Winter is a good time to get garden pests under control so that they don't become a massive problem over spring and summer. We have two pest problems in the garden at the moment: aphids and snails/slugs. You can see on our Brussels Sprouts plant below that the aphids have become absolutely rampant! There are a few ways to treat them, and we tend to either hose them off the plants or spray them with eco-oil (pictured below), an organic pest spray. Snails and slugs are also an issue - we know because we can see their silver trails on the leaves of the plants. At our last working bee we used two different approaches to stop them: beer traps and egg shells. Beer traps are containers that sit at soil level and are filled with beer; this attracts snails and slugs to the trap where they drown. The traps have a lid to keep water and debris out, but you could do this with any old container - you'd just need to keep a closer eye on it. Another approach is to place crushed egg shells (or coffee grounds) around the base of plants, the idea being that snails and slugs will be reluctant to crawl across the sharp edges to the plant.
The semester may be over (except for exams) but we have still been working away in the garden. While it's a slow time of year for plant growth, there is still plenty to do. As well as planting root veggies and plenty of greens, we've doubled our composting capacity (to 1,200L!) by installing larger bins, and put some great new shelves into the shed. Everything is now super organised, and we're going to try very very hard to keep it that way! We've also propagated a whole bunch of herbs, veggies and flowers to put in the garden, sell at the uni's farmers market, and of course give back to our lovely volunteers. We were lucky enough to have Lara from Free Plants Melbourne stop by and donate lots of seeds to us, which can be found in our seed swap box that we bring out at working bees. There are loads of sunflower seeds so you'll probably see quite a sunflower display in our garden this summer!
So, we had a workshop to talk about the herbal teas that you can grow in Melbourne. We took cuttings of some tea plants (mint, sage, rosemary, lemon balm and river mint), harvested some ginger (125g!) and lemongrass, planted some German chamomile and made some delicious tea.
A little bit about the teas that we grow: Lemon Balm Lemon balm is a feel-good plant, and not just because it is bee-friendly: the tea made from the fresh leaves of lemon balm is said to relieve fatigue and headaches and make you feel happy. Lemon balm is a perennial plant that grows to about 50cm. It will grow well in a well-drained spot in part shade to full sun, and needs to be watered in summer. Cut it back to the ground after flowering to encourage fresh, new growth. Lemon balm can be easily propagated from seed, division or cutting. Lemon Verbena Lemon Verbena leaves make an absolutely delicious tea and the flowers and foliage are beautifully scented. The plant is a deciduous shrub that grows to about 2m, and should be pruned after flowering to stop it from becoming leggy. It likes a sunny spot, either in the ground or a pot, with well-drained soil and regular watering. Lemon Verbena is killed by frost so make sure it is somewhere protected if you live in a frost-prone area. It can be propagated from cuttings taken in summer. Chamomile There are two types of chamomile, perennial and German; the latter is most commonly used for making tea. German Chamomile is an annual and is easiest to grow from a seedling the first time, but if you leave a few flowers on the plant, you will find that the seeds from those flowers will come up on their own the next year. Chamomile likes a sunny spot, and will grow well in pots if regularly watered. Cut off the flowers when they are opening and use fresh or dried to make a very soothing and yummy tea (one teaspoon per person). Ginger Ginger tea is great for calming an upset stomach and the plant has attractive, tropical foliage. It is a little out of its range in Melbourne, but can do well in a sheltered, warm spot if given plenty of water. Plant it in spring, then harvest the whole plant in autumn. Use slices of the rhizome (root tuber) for making tea, and save a bit to plant again in the next spring. Peppermint Peppermint tea is a classic herbal tea that is said to help with digestion and reduce nausea. It is very easy to grow, so much so that it might start to take over your garden - we recommend growing it in a pot. Peppermint grows well in a semi-shaded, moist location - under a tap or near a dripping gutter are often good spots. If it starts to look tatty, simply cut the stems back to the ground and new, fresh growth will soon appear. There are many different mints available, including Apple Mint, Chocolate Mint, Spearmint and a native Australian River Mint. Other plants to try Thyme Lemongrass Sage Stevia Dandelion (root) Fennel (seeds) Echinacea Linden Rose (hips) Raspberry Blending tea Use a pot or infuser to brew your homegrown loose-leaf tea. Simply pour hot water (add a dash of cold water to the kettle after it has boiled) to the tea and let it steep for 5 minutes. You can mix herbs together to make delicious blends, using your imagination or these combinations: Happy Tea - Lemon balm and chamomile Cold remedy - Sage, thyme, rosemary, lemon balm and mint with a big spoonful of honey Lemongrass refresher - Lemongrass and ginger Sage refresher - Sage and ginger Sweet mint - Peppermint and licorice root Click here to download this information in as a PDF.
Once all the hard work was done we rewarded ourselves with mulled wine and delicious food from the University of Melbourne Sustainable Campus and the food co-op. It was a really lovely evening and a great start to the weekend. Thank you to everyone who came - we hope you enjoyed it!
