Welcome to Watermelon & Waves
This issue comes to you during the season of Kambarang. We have asked Michelle Lawson another of our committee members for her story of involvement with our Coastal Community Garden.
Coming out bi-monthly at the start of every Noongar Season our community newsletter brings you updates of what’s been happening in ‘The Patch’. Kambarang is the second spring of the Noongar calendar which has six seasons including two summers and two springs. Kambarang is from October to November. Change is in the air as we approach summer with longer, warmer days and extended dry periods. As the weather warms up our reptilian locals awaken from their hibernation, keep your eyes open for the bobtails and snakes especially as you wander through our bushlands. Birds are busy feeding their young so continue to be mindful while in Maggie territory.
With an abundant display of colour from flora exploding into bloom this is a great opportunity to enjoy the Perth bush. Keep your eyes open for native orchids, kangaroo paws, banksias and acacias displaying their God-given splendour. As we approach Christmas look out for the bright orange/yellow flowers, our Native Australian Christmas Tree (Nuytsia) signalling the heat to come.
What to expect in this issue:
- Members Story – Another Committee member – Michelle Lawson
- What’s Happening in our Garden
- New Members
- Up and Coming Events
- Gardening Jobs During this Season: October – November
- What to Plant Now
- This Issues Native Plant – Banksia blechnifolia
Members Story – A brief overview of our early beginnings
I hope you have been enjoying our journey over the months with stories we have shared with you of the birth and growth of this wonderful project. In this our fifth newsletter, we continue with stories from some of our committee members on how they became involved with this wonderful community garden project. Michelle shares her story –
Michelle Lawson Story: My reason for joining the community garden committee.
As a young girl I have such fond memories of spending weekends playing with my sisters at my grandparent’s house in their beautiful garden. My grandad was an avid gardener and had a beautiful vegetable patch at the back of his property in Sydney. I remember being amazed at the beauty and size of the carrots, tomatoes and other vegetables we could pick from his garden and then share. His vegetables had so much flavour and colour! From this moment on I had a real interest in growing my own produce – I remember digging up my parent’s backyard in Sydney and trying to grow things from seeds or from cuttings (with very varied success!).
I joined a community gardens in Sydney and loved the sense of community and different people that would all come together in the outdoors with a passion for growing food. Once I settled in Perth and had my two daughters I started to grow my own vegetables in my front yard. I saw so much joy in both my young girls seeing things grow and learning where food comes from. I have a real passion for health and good food and joined the Coastal Community Garden to connect to others in the local area and learn from the other members. I aspire to engage with the local schools to continue to show and teach the next generation the joy of growing food!
What’s Happening in Our Garden – Work done recently
Wow? Have you been down to the Patch for a visit lately? All things are steaming ahead with so much activity happening in the garden! Did you see the new paving and paths? It won’t be long now before our wicking garden beds will be put in too. A truck load of organic soil has been delivered and plans drawn up for irrigation. The team from The Artisan Co as well as some of the committee members have been hard at work planting our new trees. With the water tank set up, filled and a hose attached, committee members have volunteered to water during the dryer weather. It won’t be long before these trees will be established and producing their first flush of fruits and nuts. Power to the Patch is estimated to be connected by mid-October, after this our reticulation will be operational. In the meanwhile much sourcing has gone into finding the right food grade containers for the wicking garden beds as well as an artist to paint murals on our storage container shed. These are very exciting times!
If you are wanting to be involved please let us know through our Facebook page.
New Members:
CCG would like to welcome members who have so generously contributed to the work in our garden both financially and physically. Member’s fees are being put towards establishing our garden.
Up and Coming Events:
Please check out our Facebook page for any up and coming events and where you might like to get involved. There’s still lots to do and all hands are much appreciated. Please remember to bring sun protection, gloves and water.
