community | junior gardeners

By MEREDITH KIRTON

The Yates Junior Landcare Watermelon Challenge has wrapped up with two massive 20kg watermelons winning both the individual and group categories. Six-year-old Wyatt Kahler from Basin View, NSW, won the individual category with his giant watermelon weighing 20kg with a circumference of 83cm. The group winner was Cooran State School in Queensland, where the students also managed to grow a 20kg watermelon with a 77cm circumference. Wyatt’s grandmother, Trish Kahler, loved seeing her grandson get involved in the challenge.

“We’ve grown a few really big ones and we have more on the way! I think it is really great how kids can get out into the garden and learn about where their food is actually coming from,” she said. The challenge, launched last year by Junior Masterchef winner Isabella Bliss and her sister, Sofia, attracted over 40,000 participants from across the country. Regardless of whether they had grown a winning watermelon or something smaller, the kids were just excited to get their hands dirty and learn how to grow their own food. “I finally got a melon for the competition. Our season was very poor due to a cool to mild summer and very dry for two months. We finally got rain and more sunshine and bingo things started to grow in the far south east,” said Henry, a competitor from Bega, NSW. In addition to showing off their gardening abilities, competitors got creative by dressing up their watermelons and uploading photos of the results as part of the competition. Claire and Simon Jung from Lyneham, ACT, won this category with a photo of their watermelon looking very cosy in their garden bed dressed up with a beanie and scarf.

Just a heads up that Grow Harvest Cook will soon be running a kids gardening and cooking competition with some great give-aways! Make sure you read our newsletter so you don’t miss out!

community | Allsun

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Joyce Wilkie and Michael Plane, both “retired” academics have turned a bush block into a productive farm and are happy to share their keen insights.  If you’re up for the drive, the outing is worth the trouble.

The Allsun Farm between Gundaroo and Canberra is having specialist talks and tours all weekend on the 29^th-30 October 2011.  Entry fee is $10 and there will be everything from tools to chooks, tractors and books, and of course, tasty produce that biodynamic and organically grown.  For details check out the Australian Open Garden Schemes 2011/2012 Catalogue or website.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

community | floriade

By MEREDITH KIRTON

First three photos by IdPhoto.com.au. Following photos by Meredith Kirton:

(Above) The Australian War Memorial will be at floriade with the Victory garden to share the history of wartime kitchens and gardens and the scheme that encouraged so many Australians to grow their own during the war, this helping not only their diets but also the war effort.

(Above) Citrus sculptures from Griffith

Floriade’s theme this year is Feast of the Senses and there are a few gardens worth visiting.  The Victory Garden, which is the scene for talks by various garden notorieties such as Graham Ross and Jackie French, plays homage to the 75^th Anniversary of WWII and the efforts made by ordinary Australian’s to feed themselves and thus help the war effort.  Talks by War Memorial Staff will also enlighten audiences.  See www.floraide.com.au for daily schedules.

Of course, our very own Meredith Kirton will also be at the Lindeman’s Open Garden with Dominique Rizzo, talking about growing your own kitchen garden produce and turning fresh vegetables and herbs into simple, delicious meals.  It would be great if some of you bloggers could make yourself known if you’re there… Meredith will have a special giveaway for those of you who brave it!

Photography by MEREDITH KIRTON | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

community | Norton Plaza

By MEREDITH KIRTON

The rooftop of one one Sydney’s busiest shops, Norton Plaza in Leichhardt, has developed a kitchen garden on top of it’s retail centre and opened it up to the community.

This area, known for it’s Italian heritage, will be perfect for growing a wide range of Mediterranean herbs and potted trees such as olives.  The inside of the centre has even planted mini winter gardens throughout the plaza to demonstrate potted edibles and advertise the scheme.
At present they are looking for a garden guardian to help coordinate the scheme.

