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Smart Gardening in June
- Winter is here but don’t assume you can stop watering the vegie patch just because the skies are cloudy and rain is more frequent! Unfortunately light rainfall will not make it into the root zone of annual vegetables, so keep poking your finger into the soil and if it doesn’t feel like a damp sponge then give your patch a drink! Rainy days are also an opportunity to get outside and see how water is moving around your garden. Can you divert water from roofs, paved areas or slopes into garden areas?
- Harvest more produce from a small garden by learning to eat parts of vegetables that would usually end up in the compost. These include leek greens, fennel stalks and tops, silverbeet stems, beetroot leaves, coriander roots, broccoli stems. Do your research before experimenting as some parts of common vegetables are poisonous.
- Caring for your tools will increase their lifespan and reduce the effort of digging, hoeing or pruning! Here’s some tips on keeping your tools in good condition, a handy video explaining how to clean and sharpen your secateurs, and a more detailed guide to sharpening shovels, spades and other tools. It’s important to oil wooden tool handles so they don’t rot or crack. Paint any edible oil (eg. old cooking oil) onto your tool handles and leave in a warm place to absorb. Add extra coats until the wood can absorb no more, then rub off any excess with an old rag. And of course, store your tools undercover in the shade.
- If you’ve already got lots of fruit trees, have you thought about nuts for your home orchard? Almonds and hazelnuts are good choices for smaller gardens. There are self-fertile varieties of almonds but for hazelnuts at least 3 compatible varieties are required to ensure adequate pollination. Larger gardens could include a macadamia or walnut as a feature tree.
- Do you share your garden with microbats? These tiny creatures eat pest insects including mosquitoes! There are many species active in Melbourne suburbs but many are under threat as their nesting sites (tree hollows and bark crevices) are removed. You can help these gardening allies by installing a microbat box.
- And finally, as peak cabbage season approaches, here’s a video on how easy it is to make your own sauerkraut at home!
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For a list of what to plant in June, see Gardening Australia’s Vegie Guide.
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My Smart Garden partner Councils (Brimbank City Council, Hobsons Bay City Council, Maribyrnong City Council and Moonee Valley City Council) are taking a precautionary approach to the coronavirus (COVID 19) spread and we have cancelled all non-essential face-to-face external programs. The health and safety of our community members is our number one priority.
While our face-to-face events have ceased during the pandemic, we are stepping up our online support and our newsletters will continue so you can still access reliable, free sustainable gardening advice tailored to Melbourne, and connect with other local gardeners.
Also remember, our library of previous workshop notes and a list of free (or very cheap) resources for gardeners in Melbourne's West are located at our
My Smart Garden website.
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Create your habitat garden
When: Saturday June 20, 10:30-11:30am
Where: Online
Habitat gardens can provide a stepping stone for native birds and animals to move safely across highly urbanised areas. They can also be places of beauty and calm.
In this online workshop you’ll learn how to attract birds, pollinators and reptiles to your yard. Start small by choosing plants appropriate to the area that you live.
This is a free online event however registrations are essential at eventbrite.
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Edible native gardens
When: Saturday June 27, 11am – 12pm
Where: Online
Edible native plants are a great addition to a home garden and this workshop will give you the knowledge on how to incorporate these in your own backyard.
Learn how to grow your own native foods with Julie Weatherhead from Peppermint Ridge Farm and author of 'Australian Native Food Harvest: A Guide for the passionate cook and gardener'.
This is a free online event however registrations are essential at eventbrite.
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Instagram - My Isolation Garden photo contest
During these times of isolation, once neglected vegie patches have been getting more love and attention than ever before. Many families have found the time to start a new garden from scratch. At My Smart Garden, we want to celebrate these gardens and want to see the gardens you've created during lock-down.
Share an image with us and enter our competition to win a $50 gift voucher.
Photos may be featured in our newsletter as well My Smart Garden’s Instagram page. Simply post a picture of your isolation garden and tag us @mysmartgarden also include #msgisogarden in you caption.
No Instagram, no worries, simply email us at contactus@mysmartgarden.org.au. to be in the running.
Entries close Sunday July 12 with winner announced in the July MSG newsletter.
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June Reading:
Soil, nutrients and compost
Gardening Down Under: A Guide to Healthier Soils and Plants - Kevin Handreck
This is a handy guide to gardening in Australian soils written by an ex-CSIRO soil scientist. Lots of information on soils, nutrients, water as well as managing plants in pots.
Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener's Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition – Jeff Lowenfels
Most garden plants need to be fed, but what should you feed them, when and how often? This is a book on plant science and nutrition written especially for organic gardeners. Learn how micro- and macro-nutrients are taken up by plants and what roles they play in plant growth and health.
Teaming with microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web – Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
Meet the billions of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and other creatures living in the soil under our feet, and learn about the beneficial roles they play in supporting plant growth. This book covers strategies for soil food web gardening like mulching, compost and compost teas.
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If you would like to submit a relevant gardening event to the My Smart Garden eNewsletter, please send a 50 word summary to contactus@mysmartgarden.org.au
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