Gardening Jobs During Kambarang Season:
Weeding and Pests– Keep on top of the weeds by removing them before they go to seed. In heavily weeded areas, smother existing weeds and prevent seeds from germinating by placing a thick layer of newspaper or old non synthetic carpet over the weeds before the mulch or pea straw. Both the newspaper and old carpet will eventually disintegrate and become part of the mulch. Black plastic can be used if trying to remove an area of lawn such as couch. Keep on top of the pests at this time of the year such as sucking, munching insects as well as fungal diseases like black spot.
Soil Preparation – before the dry weather sets, wetting agents and rotted manures and compost can be added to sandy soils, which also helps with alkaline soils. Replace old mulch which is less than 5cm before the hotter days of November. Mulching improves water penetration and soil’s holding capacity. Fertiliser containing rock minerals, which also feed the soil, can be applied to the whole garden. Before sowing your new season vegies, pull out the old winter crop and rejuvenate your patch with new compost before mulching.
Preparing for Summer – With extra moisture in the air from spring, plants have a few months to establish themselves before the summer heat. This is the time of the year to plant up your garden beds, hedges, perennials and trees while the cooler weather and spring rains last. Keep them well watered especially over the dryer summer months till their roots are better established. Prepare the beds and holes with lots of organic matter, slow release fertiliser and wetting agent as you water in new plants. Keep the plants well watered for several months until they’ve had time to settle in.
Potted Plants – Now is a great time to repot your potted plants with new potting mix or refresh by adding compost to the top layer. If repotting: pre-soak the plant, giving it a light trim of the stems before gently removing from the pot, soak or shake off most of the old soil, trim off dead or old roots, replace soil with fresh potting mix with added compost and worm castings. Increase watering as the weather gets hotter and dryer. Apply slow release fertiliser to all potted plants.
Divide and repot over-crowded plants such as: heliconia, canna, gingers and cymbidium orchids after flowering.
Once cyclamen have finished flowering take them outside for a spell of fresh air in a sheltered, dry position.
What to Plant Now:
OCTOBER – NOVEMBER
Flowers:
Ageratum, alstroemeria, alyssum, argyranthemum (federation daisies), azaleas, boronia, calendula, cyclamen, forget-me-not, kangaroo paws, linaria, livingstone daisy, nasturtium, pansy, petunia, roses, salvia, stock, verbena, vinca, viola, wallflower portulaca, marigold.
Vegetables:
Beans, beetroot, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbages, capsicum, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, chilli, coriander, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, endive, herbs, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, melons, mint, okra, spring onions, sweet potato, parsnips, pumpkin, radishes, rhubarb crowns, sage, silverbeet, sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchinis.
This Issue’s Native Plant:
(for our coastal region the Bassendean and Spearwood dune sands Perth)
This issue’s native plant is: Banksia blechnifolia – prostrate banksia
A low maintenance native shrub ideal for our alkaline coastal soils. Its prostrate form has eye catching serrated foliage and attractive dusky pink, red, rusty orange-brown banksia flower which emerge in spring. The hairy new lateral growth can also be dusky pink, red or rust coloured. This dense ground cover grows to around 2-4 metres wide and 2-5cm high and can be grown around the base of more upright shrubs, trees or creeping over embankments and retaining walls.
This shrub can be used for erosion and weed control and will attract wildlife such as nectar eating birds, bees, butterflies, and a shelter for small lizards.
Plant care
This drought resistant, spreading evergreen flowers best in a sunny position but also does well in dappled shade. To promote rapid growth, water to establish and during dry periods. It requires little to no pruning, although removing spent flowers will promote more flowering.
It prefers well-drained soil and can be grown in low maintenance native gardens or in pots and used for cut flowers. Like most banksias this plant needs a low phosphorus fertiliser which can be applied annually in early spring.
This plant can be germinated from seed.
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We are hoping to include a calendar of events in our next newsletter. As a part of our gardening family we would love to hear your thoughts and what you would like to see in our newsletter.
Thank you for being part of our gardening community.
Yours in the garden,
The Costal Community Garden team
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