​

Building our garden beds for today - UPGRADED SLEEPERS Project'24

By far the biggest project under taken this year in the Paddo Garden was updating the garden bed sleepers to improve garden plot integrity and give them a new lease of life.
The original  beds were established 15 years ago with just one layer of sleepers, but gradually added to and built up in height to 3 sleepers. Over those years they have held up pretty well as Aussie hardwoods do, but many began showing signs of weathering and splitting, and were earmarked for replacing.  42 in fact... which equals quite a few tonnes and strong work needed
to "remove & replace" to make the beds structurally sound again.

​

After some research and paperwork by our committee we were delighted to receive an Environmental Grant from Woollahra Council to help finance this project and want to thank
them heartily for their contribution to this ongoing community facility. The $5,000 grant funds went towards bioth the cost of the sleepers and work carried out by  specialist muscle contractors Facilities Fix.

​

The project went according to plan after the arrival of the sleepers. Many garden members prepared their plots by removing soil to make it easier for the team of workers to complete the removal and replacement of the sleepers.  There were a few unhappy plants but once in place the garden has quickly bounced back.  Well done team, you earned a good sleep.

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

Community Gardens share the knowledge - June 2024 Conference

A NSW Community Garden Gathering was held at The Sustainability Hub in Randwick on June 15, 2024 with groups from several gardens across the LGA.  Ann, Warwick and Maree Mann attended and Woollahra Council generously supplied our tickets to the event.

We enjoyed presentations from great speakers. Kristy Horsman, a self confessed soil nerd and
a lover of the land, on what makes for healthy soil; worms, water, air, fungi, green compost and even weeds! Kirsty is from Flourish Agroecology. She suggested three books 1. Make Friends with Weeds. 2. The Wonderful world of Weeds 3. When Weeds Talk . She highlighted biodiversity and
the healthy relationships with flowering plants. Plant diversity fosters insect diversity and she suggested looking for the parasitic wasp in our garden as they eat caterpillars from the inside out.

 

The second presentation was from Dr Tanya Latty, an entomologist from the University of Sydney.She was looking at insect conservation in community gardens. She also highlighted the importance of flowering plants and diversity. Her planting tips 1. Aim for year-round flowering.
2. Aim for big patches of the same flower 3. Aim for a variety of plants.  Tanya suggested getting
the app iNaturalist to explore and share your observations from the natural world. This can help keep track of insects e.g. the Christmas beetle. Start taking photos and send them through the iNaturalist app to identify them.

 

Other presentations included
●      Waterups Wicking beds (Warwick from PCG has experience using wicking to grow vegetables).

●      Koh sustainable cleaning products

●      Pip magazines

●      Social media tools to promote Community Gardens using Instagram and Canva for visual presentations. Information on ChatGPT, Loom.Com for video, telepromterBigVu was shown to help create videos for your garden website.

●      We had a guided walk around the extensive Randwick Garden and a talk from Growing Food for Wildlife advocate Shaun Warden.
 

A final open forum with an informal discussion finished off a very information-packed day.

 

 

Rob Joyner reflects on 15 years of work shaping & nurturing
thePaddington Community Garden upon his retirement from the
Executive committee in Dec 2023

 

"Fifteen years of fun, food and friendship" he says...

“Community Gardens are a vibrant part of the complex mix of local
groups that help support our society today in an increasingly stressful
world. This year the Paddington Community Garden celebrates 15 years
of growth through making friends, good food and lots of fun, with over
160 gardeners being a part of this special place over that time.

“Now in reaching our teenage years the most significant success has not been the healthy green delicious zero-carbon produce, instead it has been the people! A band of people of diverse backgrounds, and ages, and styles have come together to form friendships, share meals & knowledge, give mutual support and build a refuge in a beautiful natural environment in one of the densest parts of a huge metropolis city that is Sydney. This was especially the case during the dark times of the Covid pandemic in Australia. A small place of solace, outdoors in fresh air, to clear the mind and see results spouting with each crop. Getting through it.

​

“Of course the large volume of fresh, organic produce nurtured is also a cause for celebration. Learning from one another, unlocking the mysteries of soil building, propagating from seed and cuttings, and applying smart pest control has yielded a store of knowledge and experience in this enthusiastic group… shared freely and often.

​

“Our vision was conceived on the site of the old Arnold Stone Quarry… long discarded as just a rubbish tip. After detoxing the site, levelling it and fencing courtesy of Woollahra Council we constructed this garden from scratch and bare hands, and a lot of perspiration by the members.

​

“We spread mulch, built garden beds, erected a shady shelter and planted our first crops.  Subsequently a power supply was run, water tanks installed, a solar pump, and site works added more bones to the garden infrastructure as grants were achieved and funds raised.