We had to remove our lemon trees as they were infested with gall wasp, which was a bit sad. However, that meant that we had space to plant bananas, which is definitely not sad! Some banana facts that you may or may not know (from Bulleen Art & Garden):
So far we have planted three plants of one variety, 'Goldfinger', which should be cold tolerant and heavy cropping. We shall see! They are planted in a nice sunny spot next to a brick wall (= warm), but the soil underneath them is pretty compacted and void of nutrients. We weren't game to dig too deep as we didn't want to bust any pipes! We did add compost to the holes though, and we'll keep adding new compost to the area which should improve the nutrient levels and compaction.
Thanks to everyone that was involved!
The arch that has lived in the middle of the garden for the last few years was starting to collapse, so it was time to remove it at today's working bee. We didn't want to take out the grape vines growing over it, so instead we are going to train them along wires across two of the garden beds. We forgot to take an 'after' photo, but we think it looks good and will look even better when the grapes grow bigger next season! Thank you to everyone who helped out. Just before we left, we decided to dig around and see how our sweet potatoes were coming along. We did not expect to harvest these two giants!! We hope that removing these will allow the plants to put more resources into producing new tubers...but we're sweet potato novices, so if you have different advice please shout it out. We're looking forward to harvesting more of these once the vines start to die off in a month or two (we think). Not only are sweet potatoes delicious (and the leaves are edible too!), but they are very easy to grow and the plants look beautiful.
On March 10th we held a workshop on how to propagate succulents. Succulents are great fun to watch grow, very low maintenance, and can take up very little space. They can even be grown indoors, so if you don't have a garden outside you don't have to miss out! First off we learnt how to grow new plants from existing ones via leaf and stem cuttings. Most succulents will propagate like this, and all you have to do is cut off a stem or gently remove a leaf, let it sit for a few days to callous over at the end, then place in (stem cuttings) or on (leaf cuttings) some potting mix. It can take a few weeks, but eventually roots will form and you'll have a new plant. We also learnt how to divide types of succulents that produce 'pups', i.e. new baby plants off the side. This is another easy way to get a whole new plant from an existing one. Some of the succulents we propagated went home with participants, while others went into the greenhouse to grow. We're developing quite a range of succulents to use for future workshops!
We also had a bit of a garden tour and working bee after the workshop. It was brilliant to meet so many new and passionate people. Thanks for coming! With the transition from summer to autumn comes a lot of changes in the garden. Summer plants finish up and are removed, the soil is replenished with compost and new seeds are planted. Our tomato and cucumber beds have been cleared out, except for the basil (which is still growing happily) and a few other bits and pieces. In the remaining space we have spread out new compost to replace lost nutrients. Peas have been planted under the trellises, and in the remaining gaps we will plants out the seedlings from our seed raising workshop. We will have a planting workshop on March 24th to pop all of these new seedlings in the ground!
WORDS & PHOTOS: Karin Holzknecht If you're anything like us, you can't resist a terrarium. Ever since 1827, when Nathaniel Ward accidentally discovered that plants could survive in covered jars, the world has embraced the terrarium for its ability to keep plants alive in much less friendly climes (including air-conditioned houses!). So a whole hopeful bunch of us rocked up to Burnley Nursery for the Horticultured terrarium workshop with glass containers that just screamed 'put plants in me!' With the assistance of Burnley nursery technician Sascha, terrarium nut and living art expert, we were all soon assembling tiny enclosed gardens. The key to a great terrarium are the layers of growing medium, starting with a sprinkling of horticultural charcoal, then a layer of horticultural sand, and a thicker layer of potting mix. And add plants! Sascha gave us a hot tip that Peperomia spp. are particularly good in terrariums. With some hard work and determination we created some absolute beauties. We're very proud of our efforts. The cool thing about these terrariums are that, once we get the balance right, they act as closed systems - meaning you never have to feed or water them again!
Are you jealous yet? Well, follow us on Facebook or sign up as a member, and you'll be the first to hear about the next terrarium workshop - the first one went so well we're planning to hold another one soon! We'll keep you posted. It is a beautiful time of year to be in the garden, and we find ourselves stopping by several times a week to harvest and attempt to prune the plants back off the neighbouring paths! We hope that lots of you lovely people have been enjoying hanging out in the garden too, and we really want to know what you like best about it. We are therefore running an Instagram competition for you to show us your favourite part of the garden, and the winner will receive a free Ceres Fair Food fruit and veggie box! Check out our Instagram page for details on how to enter. We have had a few meetings recently to plan out what we want to do in semester 1 2016, and there are some exciting things in store. We are running workshops every week, teaming up with the Enviro officers to run some great events, and collaborating with the food co-op on campus. Check out our calendar under the 'working bees' tab to find out more about these events. Also, keep an eye out at the front of the food co-op for a basket of free herbs! We have such an abundance of herbs that we will be giving plenty away, as we want to see them get used by people rather than going to waste! Expect to see sage, oregano, thyme, basil mint, chives, parsley and even basil up for grabs - yum! At our last couple of working bees we started planting some autumn crops, including New Zealand Yams (a type of tuber that tastes a bit like a potato with the sour cream already added!), radishes, beetroot and rainbow chard. We try to make sure there is always something to pick from the garden, so if we want to harvest food throughout the cooler months we need to start planning and planting now! In our harvest basket this month we have had cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchinis, basil, parsley, blueberries, alpine strawberries, silverbeet, warrigal greens, sage, sorrel, chives and oregano. We don't want summer to end!
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