TNG Member News 2024

12 September

Next working bee

Sunday 15 September 2-4pm. Shared afternoon tea at 4pm. Hot drinks provided

Shed door

The shed door enhanced with a custom art work created by three of our young members, will be rehung and ceremonially ‘opened’ on Sunday 22 September at 2pm. Please come along and celebrate with the artists.

Nov 3, 2024 –Expo in Taroona Park

It’s the big Taroona Expo on Sunday Nov 3^rd, from midday to 4pm. The Neighbourhood Garden will be participating by holding a plant stall and selling afternoon tea. In a month or so we will be asking for volunteers to:

Make a cake for the afternoon tea stall
Take a turn on the rosters to sell afternoon teas
Take a turn on the roster to staff the plant stall
Help with set up at about 10am, and pack up after 4 pm.

We also are asking members if they can put in some cuttings or seedlings to sell at the plant stall.

We are anticipating lots of visitors to the garden on that day, so encourage all our plot holders to get their plots into full Spring/Summer production.

Spring has sprung

Now is the time to start planting summer vegetables. See the seasonal planting guides listed on our website.

https://taroona.tas.au/neighbourhood-garden/planting-calendar/

There is soil by the compost bays for replenishing plots, but the soil needs to be augmented with fertiliser. We are an organic garden, so check labels of fertilisers when purchasing. Generally animal manure, blood and bone, Charlie Carp, rock dust and some soluble fertilisers and compost are organic approved.

Plastic pots, no more please!

Please do not leave plastic pots in the shed and around the garden. We cannot use them and regularly have to dispose of them in the landfill bin. And don’t leave pots and glass jars in the share shelves, as they are regularly thrown about, causing a mess and worse, broken glass on the path. If you would like to recycle pots, Bunnings has a recycling facility.

No longer want your plot?

If you no longer need your plot and cant get it planted out this spring, please let us know (return email) as we still have a growing waiting list.

Feedback

Comments and suggestions about member news are welcome. Please email them to tng@taroona.tas.au

May

Next working bee is on Sunday May 19^th, 2-3.45. We will start shared afternoon tea a little earlier than usual at 3.45 pm, in recognition of the shortening daylight hours.

Cardboard needed

We are laying thick layers of cardboard into the bottoms of the new zincalume plots, and plan to use a lot more around the fruit trees to suppress the weeds. We welcome your donations of cardboard. Please flatten boxes and remove any plastic tape or other plastic packaging, and leave the cardboard in the greenhouse.

Fruit trees are pruned!

David C has done much of the pruning for the last few years, but is now taking a well earned break. Thank you David. This year we employed ‘Macca’, expert in the care of fruit trees, to prune the perimeter fruit trees. As Macca worked, a small group of volunteers collected the prunings and mulched them in a very efficient battery powered chipper loaned by one of our members. Some of the resulting mulch was used on part of the perimeter, and the rest was used by the hardworking compost team as part of their magic mix, now cooking in the compost bays.

Thank you to the compost team, and to Graham for servicing the mower used to chop up the vegetable waste to make compost.

Don’t forget the working bee. We hope to see many of our members at the garden on Sunday.

March

There will be no working bee this Sunday. (17th)

Tuesday 9^th April, 7pm - Neighbourhood Garden Annual General meeting

Venue to be announced later. This will be a very short meeting to deal with the formalities of elections of office bearers and committee, and annual report. It will be followed by a meeting of the new committee.

All members are welcome.

Calling for nominations for the management committee. All positions are open. To nominate, send your name and the position you wish to stand for by return email. Positions are President, Secretary, Treasurer and 4-12 committee members. It would be great to have some new people with new ideas join the committee. Please consider nominating.

Coming up:

Saturday 6^th April 10am sharp: Crop Swap. To find out more visit our Facebook page.

Sunday 7^th April, midday: Autumn celebration in the garden. Please bring food to share (Autumn produce theme), and your own drinks, plates and cutlery. Hot drinks will be provided.

Tuesday 9^th April, 7.00pm – TNG AGM

Calling for Working Bee Facilitators

Would you like to facilitate a working bee? Regular bees are held on the Sunday following the second Tuesday (which is committee meeting day) of each month. They run from 2-4pm and conclude with a shared afternoon tea. It would be great to see more member involvement in the bees, as they are a very important part of keeping the garden maintained and productive. A current committee member will assist a new facilitator with suggestions about tasks and the provision of the tea supplies.

