CASINO COMMUNITY GARDEN
Monthly Newsletter #6 Issued August 2013
Around Casino Community Garden this Month
Every Tuesday from 8.30am: Join in at the garden with Jo, Janine, Mark and Kevin, weeding, general garden activities, and planting still going on.
Every Wednesday 12 noon: Lunch gatherings every week at the garden - come on down at noon and have a bite to eat, a cuppa and join in the chat with the regulars, topics include good food, gardening and healthy living.
First Wednesday of month: Lunch 12 noon, MEETING 12.30 for about an hour
News:
Lunchtime Wednesday
A very pleasant time to look forward to, with 12 present on the last Wednesday in July with at least three regulars not making it.
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Jean enjoying our mid-winter sunflower at lunchtime, pic Jo
Installation of tank
The tank has not arrived as yet
Next Garden Clinic Day - "Welcome to Spring" Saturday 31st August
Jo has finalised the speakers and arrangements. There will be a media release in the Richmond River Express, posters around town and the latest on Facebook as details are available.
The event, open to all, starts at 1.00pm
Speakers
Linda Brooks - Alternative Energy Production and Methane Power
Agnes Tierney - Unusual Ways to use Vegetables especially Asian
Keith Larsson - Composting and Biochar
Pizzas and afternoon tea will be ready from about 3.00pm or 3.30pm with the day concluding about 4.30 to 5.00pm
Participants are also invited to bring along their excess produce, plants, seedlings and gardening items to swap or share. Any questions please contact Jo on 6662 5435.
Wheelbarrows
Our wheelbarrows were stolen in July, and Owen Crawford posted about it on Facebook. We are very grateful to Ross and Sue Franey from Richmond Valley Tree Services who responded immediately with a $500 donation to replace the wheelbarrows.
Garden and Tool Sheds
The garden shed donated by Aileen Daly will be relocated to the garden soon. The concrete slabs are in place for the garden and tool sheds. The sheds will be very much appreciated to keep items safe as currently some gardeners bring their own tools from home.
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In this pic Liz, Jo, and Mark on ground, and Barry
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The concrete footing for garden shed
Undercover Area
A stainless steel sink has been purchased at a local auction, and Jo is on the lookout for the stainless steel sheets for the bench and shelves. An offer has been received to construct them when we get the materials.
Bench Seat
As a special project, the Youth Services and REAL Services from Casino Neighbourhood Centre and students from Casino High School are constructing a bench seat for a relaxing spot in the garden.
It will be a colourful addition to the garden as it will be mosaicked.
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Jo and Rod
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John and Rod
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John and Troy
Reading for August
The most common fruit in our gardens is citrus
Lemons, limes, oranges, and mandarins are really easy to grow.And they produce vast quantities of delicious, juicy fruit packed with vitamin C in winter, right when we need it most.I think they are worth growing just for the fragrance of the blossom in spring.The fruit is an added bonus.
Most citrus fruit last very well on the tree, sometimes for several months after ripening.So you don't have to pick the fruit and use it all at once, which makes a citrus tree an ideal choice for the home gardener.All you need is a position that receives at least six hours of full sun every day, and well drained soil or a large pot full of premium potting mix.
If space is a problem, choose one of the dwarf varieties available now.Eureka lemons bear several crops each year, have few seeds and not many thorns.Lisbon lemons have a high acid content and are pretty thorny, especially when young. They are more cold-tolerant than Eureka.Meyer lemons are actually a cross between a lemon and an orange, so they are sweeter, with a lower acid content, and a thin skin.
The most popular orange varieties are the navels, such as the Washington and Lanes Late, which both produce seedless fruit with good flavour, and the Valencia, a late, seeded variety. If you have room, you can plant one of each and have fresh oranges almost all year. Washingtons mature May-June, Lanes Late around August, and the Valencias mature September-October and last on the tree for up to six months, as long as the fruit fly doesn't get to them.
Good mandarin varieties include the easy-to-peel Imperial, the Emperor, which has excellent flavour and is really hardy and the Honey Murcutt, which can be a bit seedy and difficult to peel, but makes up for that with superb flavour.
Tahitian limes produce the round, green fruit much loved for gin and tonics. The Kaffir lime is grown mostly for its leaves, which are a mainstay of Thai cuisine. The fruit is very bumpy, and not as juicy as a Tahitian. And don't forget the Citrus Gems range of native limes. Sunrise Lime is a cross between a finger lime and a calamondin. It produces elegant, sweet, pear-shaped golden fruit which can be eaten whole. Outback Desert Lime has masses of sweet, tangy grape-sized fruit with very thin skin. Macerate them in sugar syrup or just eat them whole. Red Centre Lime is a cross between a finger lime and a Rangpur lime. The fruit are rich red, with red pulp and gorgeous pink juice. Rainforest Pearl is a finger lime and the fruit contain masses of lime pearls, which are just sensational in drinks, salads and desserts.
