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Smart Gardening in Late October:
- The soil is now warm enough for almost all Spring veggie seeds and seedlings, including tomatoes. In late October veggies that need very warm soil such as capsicum, eggplant, chilli and basil can finally go into the ground.
- If you’re starting seeds in punnets, why not upcycle a plastic berry container as a mini greenhouse? Old paddlepop sticks make fantastic, durable labels.
- Little seedlings are vulnerable when first planted, so it’s a good idea to check on them at night when most pests are active. Catch culprits like slugs, snails and earwigs in the act and either pick them off or devise a plan to trap them! Check out more advice on our website here and here.
- If you’re sick of overpriced tomato stakes falling over and rotting then it’s time to consider bamboo which can be reused for years. Growing your own allows you to also use it for edible shoots, screens, windbreaks and mulch. Make sure you plant a clumping variety or it could take over your garden!
- It’s a great time of year for observing your patch over a quiet cuppa. Which creatures are flying, crawling and buzzing around your backyard? Do you have a balance between pests and predators? Broad spectrum pesticides – whether chemical or organic – can do more harm than good if they disrupt this balance, so planting flowers with nectar and improving habitat for beneficial insects is often a better solution. There are some great tips in our Integrated Pest Management notes. If you need some more help identifying critters, try the Field Guide to Vic Fauna (app), Birds in Backyards or if you’re still stumped why not ask an expert at Museum Victoria’s Discovery Centre?
- With another scorching Summer on the way, have you considered using greywater to irrigate fruit trees? Water from your laundry and shower can be enough to support 4 medium-sized fruit trees per person! Check out the Laundry to Landscape greywater system – the full instructional DVD is available for hire in the Hobsons Bay Library Catalogue.
- With a little planning it’s possible to pick fresh fruit from your garden all year round in Melbourne! Youngberries, rhubarb, pepino, alpine strawberries, loquats, as well as spring-fruiting varieties of mulberries and some varieties of citrus, will give you fruit at this time of year. There are many underappreciated loquats for foragers in Melbourne’s public spaces.
- If you love tropical fruit, bananas grow surprisingly well in a warm Melbourne microclimate with lots of food and water. Instead of rockmelons grow pepinos, and for a lemony melon on a pawpaw-shaped tree try babaco.
- For a list of what to plant in Spring, see Gardening Australia’s Vegie Guide.
Photo credit: plasticfreebrisbane
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Peter’s edible garden tour
Sunday November 10, 10 – 11am
Seaholme area, address provided after booking
Peter has a small garden with veggies, hydroponics, a citrus orchard and chickens, plus a productive nature strip. Peter will show you how he uses seaweed in the compost and garden. Seaweed is a great source of micronutrients and can now be collected from Altona beach without a permit.
This is a free event but bookings are essential at www.mysmartgarden.org.au
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Adeline’s edible garden tour
Sunday November 10, 12 - 1pm
Altona area, address provided after booking
Adeline has a larger garden with an extensive vegie patch, orchard integrated with chickens, quails, food forest, guinea pigs as lawn mowers and nature strip planted to edibles and flowers for biodiversity.
This is a free event but bookings are essential at www.mysmartgarden.org.au
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Rabea and Steve’s edible garden tour
Saturday November 23, 10 - 11am
Saturday November 23, 2 - 3pm
Altona area, address provided after booking
Rabea and Steve have a very small garden in a rental unit. The garden has herbs and vegetables in homemade wicking pots that are easy to keep moist over Summer and completely portable, as well as an excellent composting system to recycle food waste into free fertiliser. In just ten square metres of garden area they produce 15-20% of their fresh produce needs which they estimate saves them $1000 every year. Rabea and Steve will show you how to make a portable wicking pot using upcycled materials.
This is a free event but bookings are essential at www.mysmartgarden.org.au
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Donna’s edible garden tour
Saturday November 23, 12 – 1pm
Saturday November 23, 4 - 5pm
Williamstown area, address provided after booking
Donna's place only has a small front yard and a deck area, but she has maximised production by carefully filling each microclimate with suitable edibles. There's herbs, vegies and fruit trees in the ground, raised beds and pots. Donna will share her experience growing in pots for those in small spaces and rentals.
This is a free event but bookings are essential at www.mysmartgarden.org.au
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Heat-proof your garden
Saturday 30 November 10am-1pm
Laverton Community Hub, 95-105 Railway Ave, Laverton
Prepare for another scorching summer by learning to heat-proof your garden. In this workshop you'll learn how to design your garden to reduce the impact of heatwaves, how to keep your soil healthy so it can hold moisture, a range of methods for efficient watering, what to do before, during and after a heatwave (including first aid for heat-stressed plants!) and how to choose heat and drought tolerant edible plants
This is a free event but bookings are essential at www.mysmartgarden.org.au
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Local Sustainability News and Events
Please note these are not My Smart Garden events/programs. Refer to events for organiser details.