Weed out these weeds!!

Oxalis and White weed are appearing in several of the plots, possible seed has been brought in with the soil or manure. Both need to be carefully removed by digging deep below the plant. White weed has long penetrating white roots, and oxalis has many bulbs and bulblets with break off easily in the soil and quickly regenerate. Both must be disposed of in the green lidded wheelie bins. DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE COMPOST BAYS. Mint and lemon balm should also not be disposed of in the compost. See our weed gallery here:

https://taroona.tas.au/neighbourhood-garden/weeds/

Great seed discount offer

Don’t forget the generous seed discount offer from Vegie and Flower Garden Seeds. Members can buy seeds from this local business with a 15% discount. When ordering quote this code: TAROONAGARDEN.

The business has also given TNG a $150 gift voucher, and this will amply provide seed for our shared plots for a few seasons to come!

There is a great range of seeds pictured on their website: flowers, vegetables and herbs, with many unusual varieties.

https://veggiegardenseeds.com.au

What can you do if you have some time to contribute to the garden?

The new raised beds can be cleared out as the vegetables become spent. Put the waste into the compost bays AFTER removing any invasive weeds. Please follow the instructions on the sign on the compost bays to see what to dispose of where.

Visit our Facebook page for more news. Members are very welcome to post photos from the garden on the Facebook page.

February

Next working bee

Sunday 18 February 2-4pm. Shared afternoon tea at 4pm. Hot drinks provided.

Our tasks for the bee will be:

clear out a small area in readiness for positioning of one of the new zincalume raised beds.

Plant/sow the “A” section of the raised beds in the central area. We are rotating this space to members of the onion tribe for autumn/winter, and may also have a little room for some carrots and red beets.

Advance notice – Autumn harvest celebration in the garden.

Afternoon of Sunday April 7^th. More news about this event later

Hose fittings

If you remove the sprinkler/spray fitting from a hose, please replace it after use so it is ready for the next person. Please don’t remove the small fitting to which the spray device attaches. Make sure the tap is turned off after use AT THE TAP (not at the button on the hand spray).

Fruit

If fruit on perimeter is ripe, please pick some to take home. Look for green flags in the raised central area plots which indicate what is ready for harvest. Take what you need.

January 13th

2024 Subscriptions are now due. For information see here:

https://taroona.tas.au/neighbourhood-garden/how-to-pay/

Next working bee Sunday 21 January

Our first bee of the year will be held on Sunday 21 January 2-4pm. We can share a new year afternoon tea at 4pm, and enjoy the new social area of the garden, with its additional seating and surrounds of thriving vegetable plots.

We aim to complete the filling and planting of the second dovetail bed at the entrance, and do a few other tidying and maintenance jobs. Hope to see many members at the bee.

Green flags in the raised community plots mean….

Members can harvest – take what you need and leave some for others. Water if you have a few minutes too, but on sunny days keep the water drizzling low on the ground. Spraying leaves when the sun shines causes leaf scald.

Please be a considerate TNG member!!

Many of our members have joined in the work of the big rebuild and renovation to the central area in 2022-2023, and a big thanks is due to Christophe who has led this work.

Now we ask our members to observe a few simple rules to help keep the garden in good shape:

MANAGE YOUR OWN PLOT WASTE

Please sort your plot waste. Follow instructions on the compost bay sign! Strip leaves off woody stems first for compost. Bin bad weeds and woody stems.

Why?: Keep nutrients on site (when compost is made), bins wont be overstuffed (one bin has split), spare the compost making team from having to sort your waste, save money (it cost TNG $110 recently to get excess plot waste taken to tip!)

KEEP DOGS ON A LEAD WHILE IN THE GARDEN

Why? We conducted a survey and this was the best compromise to keep everyone happy. ALL dogs in the garden must be on a short lead if walking through, or tethered to your plot if you are working there.

LET US KNOW ABOUT ANY ISSUES

If you spot a problem just email us at tng@taroona.tas.au

WHY? This week a tap broke and much water was wasted before a committee member spotted it and fixed it (thanks Graeme)

WEEDS

Bad weeds are binned, NOT composted! See our rogues gallery to identify problems:

https://taroona.tas.au/neighbourhood-garden/weeds/

Comfrey, oxalis, mallow, twitch, mint and yarrow rapidly multiply, reduce your vegetable yield and quickly overwhelm your plot.

Thank you for observing these few rules, and happy gardening!