Newsletters 2012

TNG Member News 2012

December 2012

 Working bee

Last evening session before Christmas - Thursday 6 December 4.30-6.30. Main task - complete preparation and planting of the two community plots. Please drop in and help us to complete the Spring planting of vegetables that all members will be able to harvest.

The Dovetail Bed

Do you know someone who loves gardening but is no longer able to garden at home?

You may have noticed the tall raised bed in the centre of the garden. Tina and Marian and their families have prepared this bed for use by people who need to sit or stand to garden. It has been designed for  gardening with minimal effort. The timber structure was donated for this purpose by Bodie Kavanagh of Dovetail Timbers at Bonnet Hill.

There is space for three people to have a small garden plot, with one space already taken.

The remainder of the plot has been planted out and will be maintained until the remaining two spaces are taken. The central plot has been planted using "The Foot Square Method" to trial its suitability for gardening in small spaces.

If you  have a Taroona  friend, neighbour or relative who might like to have a try at gentle gardening in the Dovetail Bed, please encourage them to contact Marian at marianfitzgerald2012@yahoo.com.au or to leave a message with contact details on the notice board inside the TNG shed. They do not need to be an existing member of TNG. 

TNG Committee vacancies

Recently two members of our management committee (Hazel and Gwen) have resigned due to other commitments, so we have two vacancies. If you would like to fill these positions for the next few months until the AGM in March, please let us know by responding to this email.

Mower for TNG

We are currently in the process of purchasing a mower. Thank you to all those who responded to the call for people to go onto the mowing roster. Jon will be contacting you soon.

Odd Jobs you can do if you have a few spare minutes

• fix the loose plastic on the green house
• take the broken chair and split compost bin to the tip
• straighten and secure the timber edges of the community plots.

October 2012

Dovetail Plot

Our grateful thanks are due to local resident Bodie Cavanagh at Dovetail Timber for donating the impressive raised bed now constructed near the centre of the garden. More about Dovetail Timber and their products can be found here. http://dovetailtimbers.com/

Inactive members -do you still want your plot?

If you no longer need your plot, please email tng@taroona.tas.au or respond directly to this email as soon as possible. We have several people and groups on our waiting list.

If renovating your plot...

If you are rebuilding or renovating your plot, please be careful not to impinge too far into the space between plots. It is very important that enough width is kept clear to allow the passage of the mower and wheelbarrows.

Mosaic workshop Saturday  3^rd. Nov.  10 am till 1 pm

A mosaic workshop will be held on Saturday Nov 3rd 10 am till 1pm at the Neighbourhood garden. If you would like to attend, please let Ruth know as soon as possible. (and confirm  with her if you have already indicated an intention). You may also like to let a friend know about it. Ruth's phone: 0415032660
 It will mainly be a demonstration workshop. Expect to get something started but probably not finished. Start gathering ideas/collecting things you would like to eg tiles, crockery, flowerpots. There will be a small charge, and it is hoped that some of the outputs may be able to be used in the garden.

Doors! (Rob has now offered to fix the doors, thanks Rob!!)

The door of the green house splintered some time ago and had to be removed, and now the gales of the last few days have demolished the shed door. Is any member in possession of basic carpentry/door hanging skills? Maybe you can find a suitable door at the tip shop (we can re-imburse the cost on presentation of a receipt), and we would be most grateful if you could donate your skills. Please return email if you are able to tackle the job.

Mower

The committee is considering buying a mower, which will need to be kept off site and brought to the garden when required. If you have experience or expertise which would help us to select the right tool for our needs, please respond to this email. We would love to hear from you.

Community (shared) plots

The two large plots near the centre of the garden, ie the community plots for which there is a shared responsibility, are generally not being utilised well. The committee has adopted a new plan which is outlined below. The new plan will discussed and implemented at the working bee on Sunday 14 October. Signs will be placed in the garden so that the procedure can be followed.

August 2012

Thank you to Kingborough Council

Kingborough Council is gratefully thanked and acknowledged for the grant we received last year. This week the last dollars were spent and the final report submitted to Council, but there is still some work to do. The last delivery of timber for fixing plot ends arrives next week. It is planned to use it at the working bee on August 19.