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Frog Census
Last month the team at Sustainable Living Maribyrnong hosted a Create a Frog Habitat in your Garden workshop. Information has come back confirming that 6 of the 7 participants who completed the feedback survey have now installed a frog habitat at their homes. That's more homes for frogs!
Frogs play an important role in the waterway ecosystem and are easily affected by changes to their environment. Melbourne Water have a wealth of resources when it comes to helping frog numbers stay healthy and everyone can get involved in their frog monitoring program. By downloading the app you can help collect valuable data to help manage frog populations and raise awareness of waterway health issues.
November is a peak time for listening and we will soon hold a workshop to listen in on their calls and get familiar with the app. Follow Sustainable Living Maribyrnong to get news about the upcoming workshop.
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Pantry Party
Saturday November 16, 10.30am - 2.30pm
78 St Leonards Rd, Ascot Vale
We're throwing a party to say thank you to everyone who has donated food or helped out over the past few months.
Activities will include: BBQ; Coffee Cart; Kombucha Making Workshop; Produce / Food / Seed swap; Glass Jar Swap; Sustainable food map and Kids activities.
The Moonee Valley Repair Cafe & Boomerang Bags Ascot Vale will also be holding their monthly workshops so it's also a great opportunity to learn about some wonderful community groups.
This will be low waste, plastic free event. We hope to see you there!
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24 Hours of Reality presentation
Talking about the climate emergency
Thursday November 21, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Sam Merrifield Library, Mt Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds
You've seen the headlines. You know the climate crisis is devastating the Earth. You want to know what we can do, what you can do.
The Climate Reality project are presenting 24 Hours of Reality: Truth in action, a global conversation on the truth of the climate crisis and how we solve it.
It's a chance for family, friends, neighbours and colleagues to hear the truth of what's happening to our planet.
A chance to learn how we'll overcome this threat together.
A chance to turn truth into real actions and bold solutions.
Register here
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10 steps to sustainable living
Tuesday November 26, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Sam Merrifield Library, Mt Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds
A 10-step guide to reducing your eco-footprint by changing the way you shop.
Join co-founder of Sustainable Table, Cassie Duncan, as she discusses the practical steps she has taken to eat ethically, reduce waste and re-connect with our food system.
Cassie has neatly packaged this into a 10-step guide for busy people, so please join us to continue your sustainability journey.
With up to 60 per cent of our personal eco-footprint embodied in the food that we buy, there’s never been a better place to start.
Register here
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Join the Maribyrnong Active Transport Advisory Committee
If you live, work or study in the Yarraville Ward you are invited to nominate for membership to the Maribyrnong Active Transport Advisory Committee (the Advisory Committee) to help shape and improve walking and cycling around the City of Maribyrnong.
More information can be found at Maribyrnong Sustainable Transport . Nominations close at 5pm on November 25,
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Victorian Healthy Homes Program
Eligible households in the City of Maribyrnong will receive free energy efficient upgrades as part of the Victorian Healthy Homes Program. Partnering with Sustainability Victoria, Maribyrnong City Council will assist in recruiting low income households to help improve indoor temperatures all year round and reduce household energy bills.
Selected households could get a free home energy efficiency and warmth upgrade, worth up to $3,500 which will be safely installed by licensed tradespeople. The upgrades can include the installation of:
- draught proofing
- ceiling or sub-floor insulation
- high-efficiency heating/cooling appliances, or
- window coverings.
To find out if you're eligible visit Victorian Healthy Homes.
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A public herb garden in Spotswood
Craig Street park in Spotwood now has two new public herb gardens, planted with a mix of hardy perennials including rosemary, thyme, sage, bay, mint and chives. Enjoy the scents and flowers on your next visit and harvest a few sprigs for your dinner!
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Recommended reading in October: Managing pests and diseases in the garden
Can’t get enough of our workshops and want to learn more? Here’s a selection of hand-picked books to help you garden smarter. Many of these are available from your local library.
Garden pests, diseases and good bugs – Denis Crawford
The first step to managing any pest or disease organically is to learn as much as you can. Most insects in the garden are either neutral or helpful, and chemical controls can make matters worse if they also destroy natural predators. This book has colour photographs for identification, as well as advice on natural and non-toxic solutions. It’s the most complete book for Australian gardeners to date and an excellent reference for the home gardener.
Bug: The Ultimate Gardener’s Guide to Organic Pest Control – Tim Marshall
A solid, holistic approach to organic pest control with detailed info on all common pest species.
What Garden Pest or Disease is That? – Judy McMaugh
Very comprehensive book with plenty of pictures to help you track down the culprit! Unfortunately this book recommends chemical fertilisers and pest control, so for organic management advice see Tim Marshall’s Bug or Denis Crawford’s Garden pests, diseases and good bugs.
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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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