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Smart Gardening in October
- The soil is now warm enough for almost all spring veggie seeds and seedlings, including tomatoes, to be planted. 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 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!
- 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!
- 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 excellent tips in our Integrated Pest Management notes and other organic pest management notes here. If you need some more help identifying critters, try the Field Guide to Vic Fauna (app), Grasslands: Biodiversity of South-Eastern Australia (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 four 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, including rhubarb, pepino, alpine strawberries and loquats. Spring-fruiting varieties of mulberries and some varieties of citrus will also give you fruit at this time of year.
- If you love tropical fruit, bananas grow surprisingly well in a warm Melbourne microclimate with lots of food and water. Instead of rockmelons try growing pepinos, and for a pawpaw-shaped melon, try babaco.
For a list of what to plant in October, see Gardening Australia’s Veggie Guide.
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Bee a Pollinator with Buzz and Dig for Children's Week 2020
When: Saturday 31 October, 3 - 4pm
Where: This is a free online session for kids up to 12 years old. Book your ticket at Eventbrite
This workshop aims to bring joy and wonder to children as they self discover insect biodiversity and urban sustainability on a micro level in the garden. Nurturing a sense of respect and excitement to living creatures whilst learning about the important role bees have to enable us to grow healthy food. Katrina Forstner from Buzz and Dig will introduce families to native bees, pollination and increasing urban biodiversity.
We'll look at bee basics like: the evolution of bees and native plants, and how to identify a bee and it's life cycle. The session will end with a hands on activity where kids will be guided through how to make a bee hotel. This will require some preparation and material collection beforehand. Instructions will be provided.
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Bee a Pollinator and make seed bombs for National Pollinator Week
When: Saturday 7 November, 10 – 11am
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
This workshop aims to bring joy and wonder to children in as they self discover insect biodiversity and urban sustainability on a micro level in the garden. Nurturing a sense of respect and excitement to living creatures whilst learning about the important role bees have to enable us to grow healthy food.
Some of the things covered in The Bee a Pollinator webinar include:
- An introduction to native bees
- Your backyard and its role in supporting local biodiversity and interconnection to the wider landscape
- How to identify a bee as opposed to a fly
- Life cycle of a native bee
- Buzz pollination
Some materials will be provided. More information will be provided as to how these materials may be collected closer to the event. Please book the number of tickets corresponding to the number of children you will have participating in this event for appropriate resourcing. Registrations close 12pm October 31.
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Small space gardening
When: Saturday 7 November 10am – 12pm
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
Join us for this free webinar covering the need-to-know basics of growing food in a small space with permaculture designer and educator, Kat Lavers. Learn how to plan and design a small space garden, utilise pots and containers, make your own self watering pot and choose the best plants for small spaces.
This webinar is part of the My Smart Garden program and is delivered in partnership with Stonnington Libraries.
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Buzz In for National Pollinator Week
When: Monday 9 November, 7 – 9:30pm
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
Katrina Forstner from Buzz and Dig will share lots of fascinating information about our beautiful native bees and how to become a citizen scientist during National Pollinator Week. Learn how to provide habitat and a reliable food source in your garden in this online session. Topics will include:
- Your backyard and its role in supporting local biodiversity
- What bees do and why we should care
- Evolution of bees
- How to identify a bee as opposed to a fly
- Life-cycle of a native bee
The session will be inclusive of an opportunity for questions and where to find further resources.
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Food Gardening Online Q&A
When: Wednesday 11 November, 7 – 8:30pm
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
What do I do about aphids? Why are the leaves on my plant turning yellow? Am I watering enough or too much?
Join some of Melbourne's expert food gardeners for a special live online Q&A. We'll share some photos and videos of what's happening in our patches, then answer your questions to help you keep growing during the pandemic.
Please note that this is an event for Melbourne gardeners only. Gardening is very context specific and we will not be taking questions relating to other areas. If you live outside Melbourne, please contact your council to find out what free sustainable gardening events are available locally.
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Edible weeds and flowers in your garden
When: Saturday 14 November, 10 - 11.30am
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
Join Doris Pozzi, food gardener, speaker and foraging enthusiast, as she takes you on an entertaining and informative journey into the world of edible weeds! Many plants in our gardens are edible - not just edible but nutritious, delicious and free.
Doris grew up in an Italian family where foraging for wild edibles was a normal part of life. Today she is the author of the popular foraging books 'Edible Weeds and Garden Plants of Melbourne' and ‘Wild Mushrooms – The Beginner’s Foraging Guide’.
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Backyard Fruit: Jobs to do in Spring
When: Saturday 14 November, 10am - 12noon
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
'Fruit Trees for Melbourne Backyards' was such a hit that we're running a sequel - 'Backyard Fruit: Jobs to do in Spring', which will go deeper into topics like feeding, mulching, orchard hygiene, soil health, pruning water shoots, pre-bud burst sprays, thinning fruit for best quality and all the important questions about why your lemon trees have strange looking leaves.
Join Scott Hitchins from the Werribee Heritage Orchard in another informative session about your fruit trees in spring.
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Summer proof your garden
When: Thursday 19 November, 12.30 - 1.30pm
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
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)
- how to choose heat and drought tolerant edible plants
This is a free event but bookings are essential.
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Climate action through gardening
When: Tuesday 24 November, 7 - 8.30pm
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
This webinar will introduce you to simple actions you can take to reduce your personal CO2 emissions at home and help you prepare your garden for the changing climate.
Topics will include:
- recycling organic waste to reduce methane emission
- productive gardening to reduce food miles
- re-purposing materials to reduce embedded carbon emissions
- irrigation strategies for a dryer climate
- supporting biodiversity and indigenous wildlife in your gardens.
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Vertical garden walls
When: Saturday 28 November, 10 - 11.30am
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
Is a lack of garden space driving you up the wall? Vertical Gardens are a great way to make use of walls, fences, water tanks and a variety of difficult spots when facing a lack of growing space.
Making them out of rescued resources makes a green idea even greener! Without having to purchase all sorts of expensive kits and fittings, you will be shown a number of easy methods of using the bare vertical areas of your garden to expand into with your ever-growing collection of plants, veg, fruit and herbs.
The next time your partner tells you that there is no room for more plants - build that wall!
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Other Sustainability Events
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Summer-ready home: reduce your energy bill and carbon footprint
When: Tuesday 17 November, 12-1.00pm
Where: This is a free online session for Melbourne gardeners. Book your ticket at Eventbrite.
Feeling the heat with your energy bills? Is your home doubling as your office and you’re keen to be comfy?
Join energy efficiency expert, Arky Elston of Sapien Group, for this free webinar to learn the many ways to buffer your home from the heat without the huge energy bill or carbon footprint.
Learn about the best cooling systems, managing air quality in your home and how you can keep comfortable and cool with passive measures like DIY draught proofing, ventilation, insulation and using plants for shade.
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Solar for rentals – an introduction
When: Tuesday 17 November, 6 - 7pm
Where: To register for this online webinar email: solar.programs@delwp.vic.gov.au
Victorian landlords and tenants can now access solar rebates – reducing the cost of installing solar, slashing energy bills and increasing the amenity of the home.
Presented by Solar Victoria, this webinar will cover:
• the available rebate and interest-free loan,
• estimated cost savings, and
• pathways to accessing the rebate in your area.
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Zoom recording links
Have you missed one of our recent online events? Many of them have been recorded so we have you covered! Visit the My Smart Garden past events page at the website for the list of links and recordings. Have a look around and discover the many online resources we have available.
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October Reading
Garden Pests, diseases and good bugs - Denise 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 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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