Competition and Pavilion Start

Tomorrow the Community Garden is going to be judged for the local Garden Competition. The garden itself will fit into the Commercial Category, and the Waterwise Section. I don't really think we will win either but what may win is the individual plots of which 6 have been entered. The only other entry was one at Woolgoolga Community Garden. If one of these wins then the person gets $100. If we win the whole garden we get a trophy. We also need to open the garden 10am to 4 pm Sat. and Sun. next week.

Pink Lady Sweet Peas - Diggers

 John and I have both entered a plot each and will donate back to the garden with the money, if we win.  Both of them I started, the square foot garden and one filled with lettuces.

Red and Green Cos, Freckles and Red Tipped Mignonette

Sq. foot taken last week, I added a few bits today..

My way of thinking is the competition is at the wrong time for vegetables. The lettuce are finished and on the way to seeding, meanwhile the spring planting has only just begun due to the frosts in August. If I had entered my own garden, the flowers are all just showing and looks beautiful, and still have the cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli in, and we didn't get the frost.
 I am not entering though, as not interested in  so many visitors arriving to view all weekend and I won't be there all day as at the Community one and doing a scrap booking retreat.

So we have all been very busy pruning, growing, weeding, mowing and generally tidying up all month to get ready, then yesterday the concreters decided to start doing the pavilion.They mapped everything out for digging up the grass and laid out rope then put the orange fence up to protect us all.

Nearly all the quadrant is fenced off

Crusher dust at the ready.

Oh well, the judges do mention they take in account work in progress, but I think they meant seedlings.

Google Map.

From the above map you will see where the pavilion is actually going and also how we still have to finish off the final path to complete the oval. This will take a working bee, crusher dust and a machine to stamp it all down. The 4th. quadrant though now holds garden beds for the cut flower section.

Flower Beds running along the edge of what will be the last Oval Path.

Sunflowers

Cosmos

The garden has never been so neat to the point it is hard to find work other than watering and weeding, if you can find them, plus today a bit of extra mulching.

The final bank bed which is between the road to be and the orchard area had been dug out, so we planted a few of the plants still in the bush house, with no where to go, plus a few from home. Hippeastrums, a  Buddleia, Croton, Red Frangipani,Cotton Hibiscus, have all been planted plus a red leaf thing I don't know the name of.

Last Bank Bed, to the left is the road, then the path. To the Right the Orchard

The half water tank made of plastic was finally divided up into three, the bottom one a pond, and two side ones for maybe strawberries or flowers. These are on the corner of the last quadrant, and the flower beds go all the way around.

Now we have put in some water plants plus ready to add some reinforcing rod to stop kids hopping in. This is what is used when doing a concrete bed to make them firm and hold weight.

Egyptian Papyrus, Blue Iris and Japanese Fishing Pole at the moment

Monday 17th I will get a phone call to open the gate then we will know how we did. Stay tuned.


Till next time.

A Square Foot Garden System

I gave a square foot garden demonstration to the club members today as part of our monthly meeting.
Now that my own garden has raised beds it suits this system very easily. I have done it before and have Mel Bartholomew's first book printed in 1981. There would be very few gardeners who haven't heard of this but I was surprised that today no-one knew.

A well read book

This morning before the meeting I pre-dug the garden and set out some venetian blind shutter pieces that John cut a slot in to, so it was an easy way of just slotting together. Another way is to put screws in the wood and wind string across to form the  12 inch squares.Really you could divide any bed into roughly 30cm or 12 inch size to fit across, and not stick to exact measurements.

Netting put up at one end.

We put some netting up and planted a Spacesaver cucumber as these can be grown in pots, so I think it won't be too vigorous.

Garden Bed Ready

As I left it for the meeting.

I handed out to everyone some information on how many plants to the square, and showed them that you can glue, with a water soluble glue, seeds onto a paper towel. Last time I did this the towels fit exactly so didn't think anything of it till I actually put them into the square. Should of realised that they had got smaller like everything else does, but still stay the same price.
 

Nice to see everyone listening

Planting Carrots and spring onions, seeds stuck to paper towel.

My own garden at home just starting.

Luckily I also had some seed strips of beetroot by Fothergills and cut up 4 to fit the square. This let me show 4 methods of planting things. Strips, paper towel, on its own, and seeds. If you wish to know more about how many seeds to the square just google for more info, plenty of it out there.

Beetroot Strips

This meeting was our 2nd birthday of signing the license agreement from the council to operate. It wasn't till May 2017 when I took over a flat block as Co-ordinator Manager that we got going. Very pleased with how it has turned out also being of my design more or less.

We had cake as well.

So busy day today even got a couple of new members. Beans were planted, pumpkins also and the beginning of our flower beds. Very pleased.

Till next time.