| | | Sorry - we're really really late with the newsletter this month. Catching too many swarms of bees! |
| |  | | Just bees and things and flowers – blitzing in the sunshine | The last month or so has been very busy for we Permablitz types – the garden is bursting with new growth, and all around us the signs of spring continue to bring smiles to our faces. Whether it’s catching swarms of bees, picking strawberries, beans and snow peas, or watching the new growth on a kiwi fruit snake its way up a wall, there’s plenty to do and see at this time of year.
Of course, we’ve also been lucky enough to have quite a bit of rain, which combined with warm weather has seen seedlings sprouting everywhere – even in the most unexpected places. I found myself having to explain to my son that no, I did not plant fennel in cracks of the concrete, but we’re happy to see it grow there anyway!
To honour this time of promised bounty, we’re dedicating the song of the month to Roy Ayers’ timeless classic Everyone Loves the Sunshine. Enjoy!
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| |  | | Have you been to a blitz and want a permablitz of your own?
Now's the time to get your name on the board for our trusty Designers Guild to transform your garden into an edible oasis!
Not sure if you qualify? Find out all the details here! |
| | | Blitz Requests | Are there any permies in the Reservoir/Preston area who’d like to get involved in the visioning/preliminary design phase of the Newton Street Community Garden? Check out the invite below:
A big thank-you to the newly formed design teams who are tackling a few blitzes around town – Maria and Brooke have just formed Team Kingsville, while Maria and Bridget are tackling a design in Belgrave. Nice work ladies!
There are plenty of other cool projects waiting people with design skills though – choose below for the one which one is right for you.
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| If you’ve got yourself a PDC and been thinking about getting your hands dirty with a design, we’d love to talk. With blitzes all over the suburbs of Melbourne in planning, we can help you develop your skills as you learn more about what makes your design work in the context of a suburban property.
Sounds good? Get in touch here!
|  | | | | | | | | | | Hero of the Month: Ebbings Silverberry | | | Looking for a hedge that has edible fruit, serves as bee fodder, provides dense habitat for small birds, is a nitrogen fixer, has perfumed white flowers AND is a tough evergreen shrub? Thanks to Gill and John at Edible Forest Gardens, we’ve got the perfect plant for you.
If you want to find out what this plant can do for you, click here!
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| | Beets and Pieces |  | | | Pastured eggs the new 'free range' | When the label “free-range” actually means up to 10,000 chooks a hectare, farmers looking for a more ethical model are moving towards “pastured eggs”.
What does pastured eggs mean? It means chickens can chase insects and roam in open paddocks, laying and sleeping in a series of mobile sheds.The soils and pasture are managed, which means regular pasture rotation.
So where can you get them? Some supermarkets may stock them, but if you want to be certain that you’re supporting those that are doing the good work, then your best bet is to get them from the farms directly, or at farmers’ markets.
Read more in the original article by the ABC.
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|  | | | Identifying Plant Nutrient Deficiencies | Not all plant problems are caused by insects or diseases. Sometimes an unhealthy plant is suffering from a nutrient deficiency or even too much of any one nutrient. Plant nutrient deficiencies often manifest as foliage discoloration or distortion. The following chart outlines some possible problems. Unfortunately many problems have similar symptoms and sometimes it is a combination of problems.
This article was originally published in January 2016, and continues to be one of the most popular posts on the site.
Not seen it yet? Check it out here…
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|  | | Back in the Garden | The end of Spring is near – make sure you mulch around your fruit trees and plants to retain moisture in the soil and prevent water loss from evaporation. Keep the mulch away from plant stems and trunks as this can cause stem or collar rot. You can also mulch your strawberries by placing straw or pine needles underneath to keep the berries off the soil. And apparently you can stop earwigs eating your strawberries by offering them orange halves instead!
And if you’ve not done so already, it’s definitely time to get your summer crops in! Tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumber, zucchini, capsicum, tomatoes, basil, chillies, corn.. and did we mention tomatoes?
Seeds you can plant in November include:
| | ● | Amaranth | | ● | Kohlrabi | | ● | Angelica | | ● | Lemon Balm | | ● | Asparagus | | ● | Lettuce | | ● | Asparagus Pea | | ● | Mustard Greens | | ● | Beetroot | | ● | Okra | | ● | Borage | | ● | Oregano | | ● | Burdock | | ● | Parsley | | ● | Cape Gooseberry | | ● | Pumpkin | | ● | Carrot | | ● | Radish | | ● | Chicory | | ● | Rocket | | ● | Chinese Cabbage | | ● | Rosella | | ● | Chives | | ● | Rosemary | | ● | Climbing beans | | ● | Sage | | ● | Coriander | | ● | Salsify | | ● | Cucumber | | ● | Silverbeet | | ● | Dwarf beans | | ● | Summer Savory | | ● | French tarragon | | ● | Sunflower | | ● | Globe Artichokes | | ● | Sweet Corn | | ● | Horseradish | | ● | Turnip | | ● | Jerusalem Artichokes | | ● | Yacon |
| Remember: some seeds do better starting off in punnets, some in pots and some in the ground. To get the best from your seedlings be sure to check the best methods first!
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