Garden Club
UniSA rooftop Community Garden
It never ceases to amaze me how our committee manage to arrange a new and interesting topic or speaker/s every time we have our monthly garden club. March was no exception, as we enjoyed a very interesting presentation by a vibrant young trio from University of South Australia Business School.
A fairly new member, Joanne, introduced Tristana Sidoryn Coordinator: Community Engagement and Jamil Ameen, Project Officer, Student Engagement, UniSA Business School, and Jaimie Green,Project Officer Student Engagement. Orientation week had just ended when they came to tell us about the Community Garden situated on a rooftop space at City West Campus.
UNISA has 35,600 students and 11,300 in the Business school. The enterprise is a way of putting the Uni’s commitment to supporting the environment into practice, whilst providing a sociable activity where students from all over the world can be either introduced to or share their knowledge of gardening. This has also revitalized an empty space on campus, connecting 2 buildings on Level 5. Wicking beds, created by people with disabilities from a local Not for Profit organization, are used for plantings, ensuring constantly favorable growing conditions whilst practicing careful water use. Every Wednesday 10am-11:00am during the semester, the Community Garden is open to students’ staff and the public, offering a great opportunity to get away from the desk for a while, for fair trade coffee and cake from a coffee cart. Veggies, fruit or herbs are brought in by a local harvest share whilst guests can partake in plantings, followed by harvesting with take home plants at the end.
Do come 10 April, 1st May, 22 May.
The group has a strong social media presence. The next stage of the garden’s development is a shade structure designed by architecture students.
We were all given a pair of ultra-cool, environmentally friendly, bamboo straws in a gift pack with invitations to the coffee mornings with details -
http://i.unisa.edu.au/students/business/life/community-garden/
Upcoming Events Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1952022168180321/
There was lots to talk about over our extra special supper, which was supplemented by left over cake from Sunday17th’s 170 year anniversary celebration at our venue – the Cherry Gardens Uniting Church.
GEORGE'S GARDENING SUGGESTIONS FOR MAY 2019
In the flower garden plant calendula, cineraria, hollyhock, linaria, Iceland poppy, snapdragon and wallflower.
Bulbs of anemone, ranunculus, and tulips can still go in.
Now is a good time to divide and plant out Cliveas.
Rhubarb crowns can be planted into deep rich soil.
New strawberry plants will grow steadily through the Winter and early Spring if planted into soil that has been enriched with compost and complete fertilizer.
Vegies to plant now include: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and white onions.
May is a good time for moving shrubs and small trees as the still warm soil aids new root development. Water the plant well the day before the move, and immediately after transplanting, then add some mulch. Continue to water regularly for the next month.
It is also a good time to add gypsum to your soil if it has set like concrete over Summer. Add at the rate of 1 Kg per square metre and water in.
Meetings are held in the Cherry Gardens Uniting Church meeting room, at 7.30pm usually on the 2nd Monday of the month from February to November.
President: Ray Wise: raywise@hotmail.com.au or 0405 273 003
Secretary: Shirley Callaghan: shirleyc5159@gmail.com or 0403 801 916
NEXT MEETINGS
Monday 8th April
Daniel Holzer from Holman Industries, a WA based irrigation component manufacturer will show their range of products suitable for the home gardener.
Monday 6th May
George Hoad President of Garden Clubs Australia will be our Guest Speaker. We will also have a chance to meet Julie Myer, our zone coordinator.
