical elements like obelisks have an appealing formality and give composition to the beds early in the season, when seedlings are small.
not just mixed greens Introduce extra color by planting varieties with unusual-hued leaves like dark 'Red Sails' or frilly 'Lolla Rossa' lettuce.

Monthly Natter

2008-07-16T21:22:00.004+10:00

I love the winter, its a favorite season second to autumn. What a contrast to summer: no scorching sun, no heat stress and definately no problem with water evaporation and winter greens...

Irish Potato and Kale Soup
Ingredients1 diced onion3 cloves chopped garlic5 large potatoes2 Tablespoons of olive oil6 small kale leaves2 cups of cut broccoli3 sliced spring onions1 cup roughly chopped parsleysalt and black pepper1/2 cup snipped chiveswaterMethodHeat oil, add onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes. Add diced potatoes and sufficient water to cover potatoes. Cook gently until potatoes are tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook for a few minutes until vegetables are just tender. Serve as is or add a spoonful of butter or cream or grated pecorino cheese.

Some Gardening inspiration

2008-06-23T13:49:00.023+10:00

Look at some of these wonderful veggie plots, I only wish I could re-start mine. The keyhole example would definitely suit small yards as would the yin/yang round bed. As for the weaving, it just goes to show that you can have a beautiful creative garden and a productive one too! do as the lady with the little star garden is and Enjoy

What an entrance!

These could easily replace front lawns.

The ultimate water wise garden utilising a herb spiral permaculture water recycling and inter-planted with beneficial plants and vegetables.

I wish i had seen these before i designed my patch!!

This is how they do it in Africa, where soils are so poor they build em up and in the middle add the water and nutrients which leaches through. KGI has this video of keyhole gardens in Africa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjcjCCx3BWY

And finally weaving some magic. A lady in the Adelaide hills uses her prunings in a most beautiful way.

Black Magic

2008-06-22T17:00:00.007+10:00

This is an extract from a gardening Australia shown in Nov 07 I have included it because I believe lessons learned are often those that we learn by example, and Pete’s patch is an excellent example of a garner sharing his knowledge and secrets. The charcoal mix I tried with my sweetcorn and they had excellent results. I'm trying it this season with broad beans and onions , both of which I added a good handful of dolomite lime as the soluble trace element. I have also used it as a side dressing rather than at planting. I purchased the charcoal at Bunnings cheap at $4 and used a heavy rock to pulverise. Please try and let me know your results..

Gardening is nothing more than a series of experiments - we have successes and the occasional failures and that's how we learn. I'm going to experiment with an ancient method of retaining and increasing soil fertility using charcoal that’s been impregnated with organic fertilisers and micronutrients.Charcoal or any kind of charred organic matter is a highly absorbent form of carbon. It does not decompose in the soil.

The recipe:Use one third of a standard bucket of pulverised charcoal Half a cup of fish emulsion, half a cup of seaweed concentrate and 4 teaspoons of mixed, soluble trace elements all dissolved into 2-3 litres of water in a separate bucket to make a strong, nutrient concentrate.

Method:1 Place the charcoal safely in a strong bag. Moisten a little for safety reasons. Use a hammer or similar implement to crush and pulverise it into a fine dust. Then place the dust into an extra-large bucket. Avoid inhaling the dust – you might wear a protective face mask or respirator.

2 Pour the fertiliser-based nutrient concentrate into the charcoal dust. Leave to soak for 3 days.

3 Then add one third of a bucketful each of dry river (pit) sand and ordinary soil (not clay). Mix together thoroughly.

4 Don’t use a stronger mixture than suggested.To use with tomatoes: Place a double handful of the impregnated charcoal, soil and sand mixture at each planting point and mix widely and deeply into the surrounding soil. Plant a seedling in the centre and water in.

To use with sweet corn: Make a 50mm deep drill or groove and widely dribble the charcoal mixture in and alongside it at the rate of a double handful per metre. Mix with surrounding soil. Sow sweet corn seeds into this and water. (When seedlings emerge they must be thinned so those remaining are spaced half a metre apart).