Working bee August 19

TNG funds will pay for a special delivery of manure mix. All attendees at the working bee will be provided with half a bag to add to their plot for a Spring boost! Please RSVP by August 5th. to  reserve your manure mix. We are also having a special event, the unveiling of the Possums sponsored sign on the lower gate - time TBA.

Tasks at the working bee are :

• Clean up area of old timber frame and remove rubbish to the tip
• Fix more plot ends (we should have timber for about 5 plots).

For these tasks we need the following. Please  email tng.member.news@gmail.com if you can provide:

• a trailer and vehicle to take a load of rubbish to the tip
• chainsaw to cut rough sawn timber for plot ends
• hammer, battery-operated drill, hand saw, screwdriver
• portable saw bench or saw horse

We also need some help to construct the rustic outdoor table and benches. Tina has drawn up designs and celery-top timber has been bought. Does anyone have some good rustic wood skills? We will raise the new shelters and have communal afternoon tea at about 4pm.

*Please come along on Sunday August 19th, 2pm, and help to make our garden grow!*

July 2012

Please come along to the Spring working bee and get your plot and the other areas of the garden ready for Spring planting and sowing.

We will have bags of a special soil fertiliser and conditioner available free of charge for you to put on your plot. However we need your RSVP by August 5th so we can order sufficient amounts. The fertiliser will be available only on the day and to those who have sent RSVP. Some may also be available at a small charge to take away.

RSVP to email tng.member.news@gmail.com by August 5th or put your name on the notice in the shed.

Cleaning up

Most of the timber from the timber frame has now been removed, although much rubbish remains. We plan to build new worm farms in that area, so will be removing much of that rubbish at the bee on August 19th. If you can bring a trailer to the bee and take a load to the tip, we would be very grateful. Also bring secateurs and a machete or other useful gardening equipment.

Site works

You may have seen some works going on near the central open area of the garden. Bodie Cavanagh from Dovetail Timber http://dovetailtimbers.com/ has very kindly donated a raised garden bed which will soon be constructed on this site.

Thanks!

Thanks again to the people who have been diligently mowing and whippersnippering and doing other general weeding and cleaning up tasks. If you are looking for a job, the herb garden (outside the fence on the street side), could benefit from weeding and cutting back.

No longer need your plot?

We have three prospective members on the waiting list so if you are receiving this email but no longer wish to work your plot, please let our membership officer know by emailing tng@taroona.tas.au

5 February 2012

The management committee has been working on a process to form a Taroona Neighbourhood Garden Association and elect an Executive and management committee members.

Our first AGM will be held at the Community Hall on

Thursday 23 February at 7.30 pm.

The business of this meeting is of crucial importance for the future success of the Garden, so please come along. Nominations for the Executive of President, Treasurer and Secretary, and 4-8 committee members will be accepted during the meeting. An agenda will be sent with a reminder about a week before, but please put this in your diary now.

Working Bees

Parts of the garden are becoming untended and weedy, so we are holding three working bees to give everyone the chance to pitch in and help. (Our management plan asks that all members give about 6 hours of assistance per year to the upkeep of the common areas of the Garden).

Working bees will be held from 2-4pm on:

• Sunday February 19th
• Saturday February 25th
• Sunday March 18th.

These working bees will also be an opportunity for you to assist with the renovation of the construction of your plot, with materials purchased from our Kingborough Community Grant.

Several plots have over maturing beans, zucchini and leafy greens. If you havent checked your plot lately, maybe it is time to get down there and harvest the 'fruits of your labour'. Remember that if beans are picked regularly, they will just keep on producing for weeks. Plots with abundantly seeding weeds and over-mature vegetables (and there are several) make very bad neighbours for other gardeners who are trying to keep their own plots weed-free. At very least, please cut off the seed heads and dispose of them in the green wheelie bin (NOT in the compost).

We have 2-3 vacant plots now, so if you know someone who'd like to join us, please ask them to email a request to tng@taroona.tas.au

Fees due now

Fees are definitely due NOW! It is easy and quick to pay by BPay or Bank Transfer, and all the details for both methods are here 

TNG Facebook Page

Tim has started a (closed) facebook page for the garden. If you would like to join, send an email to:taroonagarden@groups.facebook.com and ask to join.