|
|
|
|
Smart Gardening in July
- With the exception of apricots, deciduous fruit trees and vines can be pruned for shape now. Winter pruning will encourage growth and is especially important to form the structure of young trees. If your trees are fully grown it’s generally better to prune in Summer after harvesting the fruit which controls growth and allows cuts to heal more quickly. If you missed our pruning workshops, see these notes on our website. And why not use some prunings to weave gorgeous garden structures, and baskets?
- Bare rooted deciduous fruit trees are available cheaply at this time of year. You can purchase good quality and excellent value heritage fruit trees and grafting scion for apples and pears from our local experts at the Werribee Park Heritage Orchard or Heritage Fruits Society in late July and early August. Make sure you check any pollination requirements and try to spread out your harvest times if you are planting multiple trees.
- If your peaches and nectarines suffered from peach leaf curl last summer, now is the time to spray with a copper or sulphur-based fungicide. This treatment needs to be applied during the dormant period – it’s too late by the time you see damaged leaves! Also make sure your tree is well watered and fed with compost to encourage strong growth.
- Now is the time to take hardwood cuttings from many deciduous fruit trees. Mulberry, pomegranate, grape and fig grow so easily that you can even stick prunings directly in the ground where you want the tree to grow.
- Have you noticed self-seeded tomatoes already emerging in a sheltered space in your garden? Popular advice is to start tomato seeds on Grand Final day and plant seedlings on Melbourne Cup day, but these plants won’t produce fruit until very late in Summer. Tomato seeds don’t need light to germinate so you can start them from late July to early August in a greenhouse, sunny windowsill or other warm microclimate. Once germinated, they need to be in a very light position outdoors during the day, and then brought inside at night. It’s a little extra work but the reward can be an extra month or more of tomatoes!
- For a list of what to plant in July, select the Temperate zone in Gardening Australia’s Vegie Guide.
|
|
|
Self watering garden beds workshop
Sunday August 25, 12.30 - 2.30pm
Crown St Stables, 40 Crown St, Flemington
Would you like to learn all there is to know about wicking beds and use up to 50 per cent less water than normal gardens? As well as see productive wicking beds already in use on site and learn how to build your own? Through a practical demonstration, this workshop will introduce the principles involved and give you the know how to build a wicking garden system at home.
Register for this free workshop at eventbrite.
|
|
|
Create your own edible oasis
Sunday, September 15, 10am - 12pm
Farnham St Neighbourhood Learning Centre, Farnham St, Flemington
Using an active learning approach, this workshop will give an introduction to permaculture design principles and outline how they can be applied to your own life and work. This two-hour workshop is for anyone curious to find out more about Permaculture and trying to decide whether to take a more extensive course.
Register for this free workshop at eventbrite.
|
|
|
Local Sustainability News and Events
Please note these are not My Smart Garden events/programs. Refer to events for organiser details.
|
|
Heritage Fruit Tree Festival
Sunday July 28, 10am - 3pm
Werribee Park Farm
Enter via Gate 5, K Rd, Werribee South
Australia’s largest grafting event at Werribee Park!
Come discover the best of Werribee Park Heritage Orchard with tours of the orchard, tree sales, grafting demonstrations, market stalls, workshops, food & drinks and activities for all the family to enjoy. Grafted rare and heritage fruit tree sales $15-25!!
Free to enter. Gold coin for parking.
For more information visit Heritage Fruit Tree Festival
|
|
|
Creating a frog bog
Saturday August 10, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Join us for a fun, hands-on workshop and learn how to create your very own frog pond and habitat garden! With expert demonstrations from the team at Melbourne Water, we will discuss how to create a safe space which attracts and helps to support our local frog populations. Participants will also receive a kit to assist them in making their own frog bog at home.
The workshop will be held at a private residence near Cruikshank Park. The address will be sent to participants in the week before the event.
Register for this free workshop at eventbrite.
|
|
|
The science behind Forest Therapy
Wednesday August 14, 6.15 - 7.45pm
Altona Library, 123 Queen St, Altona
Do you want to learn how to maximise the benefits of urban nature all around us? Come along to this introductory workshop that will focus on the key benefits of Forest Therapy including reducing stress levels. Introduced in Japan as Shinrin-yoku in 1983, Forest Therapy is an emerging, research-based, low-cost and effective practice for all ages, and can be practiced in our local urban environments.
Register for this free event at Hobsons Bay Libraries.
|
|
|
Making solar simple
Thursday, August 15, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Council Chamber, 9 Kellaway Ave, Moonee Ponds
Join over 5,000 Moonee Valley residents who have cut their energy bills by going solar.
Come along to our 'Making solar simple' session for the practical advice you need to go solar. Connect with solar experts from Renew and learn the next steps you can take towards installing solar at your property.
During the session you’ll have the chance to:
• Identify if your rooftop receives enough sunlight for solar panels
• Find out what size system you’ll need and what it might cost
• Learn about battery storage and solar hot water systems
• Learn how do to find a reputable contractor to install your system.
Register for this free session at eventbrite.
|
|
|
Moonee Valley garden group
Last Sunday of the month 11:30am - 12:30pm
Ascot Vale Uniting Church Community garden
Come and meet other keen gardeners, have a cuppa while inspecting the garden, and take home something different. Bring anything garden or food related to swap, like seeds, seedlings, plants, cuttings, fruit, veggies, compost, fertilizer, jam, or chutney.
Contact Eileen via email.
|
|
|
|
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.
Retrosuburbia: The downshifter’s guide to a resilient future – David Holmgren
From the co-originator of permaculture David Holmgren, RetroSuburbia highlights successful patterns and strategies for South Eastern Australia and will help gardeners take the next steps towards greater productivity. How do you assess a garden’s potential? How do you build soil fertility and manage soil contamination? What plants should be prioritised in small spaces? How can animals like chooks, quail, pigeons, rabbits, guinea pigs and even goats be integrated into suburban food systems?
Earth Users Guide to Permaculture – Rosemary Morrow
An easy-to-read introduction to permaculture, including observation, ecology, design process, increasing resilience and social permaculture.
The Urban Farmer: How to create a productive garden in any space - Justin Calverley and CERES
A great all round book for the backyard farmer from one of Melbourne’s favourite gardeners. Information on garden design, propagation, growing fruit and vegies, keeping small animals and preserving your harvest.
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
