Some very exciting news - at the Woollahra Garden Awards our garden won the award for Best Sustainable Garden and also The Best Overall Garden on Sunday.   More details here

The judges were clearly very impressed with our garden and the Deputy Mayor, Peter Cavanagh acknowledged the amazing transformation of the space over the last 2 years - especially the construction work involved with  the garden beds, rotunda & water tanks. He also acknowledged our founders Rob & Vicki's for wonderful work in getting the garden up & running and their ongoing role in developing and nuturing the garden. He said that that our garden would be the blueprint for future community gardens in the municipality. 

Those of us at the garden Sunday afternoon celebrated with a toast to our success - in the company of the two new garden gnomes which were the awards - and the ducks who joined us for a while. 

Congratulations to everyone - and check out the Wentworth Courier this week as there is sure to be some coverage. 

In the past 6 weeks the garden has been kept moist by the steady rain.  This combined with the cooler weather has meant that gardeners have been watching most crops grow steadily.  The slugs have been busy however! Beer traps have been very successful as has chilli/garlic spray. This has been used on the little black slugs and aphids that have been pestering the broad beans and snow peas. The snow peas have had rust which has also responded to chilli/garlic spray. These two crops are now doing well.

   

The spinach and lettuce plot is growing well and has no bugs as yet! There is cos in abundance now available to harvest.

Unfortunately the carrots were a failure but there should be beetroots to harvest soon. The Asian vegetable plot [thanks to Vicky’s magic green thumb] is looking BEAUTIFUL. There are two rows of asparagus that are showing promise.  Thanks to our fee increase the second layer of sleepers for all individual plots should be purchased very soon.  The rotunda is virtually finished with the guttering attached and the new tank stand built.

SUGGESTION BOX

The last harvest meal after the meeting was a great success. Perhaps it would be nice to present a recipe in each seasonal  report? We also thought that it would be wonderful to have a guest cook when the weather gets warmer?

Could we bring a neighbour to one of our next harvest meals? 

- Susan and Georgie

Djo Hillair's report:

We were just  back from overseas, and saw” Padcomgar” in its own way, making a call to the gardeners to work and enjoy themselves ,  just like spring calls the birds to sing and ‘batifolate*’. Spring is a wonderful season in the garden, the weather great for getting outdoors and the garden is full of spring colour. As we have had lots of rain, it has been great for planting all the spring veggies and flowers in brilliant shades of green and blues.

The rewards of the regular and steady work can easily be seen, as one walks through the garden and as November ends.

All of the community plots have shown a will to grow faster, developing with more maturity as the teams have relentlessly shown their diligence and increased knowledge. Green, green, green everywhere! From plot A to F, (to tell you in great honesty), I had such a good time taking home a dozen leaves of lettuce,(thanks for the variety), spinach leaves of golden and red stems, and even wonderful coriander and parsley, but I could not even dare to think of attacking  the marvellous beans of hard-working Steven.

Indeed I was right because we later on had a real feast in September, eating our very own garden produce. I have to say that Steven is not simply the most improved gardener, (in my humble opinion), also the most interesting in his analysis of the ‘growing plots’, but as well, the most laborious cook. Thank you so much for your most delicious and lovingly prepared humous! We have had such fantastic feasts from all of the cooks, especially for our first birthday celebration. The birthday cake was a work of art.  

As for the individual plots, they testify of an assiduous weekly visit. They all are very well cared for and produce a marvellous variety of vegies, (some unknown to me, but I keep asking to be enlightened). Sharing; isn’t it what it’s all about?  And as the months go by, our knowledge and interest will obviously increase.  

As I belong to the maintenance team, I would be reporting that lots of thoughts and care has taken place regarding the most massive and demanding jobs:

The rotunda. We all want a nice spot under which we can sit for our monthly reports and meetings. We want a decent place to eat our very own grown food and we want to show that we are capable of building something which is a reminder of all members capability. Once again, under Rob’s guidance, we are, every Saturday of November, putting in the necessary work, weather permitting. So much has been done already. The end of the month should hopefully see a lovely welcoming rotunda for our future comfort and needs. Well done to everyone involved, John, Doug, Jared and especially Rob and Little Tony!  

As for me, ‘the garden’ is something really special for the very reason that such a demanding but beautiful endeavour can still be a fragile organisation. We all have to do our little bit for preserving and even enhancing the marvellous moments we can share and enjoy in that very special place. It is up to all of us to make it the way we want; beautiful, open minded, helpful, harmonious, fun, fun, fun.

It takes very little to wreck years of relentless and selfless work of a few. I indeed have seen it!  I would like here to forcefully thank everybody of the community,  and once more Vicki and Rob Joyner for literally giving birth to The Paddington Community Garden. Years and years of endless commitment, strong belief and hard work, knowing very well what is good for our community in these modern and demanding times.

