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September Newsletter
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Next Monthly Meeting - Sunday 2nd October 2011
Please Note: due to Father's Day there will not be a meeting in September.
We look forward to catching up with you at the monthly meeting of Warners Bay Community Garden in October. Hope you can come along for a cuppa, a chat and a catch up with friends. Gold coin donation for hall hire welcome.
2pm - Sunday 2nd October
Warners Bay Lion's Club Hall
Sweet St, Warners Bay
Afternoon tea provided. Children, New Members and Friends always Welcome!
The Monthly WBCG meeting is a great opportunity to show, tell and share!
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WBCG Spring Market Stall It's Spring and WBCG are coming back to the markets to celebrate. Our next Market Stall will be Sunday 11th September, 8.00am - 1.00pm at the Lions Club Markets, John Street car park, Warners Bay.
Why not grow your own delicious vegetables and herbs this summer? Provide healthy, organic food for your family while keeping costs down. Drop in to our market stall and pick up some organic vegetable and herb seedlings to kick start your garden. Warners Bay Community Gardeners grow seedlings in hand-made newspaper pots for easy planting while avoiding transplant stress for the seedling. Simply dig a hole and pop the pot and seedling straight into the ground. In season herbs and vegetables available. |
Can You Donate a prize for our Christmas Raffle?
We are now planning our Christmas raffle for 2011.
The raffle will be drawn at our Christmas Party at Pippis in early December.
(Date to be advised). Prizes need to be available before the raffle tickets are ordered and printed in early October. Prizes must be listed on the raffle tickets. If you can offer a prize, please contact Trish before 25th September 2011. Trish - 4947 1821 Email - patriciajarvie@hotmail.com
We plan to sell tickets at our meetings, market stall, a stall at Centro Warners Bay and at the Living Smart Festival at Speers Point Park on 19th November.
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'Supermarket Your Backyard' Workshop
hosted by Lake Macquarie City Council
Learn how to improve your household food sufficiency by growing and eating fresh food straight from your backyard. A hands on introductory course which includes practice in designing a space. The techniques taught are based on Permaculture principles.
Date: Saturday, 24 September 2011
Time: 9.00am to 12.00pm
Location: Teralba Worm Farm
Address: Off Griffen Road, Teralba.
Cost: Free
For more information contact Council's Customer Service Centre on 4921 0333
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PLANTING VEGETABLES AND HERBS IN SEPTEMBER
With the weather warming up its time to plant home gardener's favourite spring/summer vegetables.
Plant now: basil, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, chilli, climbing beans, coriander, cucumber, leeks, lettuce, oregano, parsley & pumpkin.
Full Planting Guide for September: click here
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Using Natures Way to Control Pests and Disease
Many vegetables grow well with other plants in the garden and using a few basic principles, organic gardeners can really have nature on their side in the biological control of pests.
Q: How can you control pests and diseases naturally?
A: The best way to control plant diseases is to prevent them occurring in the first place.
This can be achieved with healthy cultivation methods:
- Choose plants that match your garden's conditions and are pest-resistant.
- Water to encourage strong root systems and avoid humid conditions. That is infrequent deep watering in the early or late part of the day. Less water on the surface means roots have to search.
- Add organic matter to soils as manures, compost and mulch - to encourage microbes that attack plant pathogens and to supply nutrients to plants keeping them vigorous and healthy.
- Use seaweed and fish emulsions to boost the plant's immunity to pest and disease attack.
- Fertilise to strengthen plants e.g. ensure plants have adequate potassium (promoting thick cell walls).
- Plant to encourage predators and plant decoys to distract pests e.g. Mulberries encourage wasps and hibiscus will distract stink beetles from citrus.
- Try some companion planting.
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COMPANION PLANTING
The most commonly documented companion plants repel pests when planted alongside vegetables. Other plants attract pest predators to the vegetable patch.
Some plant roots secrete substances that repel pests or provide nutrients to the plants around them. These plant interactions can work in specific ways between two or three types of plants or species.
Check out the Fig Tree Community Garden Companion Planting Guide here
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Seedling Growers Needed
We are looking for more WBCG volunteers to grow organic seedlings for sale at our Monthly Market Stalls. Stalls will be held in September, October and November.
All you need is a sunny spot either in yard, or on your veranda or balcony.
WBCG supplies all potting mix, seedling trays and seeds. Make your own newspaper pots, start planting and watch your seedlings grow!
Our seedlings are grown in newspaper pots made by members. Newspaper pots make planting easy and reduce transplant stress - just pop the seedling in the pot straight into the ground. How to make a newspaper pot - click here for video
After each market all unsold seedlings are donated to local schools, pre-schools and childcare centres for use in the vegetable gardens tended by the children.
If you can help please contact Trish 4947 1821 patriciajarvie@hotmail.com
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Like to become more involved with WBCG?
SEEDLING GROWERS!
We currently have 3-6 monthly seedling growers. More are very welcome and needed, all materials provided along with advice and support. Go on, give it a go! A patch of sun and a watering can is all you really need. You'll love sowing seeds, seeing the first green shoots come up, and marvelling at the new seedlings unfolding.
SEEDLING POT MAKERS
We have 3 potmakers who prepare newspaper pots for our seedling growers. More are very welcome and needed. Wonder how they are made? Watch this YouTube clip of Steve making them!
(Click here)
MARKET STALL VOLUNTEERS
Would you like to spend a couple of hours helping out at the upcoming market stalls? The markets are a fun social morning, a great way to meet other WBCG members and chat about gardening.
VOLUNTEERS for composting needed!
VOLUNTEERS willing to transport people to/from meetings, events please contact Trish.
MEMBERS needing transport to meetings/events, please contact Trish.
If you can assist with any of these roles, please contact Trish, phone 49471821,
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Warners Bay Community Garden Inc.
ABN: 49 117 244 067 |
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