So far, 2020 hasn’t been such a great year – drought, terrible bushfires, storms and now the Covid 19 pandemic is disrupting our lives and causing hardship for many. Thankfully the garden keeps on growing, and we are able to take our outdoor exercise by planting, weeding and doing general maintenance, so the garden is still thriving.
Happenings at the Garden
Our free library is up and running. Lots of books and magazines available for you to borrow. No time limit, just please return the books when you have finished so others can borrow.
Also, if anyone has any books or magazines on gardening or related topics that they would like to donate, we would be grateful.
The Share Waste scheme is going so well we had to purchase another compost bin. The first (full) bin is now maturing and will be ready to use on the garden in a couple of months.
Plant of the Season
Last year as an experimental variation on the classic three sisters companion planting, we planted a bed with sweet corn, cucumbers to climb the corn stalks and peanuts to provide living mulch between the corn rows and to fix nitrogen in the soil. The corn provided a small but tasty harvest, the cucumbers gave up in the heat after producing a few fruit, but the peanuts powered on. After about six months the bushes were starting to die back which according to Google means time to harvest. We may have left the harvesting a little late as some of the kernels were already sprouting in the soil, but we still managed a reasonable harvest.
For anyone interested in reading further about peanuts there is lots of info on line as well as Youtube videos;
here is one link – http://gardendrum.com/2014/08/28/how-to-grow-peanuts/.
FAQ
One of those frequently asked questions on social media is “can I compost citrus, onions, etc”. The simple answer is “if it was ever alive it can be composted”. So things like paper and cardboard, hair, including animal fur and feathers, and all plant and animal bodies and waste can be composted. We discourage the addition of animal products (meat and dairy) to our compost bins, as they attract vermin. While manure from chickens and herbivores are a great addition, it is not a good idea to add dog or cat manure, as they may contain pathogens. As for the question of onions and citrus, worms don’t like them but there are plenty of other critters in our compost which will happily devour them.
Upcoming Events
Sadly, events and workshops are on hold till the pandemic is under control. If anyone has ideas for post Covid events we would love to hear from you. In the meantime, members are still welcome to exercise at the garden, of course maintaining appropriate social distances.