Welcome to Watermelon & Waves.
The team from Coastal Community Garden take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, safe holiday and a Happy New 2024!
December being the first of two summers in six Noongar Season, Birak. The season of Birak extends from December through to January. As the warmer weather ramps up and rains diminish we learn to expect the daily pattern of scorching easterlies turning to the southwest bringing in the much welcomed afternoon sea breeze; the ‘Fremantle Doctor’.
As reptiles are shedding their old skin making room for new growth, the waterways begin to dry up and tadpoles complete their metamorphosis to frogs while fledglings leave their nests as they learn to fend for themselves.
Summer has arrived!
What to expect in this issue:
- Member’s Story – Another committee member – Meredith Worthington
- What’s Happening in Our Garden
- New Members
- Up and Coming Events
- Gardening Jobs During this Season: December – January
- What to Plant Now
- This Issue’s Native Plant– Hardenbergia
If you are a CCG member and would like to share your story on how you have become involved in our garden patch please send it in via email. We would love to share it to encourage more members to come join us and get involved.
Member’s Story – Meredith Worthington
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of playing in my parents’ garden or being in their allotment growing veggies. Not only are these some of my earliest memories, but they are also some of my most treasured – making pretend perfume out of rose petals, digging mini ponds, looking in wonder upon an earwig as it tentatively crawled out of its hollow twig home! I was lucky enough to grow up in the English countryside and since having my own children here in Perth, I dearly hope to foster their own wonder and connection to nature. Having spent many hours in the garden when my daughter was still young and having her day sleeps, beginning to grow our own veggies and developing a passion for native plants, it seemed a very natural progression to become involved with the creation of this fantastic community garden. When I went to a meet and greet at the proposed site back in February 2021, I knew I wanted to help out in any way I could and was lucky enough to be accepted on to the committee. The opportunity to build something for and with our amazing local community certainly feels like an incredible privilege and one which will hopefully create many special memories in the years to come.
What’s Happening in Our Garden – Work done recently
It has been a slow start as we waited for power to be installed to run our irrigation. We are still hand watering and looking for volunteers to help out. So if you are available please let us know. There is a hose that can now been attached to the rainwater tank which has made things much easier. The trees which have been planted at the beginning of spring are coming along nicely. Unfortunately the cheeky white cockatoos are eating the unripened fruit. This may also be a blessing in disguise as fruit should be removed from young trees to encourage good root growth. The Kaffir Lime has shown us her appreciation on being planted by bursting into flower. Mid-November members attended a free wicking bed construction put on by Fiona from City of Stirling Council. Now that we know how it’s done we are hoping to construct more, helping to save water during the heat of the summer. Herbs and vegetables have been planted in both the wicking as well as the in garden bed and heavy triangular pots.
At our last committee meeting one of the topics discussed was art for our water tank and shipping container. We have contacted three enthusiastic artists who are eager to get involved to turn drab into fab. We will keep you informed of the progress. We are also planning to have a new page on our website making it easier for those who would like to become members so please get the word out.
Come on down to the patch. Join us as we put spades in the dirt and our backs to work establishing our new garden.
New Members:
CCG would like to welcome members who have so generously contributed to the work in our garden both financially and physically. Members’ fees are being put towards establishing our garden infrastructure, beds and upkeep of the garden.
Up and Coming Events:
In January 2024 we are hoping to hold a wicking bed workshop for anyone who is interested in coming down to help. We shall be sending out an email with the times and dates closer to the event. If you are would like to get involved or contribute in any way in our Coastal Community Garden venture please let us know through a return email or our Facebook page. We are hoping to see you down at the patch soon.
Gardening Jobs During Birak Season:
Gardening in Perth’s summer is extra challenging. Preparation before the summer heat is essential to prepare our gardens for the hot months ahead. You need to take care in the heat too – slip, slop, slap, working only in the cool of the day, early mornings and later in the evenings. Small amounts is better than over doing it in the heat. Keep hydrated and take regular breaks.
Here are some jobs around the garden to get you started:
Watering:
- Run your reticulation making sure it’s running on the correct days and is in good working order. Replace any broken parts, flush out runs to prevent blockages in sprinkler heads. Is it reaching all the areas in the garden?
- Hand water pots and vegetable gardens regularly.
- Move potted plants to a cooler, shady spot in the garden.
Fertilise:
- Apply seaweed extract fortnightly. It will help to thicken the cell walls of the plants so they can withstand the extreme heat more effectively.
- Apply a wetting agent to all garden beds, pots and lawn and water in well.
- Fertilise native plants with blood and bone or a native-specific fertiliser.
- Keep compost heaps moist.
Ponds:
- Check pond water regularly during the heat to make sure the levels don’t drop and that algae doesn’t take over.
- Remove floating vegetation and excess pond weed.
Clean Up and Reduce:
- Keep weeds under control to prevent spreading.
- Tidy, weed and feed the vegetables.
- Harvest to keep herbs compact.
Mulching:
- Mulch citrus trees and don’t allow them to dry out to help them hold their crop. Fertilise with a citrus fertiliser.
- Mulch throughout the garden and on top of pots to help retain moistuer. Use chunky mulch for the garden and Lucern hay for vegetables.
- Feed lawns with slow release lawn fertiliser to prevent it being burnt if the weather is hot.
What to plant now:
Flowers:
Ageratum, alyssum, aster, begonia, boronia, calendula, cyclamen, dahlia, forget-me-not, gerbera, impatiens, linaria, marigold, nasturtium, pansy, petunia, portulaca, salvia, stock, sunflower, sweet pea, verbena, vinca, viola, wallflower and zinnia.
Vegetables:
Plants to consider growing now include: basil, beans (snake beans highly recommended for summer), beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chilli, chokos, cucumber, eggplant, endive, ginger, herbs, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, malabar spinach, melons, okra, parsnips, pumpkin, radish, rockmelon, rosella, rhubarb crowns, silverbeet, spring onions, squash, strawberries, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomatoes, turnip, watermelon, zucchini.
This Issue’s Native Plant:
(for our coastal region the Bassendean and Spearwood dune sands Perth)
Hardenbergia comptoniana (Fabaceae) – native wisteria or Native Lilac.
One of Western Australia’s natives found in the south west on our sandplains and dunes. It can be seen throughout our costal-plain native parks. Hardenbergia is a vigorous climber twisting around other plants to gain height with dense, evergreen, dark green glossy leaves and produces purple, pink or white pea shaped flowers late winter and early spring. It can grow from 1.5 – 2 metres and is great in low maintenance gardens, in containers, as a ground cover for erosion control or a feature plant over a trellis. As a ground cover it provides habitat for reptiles while the flowers attract butterflies and bees.
Plant Care
A very hardy plant that prefers well drained soil, loves both full sun or light shade. It can withstand dry conditions and needs very little fertiliser. Keep it tidy by trimming after flowering and keep away from other shrubs as it tends to smother them. Hardengergia can be propagated easily from seed once their dormancy has been broken through abrasion or hot water. Cuttings also strike well using current season’s growth.
Coastal Community Garden would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and safe holiday season. We are hoping to see you down at the patch soon.
Yours in the garden,
The Costal Community Garden team
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