​

“We were the first community garden in the Woollahra Local Government Area, and this provided a strong template for our beautiful sister gardens in Rose Bay and Bellevue Hill.  From being curious novelty-community-gardens we are now well established in the community and considered by residents and council a valuable resource that be shared and enjoyed by many.

​

“We look forward to future decades knowing many other individuals & families will benefit from our early efforts and we will continue to celebrate the simple pleasures of gardening and friendship.

​

“It’s been a fruitful 15 years of friendship, food and fun down here at the end of Quarry Road in Paddo.”

​

Rob Joyner - Founding member & President  2012-23

​

 

 

Rob Joyner was recognised in in 2020 with an award

 

Woollahra Council awarded Rob Joyner their 2020
'Contribution to the Natural Environment' Award in recognition
of his dynamicand constant energy as a founding member in
2009 and avery involved President and contributor to our garden. 

​

"Rob has led the Paddington Community Garden
for many years and from it's beginnings drove the

construction team which installed raised garden beds,

built a rotunda and pergolas, installed water tanks and
composting tumblers and facilitated many other projects that have seen the garden develop
into the wonderful community asset it is today.  Rob's commitment  to preserving the local
natural environment influences all the practices adopted in the garden relating to organic gardening, recycling green waste and watering wisely.  Congratulations Rob!  Thanks for all
your hard work and effort over many years."      the council said in it's award press statement.

​

 

 

 

 

TOP TIPS  from our gardeners who share their experience

​

TOMATOES... everyone loves tomatoes,

growing them successfully has some challenges

Our current President Rob Joyner,  one of the gardens founders, presented his top tips for growing great tasting varieties in a 10-minute workshop recently.  Here's the secrets from years of planting and nurturing.

 

"Everyone wants to grow tomatoes.  They are prolific and great to eat all year round. Originally a South American plant they are from the solanaceae family.   There are many varieties, but two main types... determinant and indeterminent.  I've been trying for the perfect tomato for 10 years or more!  Here's what seems to work"

​

No issues growing them. They grow themselves!  The major challenges for great tomatoes are:

1.  Don’t plant on previous solanaceae site.

2.  Water the base of the plant -  keep leaves dry.

3.  Minimise pruning.  But remove dead leaves.  Trim out laterals to promote upward growth (see Gardening Australia's 4 minute clip at  http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/tomato-tips-and-tricks/9441144 )

4.  Prepare the soil before planting, and feed with compost.

5.  Support on trellis or stakes.  Tie and support the plant with cloth ties (old shredded TShirts are great)

 

The overriding problem issue is fruit fly infestation.   Many tactics have been tried but none have been successful.  You can see more on the fruit fly menace at this video clip from Gardening Australia clip by Jerry Colby Williams on  recommended control tactics.: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/fighting-fruit-fly/9436984

​

Rob's conclusions & recommendations:

1.  Plant early September each year.

2.  Select cherry, Tommy Toes, or similar.

3.  Destroy damaged / fallen fruit.

4.  Pick when turning from green to first blush.

5.  Ripen at home, but not in the sun.

6.  Don’t refrigerate.  Cook and freeze for use throughout the year.

​

Here's some more tips...  Suggestions from Gardening Australia's Tino in Tassie
(a truly harsh tomato climate).  His TOP 5 planting tips are:

1 Soil Preparation
Soil conditioners like sheep manure and cow manure can be used, but Tino likes to use compost with a handful of blood and bone.

2 Planting
Spacing: 1 metre x 1 metre
Depth: Slightly deeper than existing soil level of seedling in pot.

3 Feeding
Use Potash to promote growth.  First: Approx 2 tablespoons at planting
Second: Approx 2 tablespoons when fruit first emerges
Third: of a handful when the plant is tall and laden with fruit.

4 Watering
Once a week – give your plants a long, slow, deep water.  Consistent water is the key.  Water the roots (tomatoes hate their leaves staying wet!)

5 Training: 

Staking: Determinant or bush types don't need any training. Indeterminant or climbing types do.
Tino recommends staking at the time of planting (which avoids piercing the roots) using 3 to 4 stakes to surround the plant.

Finally, Pruning: Tino leaves the lateral stems on the plant when they are young. As the plant grows, he selects the three strongest laterals and ties them to the stakes and removes all the others (Another Tip: You can replant the laterals and water them in to grow additional plants).

Remove leaves that are in contact with the ground. This reduces pests and diseases accessing the plant and also promotes upward growth.

​

You can watch these tips live at http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/tomato-tips-and-tricks/9441144 )