To use with seedlings of cabbages, cauliflowers, broccolis, kales, silverbeet and lettuces, add a good handful of the charcoal mix to each planting point and mix into the surrounding soil.In order to make the experiment more reliable, plant or sow some vegetables into soil that has not received any charcoal treatment.

Also try adding pulverised charcoal alone (without any fertilisers), to the soil around similar plants to help in arriving at more balanced results. The aim is to compare plant health, growth rate, yields and flavour.Don’t use the enriched charcoal when growing carrots or parsnips as it may cause wasteful root-forking.

This is purely an experiment. It is roughly based on ancient techniques used by the people of the Amazon Basin over a thousand years ago.We are asking interested Gardening Australia viewers and readers to try out this method and to let us know of any beneficial or other results.

NOTE: The charcoal we used in this experiment came from an old pile of burnt wood. Charcoal lumps (not ash) can also be retrieved cold from an extinguished wood-stove or fireplace.Please do not attempt to make your own charcoal. Doing so can be dangerous and also cause serious atmospheric pollution.

Gardening Q & A

2008-06-10T12:10:00.010+10:00

I often get asked lots of questions about gardening some more complicated than others, so I will attempt to answer most of them, here is the first installment. If you have any questions, just click on the Q&A link.

Q. What’s a good size for a first garden?
A: Carefully managed, even a 1 x 1 m plot will produce quite a bit of food and will leave you time to learn about and enjoy caring for a vegetable garden. If you have lots of space and want to try a larger garden, make it about 3 x 6 m . The bigger and the more beds, the more you have to do and keep on top of. Keep in mind that the ideal size for your garden depends on the types of crops you want to plant, too. Crops like bush beans, lettuce, spinach, peppers, and carrots are perfect for a small garden. However, if pumpkins and winter squash are high up on your planting list, you’ll need to prepare a bigger garden, since just one of these plants can cover an entire vege patch if allowed.

Square Foot Gardening Mel Bartholomew is a good read on making easy & productive gardens.

Q How do i garden organically?
FIRST, STOP USING CHEMICALS
Safely dispose of all your chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides so that you are not tempted to use them. This is important as the harm they do will hamper your efforts to build up an organic system

Design Properly.Find the Right Spot, a successful organic garden is all about the right location. Find a spot in your yard with full sun (at least 6 hours, you may need shade in summer though our summer sun is too harsh on most veg, shade cloth is very handy here), well-drained soil, and one that's within easy reach of the house. Create raised beds by mounding the soil and flattening the top. Soil in raised beds warms up and dries out faster in spring and is easier to work. You can reform the beds each spring or make the beds permanent by framing them with rot-resistant wood, plastic or stone Design your garden with a mix of flowers, vegetables, fruits and herbs. A mixed planting is less likely to get completely destroyed by insect, animal or disease attacks

Beef Up the Soil.Think of the soil in your garden as a living environment in which earthworms and beneficial bacteria convert organic material and inorganic soil minerals into plant food. Fertile, humus rich soil is a storehouse of plant nutrients which are made available to plants as required and in balanced form. Soil structure is important. Soil must be friable to permit air and water to enter and to allow plant roots to forage through it. This is achieved by the addition of organic material in the form of compost, mulches and green manures. Add organic matter such as grass clippings, leaves, compost, manure, hay and straw every time you plant, dig, or till. Here’s a basic plan that will improve any soil, from clay to sand: Add before you plant. When preparing a new garden bed, spread a thick layer of compost, well-rotted manure, or other organic matter. Then add a new layer of organic matter every spring after that. Plant a cover crop. Once you’ve pulled out a crop at season’s end, sow an annual cover crop like red clover or hairy vetch to protect the soil over winter, control weeds, and add more organic matter. Dig it into the soil a few weeks before planting in spring

Composting is possibly one of the most important activities of the organic gardener. It is an extension of nature's own system of recycling vegetable matter and returning it to the soil.It is a perpetual cycle that ha been going on in nature since time began and there is no better way of keeping the soil in your garden fertile and healthy. There are other materials that can benefit the soil which organic gardeners make use of. These include animal manures, blood and bone mixture, seaweed extract, fish emulsion, dolomite and rock minerals, to name a few.

