Permaculture Out West

Author Archive

Date Sunday 12 February 2012
Time 10am until 2pm
Where Werribee Park Heritage Orchard

Come along to Werribee Park to see how to propagate your own stone fruit trees or add another variety to an existing tree to extend the fruiting season.

Purchase newly budded trees, or scion wood separately

The orchard is on facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/wph.orchard/

Website http://www.werribeeparkheritageorchard.org.au/

Have a look at this article about budding techniques http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/propagation/budding/budding.html

Anyone up for bottling / preserving the summer harvest workshop?

Time, date and address to be arranged.

Register your interest email annstevens@optusnet.com.au

POW is also on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/232421223455251/

View or listen at your leisure

Costa’s Garden Odyssey http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/costa

ABC gardening videos online http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/video/

Also radio online http://www.abc.net.au/radio/listenlive.htm

Add your favorites in the comments section below

It is the time of year to preserve the produce.

Now that I’ve a stockpot with no holes in the bottom I’ll be making Blackberry Jelly.
My favourite books are an ancient book using imperial measurments ‘Preserves and Pickles’ by Alison Burt (which I assume is out of print) as well as ‘A year in a bottle’ by Sally Wise.

Australian preserving forum link http://www.home-cheesemaking.com.au/

Stockists

Fowlers Valola (website pending)
(03) 9329 7799
23-25 Racecourse Rd North Melbourne

Source of Bottles and Lids – Plasdene – get together with a friend as it’s a min $100 purchase

This shop has a mind boggling range in such a space, I got my jam funnel here http://www.costanteimports.com.au/

1. Feel free to add your stockists in the comments section
2. If you have a receipe for zucchini I’d be grateful

It’s the new year and all the neighborhood houses and community centres have released their calender of events.

Including such gems as

Jams and preserves at Kensington

- http://kensingtonneighbourhoodhouse.com/component/docman/cat_view/50-publications?orderby=dmdate_published

Kensington is part of the city of Moonee Valley here are the other centres http://www.mvcc.vic.gov.au/experience-moonee-valley/community-centres-and-halls/neighbourhood-houses.aspx

City of Maribyrnong Centres are here

http://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/page/page.asp?page_id=533 Check out the yoga and community cooking at Maidstone

Safe Food Handling

at Sussex Street only $30- for volunteers http://www.sussexnh.org.au/

Find a neighborhood house near you

http://www.anhlc.asn.au/find/networkwest

Indigenous Grass Display at the Newport Lakes Native Nursery

It is often almost impossible to identify native vs. exotic grasses unless they are in seed. This is a great time to view native grasses such as wallaby and kangaroo grasses etc. etc. as they are currently setting seed.

Dates: 15 December 2011 until 29th February 2012

Location: Newport Lakes Native Nursery

Address: 2 Lakes Drive (formerly Margaret Street), Newport

Time: 11am – 4pm daily

Ph: (03) 9391 0044

Request for help -
Propagation effort for the Kororoit Creek

There is a special event happening on Thursday 8 December during the morning and we are looking for a number of volunteers to help.

Its a project the Friends group is involved in with City West Water and we need people to help propagate indigenous plants by pricking out seedlings to tubes. These plants will form a stock of plants that will be put in the ground next year along the creek.

No previous knowledge is required, just a pair of hands and some enthusiasm to help improve our natural environment.

I know that a Thursday may be a difficult time for some, however, if you know of others who may not be on this list, but would be interested, please pass on this message.

Please contact me if you wish further information or if you can let me know if you are available to help.

Regards

Tony
Secretary
THE FRIENDS OF KOROROIT CREEK INC
WEBSITE – www.fokc.org.au

Bacchus Marsh

I don’t really need to say anything… here is the link http://www.visitbacchusmarsh.com.au/strawberries-and-cherries.html

ohhh a free shuttle from the station

Keilor

Also Ladybird Organics Strawberries in Keilor is also open on Weekends (call first) http://www.ladybirdorganics.com.au/pick.html

There are a few more odd jobs that need doing around the place before the heat really kicks in so we’ll be holding a couple more working bee – oops, Fun and Fitness Days – on:
* Tuesday, November 22, from 10am-noon
* Saturday, November 26, from10am-2pm

No need to book – just turn up wearing old clothes. Bring gloves, hats and some lunch/ a water bottle. If you bring tools, write your name on them so that there are no mix-ups. All are very welcome, no expertise required!

View the full newsletter here http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=f87dfab2b9617aa2436246e0d&id=13bac98bf4&e=834ae50aa5

Orchard Location http://www.werribeeparkheritageorchard.org.au/orchard/maps.html

The orchard is on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/wph.orchard/

The Avondale Heights Community Garden currently has a nasty infestation of this weed. Unfortunately it is difficult to differential between the weed and the native grass until the seed head develops.

Identification page 3 of this document http://www.weeds.gov.au/publications/guidelines/wons/pubs/n-neesiana.pdf

The garden is working to eradicate the week and increase the amount of kangaroo and wallaby grasses on site.