Caring for your citrus trees is easy. Water them deeply and protect them from scale insects, aphids and citrus leaf miner with regular applications of organic Eco-Oil. Feed them a couple of times a year and prune to keep them a manageable size. Protect the root zone with a layer of mulch. If you are growing your citrus in a pot, use a premium potting mix, feed and water diligently and re-pot every couple of years, trimming the roots as well as the canopy and adding fresh premium potting mix.
By Maree Curran as seen on Coffs Harbour Advocate website
Around our garden this month
Heartsease - herb garden
Flowering in the garden now as pictured, and commonly known as 'Heartsease' or Johnny junp-up, this Viola Tricolour is a cheery little annual guaranteed to brighten up the bleakest winter's day.
A rainbow of different cultivars has been produced by plant breeders, with flowers available in every colour except green. The species has dainty white, purple and yellow flowers borne most freely from late Autumn to late Spring. In recent years, heartsease has regained popularity as a dual-purpose plant. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine, and the edible flowers add a splash of colour to cakes and salads. Seedlings are available in nurseries, but heartsease is also easy to grow from seed. Sow into punnets, then transplant to a fertile garden bed or a decorative container. See more at heartseaase
Around the garden, two of our regular gardeners, Kevin and Janine
Janine, these two pics Jo
Vegetable Planting Guide by Gardening Australia for August
On website, click on subtropical, then vegetable, for description
Artichoke globe and Jerusalem, asparagus, beetroot, cabbage 9loose and tight-headed), chicory, endive, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onion, parsley, peas and snow peas, potatoes, radish, shallots, spring onions, tomatoes and watermelon.
August in your garden
Start preparing the vegetable garden. Dig in well-rotted animal manure, composted organic material and blood and bone. The more time spent preparing the soil, the better the results.
Rotate vegetable crops. Divide crops into three groups: one with manure only, one with manure and compost and another with lime or dolomite and compost. Rotate yearly for best results.
Old clumps of herbs may be lifted, divided and replanted. Check new shoots of bulbs when weeding, and put snailbait around young seedlings and bulbs.
Feed all types of citrus with packaged citrus food or complete plant food. Water before and after feeding. Follow dosage rates strictly and don't scatter fertiliser over soil: drill holes about 15cm deep into the ground under foliage canopy in concentric rings and fill with fertiliser (dozen holes for a mature tree). Water steadily for several hours.
Citrus in tubs should be treated in the same way except that four or five holes are sufficient; no more than half a cup of fertiliser should be used. Potted citrus also require trace elements as these are washed out by frequent watering.
By Better Homes and Gardens
Note: Sustainable Gardening "August in your Patch" 2012 post removed, and 2013 post not online as yet.
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Recipe Corner
Easy Spinach and Potato Frittata
Spinach and silverbeet in the garden now, perhaps add some kale as well.
A recipe is only a guide, you could add cooked chicken or ham.
Halve everything for 2 - 3 serves.
Pic from web
Ingredients - serves 62 tablespoons olive oil
6 small red potatoes, sliced
2 cups spinach torn or roughly chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or onion
1 clove garlic grated
salt and pepper to taste
6 eggs
100 ml or 1/3 cup milk
60g or half cup grated cheddar cheese
Preparation: 10 minutes. Cook: 20 min - ready 30 minutes
- Heat olive oil in medium frying pan over medium heat.
- Place potatoes in the pan, cover and cook about 10 minutes until tender but firm.
- Mix in spinach, shallots/ onion and garlic.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Continue cooking 1 or 2 minutes, until spinach wilted.
- In medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk.
- Pour into pan over vegetables.
- Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until eggs are firm
- May be browned under the griller.
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All photos by Jan unless stated otherwise.
Suggestions and photos welcome, by email to Jo (see below) or Jan - casinogarden@gmail.com
Or bring suggestions along to lunch on Wednesdays or the meeting on first Wednesday at 12.30.
Ask Jo about being a member of the garden for $5 (no obligation to do the gardening)
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Casino Community Garden
A Project of the Casino Neighbourhood Centre
Contact - Jo Nemeth Phone 6662 5435
Email: coordinator.cdp@cnci.org.au
Weekly Garden Gatherings -
Tuesdays from 8.30am and
Wednesdays at noon for a free lunch - All Welcome
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