For more details go to http://www.nortonplaza.com.au/content.aspx?urlkey=CommunityKitchenGarden

or visit http://www.gpt.com.au/contentimages/microsites/sakgf/magic.aspx#.T1G1qf0_vvA.email

Photography by MEREDITH KIRTON |Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

community | Tree Day

By MEREDITH KIRTON

National Tree Day will be held on Sunday 31st July 2011, with Schools Tree Day taking place on the Friday 29th July 2011. Last year over 312 000 people at 3 500 sites dug deep to improve their natural surroundings. Tree Day shows children how easy and fun it is to help our environment.
In March 2011, Planet Ark commissioned an independent study,* sponsored by Toyota Australia, to investigate childhood interaction with nature and how this interaction is changing.
The research shows that there has been a dramatic shift in childhood activity from outdoor play to indoor activity in the space of one generation.

73% of respondents played outdoors more often than indoors when they were young, compared to only 13% of their children and 72% of respondents played outside every day as kids compared to only 35% of their children. Even more scary was that 1 in 10 children today play outside once a week or less.

64% of respondents said they climbed trees as kids but less than 20% of their children participate in this activity.  If you’d like to plant a fruit tree in your yard that’s also suitable for climbing, consider a pecan, mango or avocado for larger gardens, or macadamia, persimmon and olives for smaller backyards.  Happy days!

The report, Climbing Trees: Getting AussieKids Back Outside is available at http://treeday.planetark.org/about/health-benefits.cfm

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community | Balmain High

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Recently Mark Morrison, owner of online plant supplier, Morrison’s Garden Centre, which sells plants and products and delivers to the Sydney Metropolitan Area, has been working not in cyber space but in reality, doing great work with disabled children from Sydney’s Inner West.

Like many people, Mark has become interested in home grown produce and now sells and installs corrugated tank veggie gardens. (pic attached of example).  He was also instrumental in developing a veggie garden at Balmain High and provide ongoing support there for the staff of the Support Unit for disabled children.  A few images of the delight these kids are feeling from their interaction with their crops are attached.

Mark Morrison is a member of the  Australian Institute of Horticulture and is a Certified Nursery Practitioner.

His contact details are:

Morrison’s Garden Centre
Phone: 0409 201 063
Email: info@morrisonsgardencentre.com.au
Web: www.morrisonsgardencentre.com.au

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community | Newington

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Recently Gavin Smith, environmentalist and honorary life member of The Wilderness Society came to speak at Newington College’s Wyvern House as they implemented a composting Friday scheme where green waste is collected from the boys each recess and lunch and goes into their compost bins, worm farms and black soldier fly larvae pods instead of the bins.

Gavin’s enthusiasm for the environment, and in particular composting, was infectious, and the boys, ranging  in ages from Kindy to year 6, lapped up his demonstrations. “I volunteer in a number of ways. I speak to high school students about volunteering, wild life preservation, conservation and biodiversity” explains Gavin, “Last year I helped train trainers to develop community gardening projects around Sydney with Michael Mobbs, author of” The Sustainable House”. This is an ongoing group which meets monthly at Carriageworks, Redfern”.

If your community group or school wants to  have a similar demonstration, enquiries should be made to Gavin Smith, Phone:  95682331. Mobile: 0438 686 696. Email: gavinsmithwilderness@gmail.com Being a part time school teacher, he has all the necessary clearances.

The fly has been around since the 1940s. My contact is David Watson with whom, I recall, you have already made contact: david@circle3.com One of the best You Tube presentations may be found at Black Soldier Fly Larvae Revisited by “the compost fellow”. Dr Oliver is the author. 2005 is the earliest reference I can find. Larger versions of the pods are available in the US and Vietnam is building home made ones for local waste conversions. There are many You Tube references and footage of their ability to consume huge quantities of putrescent waste. There is a humourous article worth a read – “So you want to be an urban chicken farmer? Read this first.”

Photography by MEREDITH KIRTON  | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS