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March 2021 Newsletter

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My Smart Garden apologises for the misdirected links in the February newsletter. The correct list of all upcoming events can be found on Eventbrite and in our My Smart Garden events column below. 

Your guide to growing a smart garden in March


Welcome to your monthly guide to growing a productive, resilient and smart garden in Melboune!

This newsletter is an initiative of My Smart Garden, a free program that will help you grow food, prepare your home and garden for a changing climate, create homes for local wildlife, use water wisely and recycle wastes.

My Smart Garden is a collaboration between the cities of Hobson Bay, Moonee Valley, Maribyrnong, Brimbank, Wyndham, Stonnington, Moreland and Yarra.

Kat's smart gardening tips for March


Our resident smart gardener, permaculture designer and educator Kat Lavers, shares her tips and advice for March in your patch.

Many of us lose our gardening enthusiasm as the weather cools, but winter is a great time to grow vegies in Melbourne with no heatwaves, less demand for irrigation and fewer pests. Growth will slow dramatically as the temperature drops, so now is the time to get your autumn and winter patch planted, especially if year round production is your goal.
  • Now's a great time to plant seedlings of slower growing brassicas like broccoli, cauliflower, kale and cabbage, as seeds planted now may not mature until spring when you need the beds clear for summer crops. Silverbeet, carrots, celery, beetroot and leeks from your spring and summer plantings will continue to grow and thrive into the cooler months, but will appreciate a top up of compost and organic fertiliser.
  • Still waiting for tomatoes to ripen before you replant that bed? If you hang whole tomato plants upside down under cover, most will continue to ripen. Or you can make green tomato pickles with any that refuse to turn red.
  • Don’t forget to save seeds from your summer vegies! Every time we select seeds we are also determining the strength and qualities of future crops, so ‘keep the best, eat the rest' and be sure to only select seed from your strongest, most productive plants.
  • Do you love coriander but struggle to grow it? Coriander doesn’t tolerate hot, dry weather and prefers to grow in cooler, humid conditions, so planting in autumn is often more successful than summer. It also dislikes being transplanted, so try growing from seed directly sown into your bed/pots.
  • Don’t pull out your capsicums! Many capsicums (and chilies) overwinter in Melbourne and may reward you with a larger crop next season. They hibernate best in a warm, sheltered, frost free position. Leaves and small branches may die, but larger stems that remain green will often reshoot in spring.
  • Garlic planting season is upon us. For the strongest growth, plant cloves before you see the green shoot emerge. Sacrifice a clove to check by cutting it open and if it’s more than 2/3 towards the tip, get them in! Here are a few more garlic planting tips from expert Penny Woodward.
  • Basil can crop well into May in a warm position, but if you let it flower it will soon decline. The trick is to pinch out emerging flower buds to prevent flowering and encourage more leaf growth – hello autumn pesto!
  • Take time to reflect on your summer patch... What worked and what didn’t? Which were the juiciest tomatoes, the most productive beans or drought tolerant cucumbers? How many of each do you need to plant next year? Did your spacing work? Make a plan for next spring now so you’ll be well prepared.
Click here for Gardening Australia’s March planting guide.

My Smart Garden Events

Gardening in autumn

Tuesday 23 March 6.30-8pm
Online via zoom, register here.

Learn about what to plant and what jobs to get started to get your garden thriving throughout autumn with Leaf, Root and Fruit's Duncan Cocking.

Natural pest management for gardeners

Tuesday 23 March 6.30-8.30pm
Online via zoom, register here.

Pests in your vegie patch? Before you reach for a spray, learn how to keep your plants healthy by creating a balanced and biodiverse backyard ecosystem from an entomologist who usually works with farmers.

Habitat Gardens in Hobsons Bay

Commencing Saturday 27 March in Laverton
Email habitatgardens@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au to register

Live in Laverton and interested in creating a habitat garden to attract native wildlife? Residents anvited to learn about our local flora and fauna, and find out how your garden can become a stepping stone for native grasslands wildlife. Receive a free professional advice and plants to start your habitat garden. Find out more.

Climate Action Through Gardening

Wednesday 28 April 12:30 - 1:30pm
Online via zoom, register here.

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.

Cool your home with trees and vines

Thursday 29 April 7 - 8:30pm
Online via zoom, register here.

As our city gets hotter, trees and vines offer one of the simplest and most effective ways to stay comfortable and cut cooling costs. Learn how to grow trees and vines in Melbourne's climate to manage sun and wind, and cooling breezes.

Composting for small spaces

Saturday 1 May, 10am-12pm
Online via zoom, register here.

Keen to compost but don’t have a big backyard? Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week by learning about the nifty composting solutions to suit small spaces with permaculture designer and educator, Kat Lavers.

Events on the horizons

That's not all, we're planning some more great events for you in the coming months:
  • Balcony biodiversity
  • Identifying edible weeds
  • Guide to composting and worm farming
  • Urban agriculture forum's care farming & gardening in the climate emergency
Click to view all upcoming My Smart Garden events on Eventbrite

In case you missed it

Access our library of recordings

Have you missed one of our recent online events? Not to worry, 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. Here are a few of our recent workshops:  While you're there, have a look around and discover the many online resources we have available.

Recommended reading in March 

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. 

Seed to Seed, Suzanne Ashworth

An excellent reference book for the home seed saver. Detailed information on how to select, save and store seed from all major edible plant families plus tips for each variety. The book is written for North American gardeners but the information is also useful to Australian gardeners.

 

Botany for gardeners, Brian Capon  

A fascinating introduction to botany written especially for gardeners. All the hows and whys of plant growth and reproduction in a short and readable format.

Get involved

Submit news


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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