Grow What You Like. Although it may seem obvious, grow crops you and your family love to eat. While bush beans, lettuces and tomatoes are some of the easiest vegetables to grow, if your family doesn't enjoy them, why grow them? Grow varieties of vegetables and fruits adapted to your area. Check with local gardeners to find the best varieties to grow.

Start with seedlings. Seeds are necessary for root crops, such as carrots and radishes, but seedlings of most other vegetables are more likely to be a success. once you are used to how and when things grow, move onto sowing and saving your own seeds. there is nothing more satisfying than

Plant Correctly. Don't plant too deep, this is often a common mistake, follow directions and plant at the proper spacing and depth. Thin seeded crops to the proper distance. Crowded plants become easily stressed and don't produce well.

Encourage Nature
Strong vigorous plants will resist disease and insect attach, but the most effective agents operating to control insect pests are, and always will be, those that occur in nature. The organic gardner does all he or she can to encourage these predators which include birds, frogs, lizards and may beneficial insects such as ladybirds, lacewings, preying mantis, and several species of wasps. The good bugs or beneficial insects are ones that eat the bad ones, you can into the garden by planting a mix of flowers amongst your veges, such as, rue, yarrow, cosmos, Sweet Alice, dill, tansy, Queen Anne's lace, Chinese mustard, parsley and daisies. An attractive collection of these plants is available as the Good Bug Mix from Green Harvest. Inspect plants every few days for any insect activity. Handpick destructive insects and drop them in a can of soapy water. Use garlic & chili spray to rid of large infestations but don't overuse as this kills the good bugs

How do i make Compost?

Any organic matter, material which was once living, will break down eventually in the composting process composting is simply the recycling of organic matter. Compost will be only as good as the materials which go into it. You need a variety of materials to give you a balance of nutrients: grass clippings; kitchen waste; leaves; weeds; manure; hair, mouldy bread; meat scraps; egg shells; sawdust (from untreated timber); tissues; vacuum cleaner dust; feathers, twigs. The list goes on and on. There are several methods and i often find the following books a good reference Soil Food Jackie French 1995 or Recycle Your Garden – The Essential Guide to Composting Tim Marshall 2003. Whichever method is used, it is essential that the bottom of the bin or heap is open so that soil micro-organisms and worms can enter the compost

With autumn leaves falling, lush grassy lawns springing back from summer's heat and drought, and gardens generating heaps of tired vines and other vegetable wastes, this is the perfect time to start a new compost pile or breath some new life into your old one.

Q. Where do you get all your info?

The book I refer to most on vegetable gardening is Backyard Self-sufficiency Jackie French 1992, and Jackie French's Top 10 Vegetables. Her thoughts on growing and preparing these vegetables are both delectable and entertaining. Australian Vegetable Garden Clive Blazey 1999 is another great reference book

The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia Louis Glowinski 1997 is the Fruit Bible, and often borrowed from the local library
Bill Mollison's books on Permaculture are also fascinating.

The monthly magazine Organic Gardener is one of the best magazines I’ve found on the subject. Also Gardening Australia ABC is an essential part of our weekly TV.

Most of all opening my ears and asking questions in groups such as our seed savers.

Vegetable Gardens Revolution

2008-06-02T12:11:00.008+10:00

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."-Margaret Mead (1901 - 1978) US anthropologist

Reading an article on the Kitchen Gardner's website http://www.kitchengardeners.org/, recently got me thinking that, in the face of Global Warming & Oil shortages, that our skills as seed savers and vegetable growers will not only be required, but will become increasingly valued. It made me feel a little needed, in this ultra-conservative community, it also gave me a little hope.

