March 2015 – preparation for winter crops

It was time to pull out all the expired crops and start preparing the plots for winter crops. We have decided to move the rhubarb into a raised plot because it hasn’t been doing very well. It’s been a very hot dry summer and it probably wasn’t retaining enough water being in-ground. This also was making it difficult to feed it adequately. So, our first task was to add an extra plank around one of the plots so that we could make the walls high enough for the rhubarb.

Fortunately, Huw, from Auckland Council, had managed to get a load of nutrisoil delivered for us in time for the working bee, so we had plenty of soil to fill up the plot. We added some sheep pellets, blood and bone and dolomite. The plan is to move the rhubarb at the next working bee, when the weather is a bit cooler and wetter, to lessen the shock to the plants.

Karyn and Lois fill the plot

Ivan and Karyn getting soil

Olga and Selina got busy clearing out the garlic bed (now full of calendula!) and one of the tomato plots. Three other plots had also been cleared and sheep pellets/dolomite/blood and bone were added to all plots.

Selina weeding

Olga clears the calendula

Karyn and Maximus had started off some more capsicum plants from seeds out of capsicums from the supermarket. The seedlings were planted into the plots where the other capsicums were already producing well. Karyn gave them another dose of garlic/neem oil to keep the bugs at bay. They seem to be prolific producers, a huge improvement on the performance last year.

Nicole and Jacqui made a few other repairs to plots where the timber frames had rotted and given way. We are in urgent need of some good quality untreated timber for maintaining the raised plots.

We were given some coriander, basil and parsley seedlings by Waitakere College when they came to visit the garden earlier this month. The parsley and coriander seedlings were planted into a couple of tyres at the border of the garden by Selina and Karyn. Sheep pellets were added to give them a good start.

 

Waitakere College students tour the garden

We were delighted when Nicola Duncan from Waitakere College contacted us about bringing her Year 12 Food Science students to our garden for a visit. They were studying the principles of sustainability so a visiting community garden was a good opportunity to see sustainability in action. The students presented us with some very healthy coriander, basil and parsley seedlings and some seeds, which we were very grateful to receive.

Nicole set up her herb table with identification cards and sprigs of each herb and we had a bit of a discussion about which herb was which. Some were unfamiliar to them so we were able to fill in the gaps.

We grow herbs such as borage, calendula and nasturtium  to attract beneficial insects (e.g. bees) while others such as alyssum and penny royal are useful for discouraging or distracting insects such as white fly/aphids.

 

Students check out the garden

Waiting to hear about compost

Other more traditional herbs are grown for cooking, e.g. basil, thyme, rosemary, sage and some like comfrey are good for making nutritional teas for the garden or adding to compost.

After having a discussion about the herbs, the students took a look around the garden. We explained that all of the raised plots had been created from recycled materials/untreated wood.

Students pose for the camera!

Student taking a closer look at the capsicums

Nicole demonstrated to the students how we would go about making compost using materials such as horse manure, vegetable/fruit scraps, coffee grounds, shredded paper and grass clippings. The students also brought along some vegetable scraps to add to the mix. Then it was time for questions!

Nicole explains how to create compost

 

 

Storage container finally on-site!

We bought our container in August 2014 from SpaceWise but since then had been waiting until the ground dried out enough for the truck to be able to bring the container through the reserve to the garden site. Our grateful thanks go to Charlotte from SpaceWise for agreeing to store our container at their yard until we were ready to have it picked up.

We also had to save up additional funds to pay for the delivery, so were lucky enough to get a few more newsletter delivery jobs during this period from Massey Birdwood Settler’s Association and Massey Matters. Macrocarpa railway sleepers (4) were bought locally from Central Landscape and Garden Supplies – Swanson. We were very grateful to be given 10% discount on the cost of the sleepers. The wood had plenty of time to dry out as we also bought those in August so they were a bit lighter to carry by the time we needed to transport them!

Freight company Swanson Transport had been down to our site previously to see which vehicle would be required to transport the container and had decided that a 4-wheel drive truck with Hiab would be best.  The delivery was scheduled for 9 February at 1pm. Jacqui and Nicole took the sleepers down to the site and positioned them ready for the container. The truck driver did a brilliant job of backing the truck alongside the garden and then swinging the container into place on top of our carefully positioned and leveled sleepers.

Thanks again to the Henderson-Massey Local Board, Massey Matters and Auckland Council, that each contributed part-funding to enable the purchase.

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February 2015 – compost gets a shake-down!

Our compost was in need of some TLC so we decided to move the contents of the middle bin into the last bin so that we could move some of the giant hot compost heap we created in January into the middle bin. Our EarthMaker is finally working and we were able to take some reasonably broken down material and add it to the second bin. We’re still learning how to use it so if anyone has any tips, please add a comment!

Monique and Nicole tending the compost

 

January 2015 – summer crops take off!

We had a few rain showers on the first working bee for 2015 but that didn’t stop us clearing out some old crops and building a giant hot compost heap under Nicole’s expert supervision.

Everything was chopped up small to help accelerate the breakdown.

Our summer crops are producing well, with courgettes coming fast and furious and pumpkins and cucumbers growing beautifully. Watering into the tubes seems to be helping the plants but we are now starting to get a bit of powdery mildew, probably due to the recent very hot dry weather.

The capsicum plants are growing well but seem to be being eaten by something. Karyn has promised to bring down some neem oil/garlic spray to treat them. Hopefully, that will work.

The blackberry vine has really taken off and has spread along the fence like barbed wire. It’s the first year that it has had fruit and it seems to have a huge crop so we’re quite excited about that…

Blackberries

Lebanese cucumber

Cherry tomatoes

Capsicum plant

Courgette

Pumpkin

Herb of the Month – Lemon Balm!

Lemon Balm

A Perennial (meaning permanent) which grows to 60cm with mint-like appearance & to which is closely related. Propagation is by cuttings, root division or seed. Our community garden has been distinctly lacking in this herb of late I must say. I have been desperately trying to propagate some at home but have had no joy. If anyone can help in any way that would be just fabulous! I’ve heard willow bark is great for propagation? Or maybe better to try in the cooler months….

Lemon balm is a good companion plant. It’s Generic name is Melissa officinali. Melissa is Latin for bee, no doubt given to the plant because man observed bees were constant visitors to it’s nectar-laden flowers (which produce a very good honey).

The herb has a long history of uses; often called the elixir of life because of its reputation for strengthening the immune system and promoting long life. The oil of lemon balm has a gently sedating effect, which helps to disperse stress reactions & lighten the load of depression.

To dry lemon balm, pick the stems once the sun has dried the dew. Spread out in the shade and turn often.