 How lucky are we to be able to “go to the country” in the middle of modern Sydney! Who hasn’t had a moment of respite and peace, looking amazed at the garden, at the sunlit cliff on a marvellous sunny afternoon? We all have a wonderful time and it is hard to believe where we were just one year ago. WE did it! So why don’t we keep doing what we do best!

All my very sincere thanks to all of the gardeners of ‘Padcomgar’.

Happy gardening and let’s keep  “ Gardening Australia!!!”.

Djo Hillaire.

Dictionary Note:   Batifolate: = Action of an animal of some sort which seems to enjoy continuously the beauty of his surroundings and invite others to join him in the celebration of happiness, love and naughtiness, if it comes to it!! 

Welcome to the winter ramblings about Paddington Community Garden!  This is my first attempt at both writing a blog and gardening during the winter season.  Since I come from Washington DC (where winter is pretty much a sleety, slushy, bleak, and blustery mess), I grew up only gardening in the spring and summer months.  So it was such a wonderful experience and a  real joy to be able to garden through winter, see all the fabulous things growing, and witness all the changes in the garden!

Well, for starters it was a very wet winter and that was great because I don’t think we had to water the garden plots at all over the last few months.  It seemed that every time I thought to myself, "Hmm, might be time to water the veggies,” down it would pour.  And not just a little bit either.  I really don’t remember another recent winter that was quite so damp, but perhaps that’s just because I’m gardening now and taking more notice of the weather conditions than I used to.  The rock face became a veritable waterfall at times, overflowing the frog pond and making the mulched pathways between the beds a spongy, squishy bog.  The tadpoles didn’t seem to mind the torrential rains at all, as they overwintered quite well.

All the wet weather meant that the wonderful winter veggies did exceptionally well, too.  We had terrific kales and cauliflowers, gorgeous cabbages and Brussels sprouts, lovely lettuces, bountiful broccolis, ridiculous radicchios and all sorts of other fabulous things.  Communal plot A produced some wonderful parsnips, beetroots, and carrots, while plot B tackled the lettuces adding a touch of colour with the 5 colour silverbeets.  Plot C is still patiently coaxing their broad beans along (the plants look so healthy and once they start to produce, it looks like it will be a bumper crop!)  And plot F produced some great brassicas: mizuna, tatsoi, and broccoli.  Being new to winter gardening there were a few personal surprises, too: my Tommy Toe produced beautiful little cherry tomatoes right through winter, while the fruit on my heirloom beefsteak tomato is ripening up now.

Some of the other great things we’ve had growing include the hot and spicy mustard greens (Red Giant and Green Wave), roquette and my new-found favourite, the feathery looking red mizuna, which packs a punch and has a hit like wasabi.  It literally takes your breath away.

One of the other interesting things about winter gardening is seeing the change in the sun patterns, compared to summer.  Patches of the garden that were sizzling in the summer sun were quite shaded during winter.  And vice versa; areas that were shaded during summer seemed to get a good dose of winter rays.  Now that we’ve gone through nearly a full annual cycle we will know what to expect in future years.

Then there were the worms and the compost.  I was wondering if, because of the colder weather, the worms would slow down at all.  So it was a bit of an observational experiment for me; being a scientist, I needed to know.  Well, as it turns out, no, the worms don’t slow down.  In fact the number of worms seemed to expand exponentially every time I looked.  It’s been great fun to see huge clumps of worms in the worm farms and compost bins busy doing their jobs.  At times it almost seemed that there were more worms in the bins than actual compost.  Which kind of made me worry about squashing them when I turn the compost.  Oh well, it’s a jungle out there.

I’ll end for now with the great news that we’ve just received some much needed funding from Woollahra Council to purchase a solar-powered water pump for one of the water tanks.  Now that winter is coming to an end, this will be very helpful when we actually need to get the watering cans in use again!  Bring on Spring!

Karen Firestone

The invitation to celebrate a Garden Party to officially open our community garden was enthusiastically supported by around 70 members and guests dressed in summery attire, flower bedecked hats or lais (even the chaps) and much bonhomie.  The weather smiled, the gardens looked great, accessorised by colourful printed banners, streamers and balloons.

The official opening was performed by the Deputy Mayor,Councillor Peter Cavenagh, who also presented the garden with a fine wooden garden bench aptly inscribed with a plaque saying “From Little Things Big Things Grow”.

Sydney Lord Mayor and NSW State Member for Sydney, Clover Moore also attended and was suitably impressed with the results of only 5 months gardening.  Simon Mahon from Australia's Open Garden Scheme presented a plaque to commemorate their grant and the other sponsors, the Paddington Society, Thomas Dux, Bunnings Hardware, the Holdswoth Centre, the Eastern Suburbs Community Garden and Woollahra Council were also warmly thanked by the President, Rob Joyner.