Being a greenie at heart, my fruitless actions of my youth were insignificant against the tide of conformist attitude. So when the idea of growing your own food first could be a simple approach to farmed foods and the impact they have on the environment, first presented to me I jumped for joy. I also jumped at the opportunity to become involved in whatever way. Scouring the net I came across Seed Savers and lucky for me a local group. Along the way I have met some wonderful and caring people, picked up invaluable knowledge.

By growing my food, I have avoided fruits & veg that in their production, is fertilised, pesticide (several times), preserved, packaged and then transported and cool stored, all using synthetic chemicals and processes both wasteful and harmful to the environment. so you see, I'm doing my little bit and becoming more aware of the food on my plate and the natural processes and cycles from which good food comes.

Gardeners are in tune with the natural world, the weather, and the seasons. They look for ways of working peacefully and harmoniously with nature, rather than fighting against her. Growing our own reconnects us with skills and sensations that we have largely lost in the late 20th century. There is a connection with the soil, land, and water, whether it be a farm or a window-box. Gardeners understand where good food comes from and how it is produced, they tend to seek out food that is authentic, local, seasonal, and minimally-processed whenever possible.

Very few of us would be able to grow ALL of the food we need to live, but all of us can make an often significant contribution to our diets from our gardens, allotments or even balconies and windowboxes. ... As well as reducing the pressure that each of us places on precious land resources. By sharing this wondrous thing, whatever way i can i m involving people that would never usually sign up to a petition saving the natural environment, or they would never buy organic foods they are the ones that have no idea on soil ecosystem and the benefits of permacultre principles in gardening. However subconsciously they are absorbing these ideas, through Gardening!!! Simple and very conventional, very status quo.

Gardening by the moon

2008-05-26T21:36:00.006+10:00

No this is not an article about doing all your gardening chores at night time, I thought about a comment made at our gathering the other day about Moon planting and it stirred my curiosity, and not one to let things lie, I have done a little research. I found charts and astral sites, and astrological signs that best represents your crop, however I soon realised that the subject is more than just whacking some seeds in on a full moon.

The following is a bit of a generalisation, The Moon has three significant rhythms that relate to three methods of Moon planting

Water is the mediator of lunar forces. Consider the moons effect on tides and since 80% of a plant consists of water, then the effect on sap movement would be significant.

When water is rising during the Waxing Moon, seeds sown and crops planted can more easily take up liquids than those sown in the waning phase.

Lunar forces are associated with fertility and the power to regenerate species.

It has been found that seeds germinate better & grow faster if planted 2 days before a full moon.

Medicines such as drenches are also more effective on full moon.

Moon affects moisture contents of the plant. e.g.Full moon fruit or veggies are juicy .Great for eating now!

New moon –harvest fruit & veggies that need storage

Hay dries faster if cut on new moon

Best timber is cut at winter new moon less sap.

Prune on New moon Transplant seedlings

'From the new moon to the first quarter, a time when there is a greater upward pull by the moon, is a good time to be planting anything with a leaf product.

From the first quarter through to the full moon is when you can concentrate on above-the-ground growth, the fruiting type of plants

From the full moon through to the last quarter is a time to be focusing on root crops

And in the last quarter through to the new moon you can either have a week off, or it’s really good time for weeding and mulching.

So of course armed with all this information, I'm no more informed than before and I will have to do things the old fashioned way- visit our local library. Hopefully I'll be able to bring to the next gathering an armful of useful information, in the meantime this i found to be a good link http://www.users.on.net/~arachne/MoonPlanting.html

Eden seeds has a good chart found here http://www.edenseeds.com.au/content/default.asp follow link to books and then under M this chart MOON PLANTING GUIDE FOR GARDENERS 2008 - WALL CHART

Maybe there is some sense to 'Carrying moonbeams home in a jar'