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November 10th, '09

Wow, what an amazing day. It was hot, but we persevered, thanks to Murray's excellent planning and preparation and now we have this amzing structure, that will provide us with shelter during summer, as we grow plants all over it. (Photos courtesy of Averil).

: 1. Laying the bamboo to prepare for lashing together

: 2. Placing edge into pre-cut poles in ground

: 3. Raising other side of bamboo frame into pre-cut wooden poles

: 4. The crew inside the shelter

: Platter compliments of Oaklands Community Garden Pambula

November 8th, '09

Pambula Area Planning & Progress Association (PAPPA) Christmas Barbie

Community gardeners shared a lovely lunch At Lion's Park (Pambula Beach), with their fellow PAPPA members.

The community garden is a sub-committee of PAPPA and has been supported by initial provision of land care insurance.

We were thrilled to be able to contribute a platter of food, from our garden produce with:

Silverbeet mini quiches
Broadbean salad
Steamed carrots in mustard dressing
Pickled beetroot
Lettuce

: 1. Nancy & Jan planting tomatoes with & without "Moon Music"

: 2. New design mobile compost bin

: 3. Garden Info letterbox

: 4. Averil with her garden bed sign

October, 09

1. Experimental soil conditioner

Tomato seedlings are being cultivated to grow in 2 dedicated beds, so gardeners can use bird netting to best advantage. We are also going to trial Neville Dunn's "Moon Music" soil conditioner on one bed, to guage efficacy of results.

2. New Design Mobile Compost Bin

See "Easy Build Compost Bin" for New Design Mobile Compost Bin: http://thebegavalley.org.au/21095.html

New signage at Garden site and for individual beds

3. Garden Info Letterbox

If you come to visit the garden and there isn't anyone there, you can find the "Information & Guidelines for Gardeners" document inside the letterbox. Have a read and please leave it on site, so others can access the information also.

There are also some laminated website addresses, so please take one of these if you need to pass on the information to any of your friends.

4. Individual bed ID's

Averil has installed her beautifully artistic, burnt wood name plaque, for her garden bed.

August, '09

More beds built with local donations of timber and time

Murray, a Pambula Beach resident has donated premium quality, (self hewn) timber for building more beds at the garden. Murray then decided he'd make some of the beds and the result looks more like furniture than garden beds!

We are all very grateful to you Murray and especially glad that you've now decided to claim one of the beds as your own, to join us and begin growing spuds!

: 1. Rob & Murray ready to load the wood

: 2. Jean & Rob unloading the wood

: 3. Murray preparing the wood

: 4. More preparation

: 5. ... & more preparation

: 6. Murray building beds

: 7. Michael, Jan, Judy & Jean wondering "How much wood could a wood chuck chuck, if a wood chuck could chuck wood"!

Maintenance man extraordinaire

There are so many people to thank for their efforts at helping to maintain the garden site and assist with general maintenance, while tending their own patches!

Jan and Michael are always on site every Tuesday morning with Michael becoming our general Mr Fixit. Thank you Michael for hammering down the carpet with wire coat hangars and helping to make the hose more efficient!

Michael has also built a garden bed, using Murray's timber.

July, '09

The "Lawns to Lunches" No Dig Garden Seminar began as a chilly morning when we set up for our day with Kathleen McCann, presenting from "Luscious Landscapes" www.lusciouslandscapes.com.

The brazier was very welcome, while we set up the Pyramid Power tent, chairs, table and tea, coffee and snacks to keep up our energy for a day of learning and building "No Dig" garden beds.

We had 7 people (+ Kathleen) attending & Barry Moffitt came along to help later in the day also.

: 1. Cutting the carpet to surround the bed

: 2. Laying the carpet surround & cardboard underneath

: 3. Barry lending a hand to split pallets

: 4. The crew at work

: 5. Hammering the pallet planks in with smaller split pallet pieces

: 6. Adding "No Dig" materials

: 7. Watering the seedlings

: 8. Waiting for results!

Community Spirit

: Huge Pile of grass/mulch delivered to the garden

: Nancy shows how much it really is!

Wednesday 8th of July

It's all part of the aim of the garden that community members are able to participate, even if they don't need to grow produce for themselves. Today, Marlene & John Lynch generously donated (& delivered) grass cut from their property at Pambula.

This will be invaluable at the "Lawns to Lunches" No Dig Garden Day on Saturday 11th of July.

Thank you so much Marlene & John.

: Judy, Wendy, Helene, Jean & Nancy

June, '09

Helene, Judy and Wendy were welcomed as new gardeners to the community garden today.

New projects in a busy day at the garden

: Jean & Judy delivering the pallets

: Jean showing way to garden across completed boardwalk

Donated pallets will be used at the "Lawns to Lunches" No-Dig garden seminar on the 11th of July, to use as garden bed edges.

They were very solid & heavy, so we decided to use some of them to build a boardwalk, shortening the distance to carry everything to the garden. This also made it easier to carry all the carpet rolls, that were used for weed suppression around the site.

PLEASE NOTE: This boardwalk is NOT a thoroughfare for public use.

Seed planting & carpet laying

: Donated seedlings ready to plant

: Finishing carpet laying for weed growth suppression

(20/6/09) Jean prepares to plant Oaklands Barn & Garden Centre, donated seedlings. The list of plants is growing and we now have the following:

carrots (*)
silver beet
beetroot (*)
broad beans (*)
lettuce (*)
Chinese cabbage (*)
peas
brocoli
brussel sprouts
spinach
climbing spinach
bok choy

(*) these plants are grown from non-hybridized seeds, donated by seed-saver groups. Seed saving will be actively promoted at the garden.

Extensive laying of carpet has been completed to suppress weed growth.

Worm wrangling begins at Oaklands

: Nancy welcoming the worms to their new home

: Roger & Wendy Cawsey feeding the worms

(16/6/09) Nancy places the first worm family into their new home, pre-prepared with lavish helpings of manure, garden refuse and kitchen waste. We hope they'll be very happy! See video of "How to make a simple worm farm" at Chanel 7's "Better Home and Gardens": http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/yaunzpop/popup/?rn=1341467&cl=13937789&src=y7lifestyle&ch=

(20/6/09) Roger & Wendy Cawsey are volunteer helpers at the Ashwood Seconday College permaculture garden (Melbourne). 2 acres of school land have been made available to the group, to transform grassland into productive garden & to involve students in gardening & chook care. Refugee chooks from bushfire affected areas of Victoria are housed within specially designed domes. The chooks eat and scratch out the surface vegetation and leave their manure, forming the basis for a permaculture garden. See their efforts at the website below: http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/AshwoodCollegePermacultureFoodGarden/

: Community Garden Location - Mosaic Sign

Community garden signage installation

Today we installed the Oaklands Community Garden location sign. Now you'll be able to find the garden and come to have a look.

Join Nancy and Jean most Tuesday and Friday mornings from 10.00am. If you like what you see, all you need to do is build your bed (most materials available on site) and before you know it, you'll be harvesting your own produce.

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