The gardening children had fun too, spotting the tadpoles in the newly constructed pond and passing over the wonderful little stone arched bridge. Delicious eats and drinks were provided by members who joined with the guests and as the sun went down over the city skyline we gave our garden a truly memorable welcome.

Below are some of the pictures from the day

Our new stone arched bridge by our brilliant stonemasons.  We highly recommend viewing under the bridge for no exposed sign of reinforcement.  An excellent achievement by the team!

Revelers enjoying wine and a bite to eat

Our president officially opening the garden

Deputy Mayor preparing to cut the ribbon

Accepting the award from the Open Garden Scheme.

Clover Moore enjoying the new garden and joining in the festivities

To celebrate Midsummer Harvest, our wonderful Cooking Team produced a sumptuous feast of Pasta with Pesto Sauce made from the current bumper crop of Basil in the garden, accompanied by the freshest of garden salads. All the vegetables and greens were freshly picked from our bounteous garden plots, just metres away from the dining table.

Members enjoyed the company of two distinguished guests representing both the garden and Woollahra Council.  Councillor Peter Cavanagh (Deputy Mayor) and noted garden writer Holly Kerr Forsyth joined in the festivities to celebrate the transformation of a vacant parcel of weed-infested land into a productive, sustainable community garden and happy social hub.

Gardeners young and old came together in a festive spirit to share the delicious fruits of our labour and recount stories and lessons learned from the summer growing season. We marvelled at how, in just a few short months, through shared effort, trial and error, and much laughter, this once neglected piece of urban landscape has been magically re-imagined as a thriving food garden where people of all ages and all walks of life have come together to experience the joys of community gardening.

A highlight of the afternoon was a talk on Seed Saving, presented to garden members by Robyn Williamson, urban horticulturist and permaculture designer.

Seeds from plants like parsley, celery, dill, parsnips and carrots can be found in the flowering umbels at the top of the stems, shaped like an upside down umbrella.  These can be harvested when the flower heads are mature and used immediately, or stored in clearly marked paper bags and hung up to dry until ready for use. All organic matter except for the seeds needs to be removed eg. through winnowing. For long term storage, seeds must be completely dry and stored in small, air tight containers in a cool, dry place. The less air remaining in your storage containers the better, so try to fill them up to the top with seeds. Silica gel capsules can be used to help absorb any moisture, since this can produce fungal problems.

Seeds from the daisy family like dandelion and lettuce come surrounded by a white winged helicopter seed pod, which allows the seeds to float on the breeze and to corkscrew their way into the soil once they’ve landed.  These seeds can be collected and placed in a large bag, allowing the seeds to fall to the bottom, after which they can be sieved prior to storage.  The dried stalks of lettuce seed heads can be dried, then broken into smaller sticks and planted directly into the ground.

Wet seeds from tomatoes, cucumber, pumpkin and melons can be scoped out into a jar of water.  Shake this mixture and allow it to settle for 2 or 3 days before pouring off the water and spreading the seeds out on a layer of newspaper to dry. This sheet of newspaper can then be placed directly onto the ground where you wish the seeds to sprout, or the dried seeds can be collected for storage.

It is said that 75% of the world’s seed biodiversity has been lost over the past 100 years.  Saving seeds from your best plants is one way of maintaining viable plant varieties which will thrive in your local area.

In our own garden, the crops that have survived especially well this summer in the severe heat conditions, like Basil, will be excellent candidates for our first collection of Summer Season Seeds.

Recommended Reading: Seed to Seed: Food Gardens in Schools

– available through Seed Savers

at http://www.seedsavers.net/resources/our-book-seed-seed-food-gardens-schools

The surprising benefits from any garden are the lessons learned through failure. Gardening is not difficult when we know the right plants to grow for our specific conditions. This season we’ve learned which species can withstand the blazing sun, hazy humidity and gale force winds of the summer storms which regularly march across the city.

And we’ve learned which varieties to plant either earlier or later in the season, and which plants not to waste our time planting at all next summer.  By planting a variety of trees, flowers, vegetable and herbs, we learn through experimentation what will grow best.

The lasting legacy of any community garden is the spirit of comradeship which supports experimentation without fear of failure and encourages trial and error without judgment - because failure itself can turn to victory, through the valuable lessons learned that save us time and resources during the next growing season.  Happy plants mean happy gardeners!

As a testament to the vision of the garden’s founders, in a few short months we’ve already begun to see all of our objectives realized. This abundant green space, full of happy people, has become a Meeting Place, a Growing Place, A Learning Place, A Healthy Place, and a Beautiful Place.

Overheard during the Harvest Celebration Dinner –

 “This garden sustains me, even when I’m away from it...” 

Happy Australia Day!

Happy gardening!