Garden building is character building.
May and the days are cold and wet. We have two months to go until we plan to finish our project, so it’s all hands on deck. More wicking beds to be repaired and rebuilt and only 30 cubic metres of gravel to spread.
Our walkways have become cluttered, weed infested and uneven. The gravel will, once it is settled, make the garden safer and easier to get around. And with less weeds growing around the beds, there will hopefully be fewer weeds in the beds.
The wicking beds are also getting a makeover. The mobility access bed has been repaired, relined and refilled. New scoria was added, the watering system reinstalled and the filter membrane laid, waiting for the delivery of fresh soil. Side and end boards have been replaced and about 20 corners braced on beds all around the garden. Other beds have been rebuilt – a job that will be continuous.
Blister’s, aching muscles, cold hands … but we did it! We couldn’t have done it without every member contributing their time, energy, grumbles and sense of humour. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the West Gate Neighbourhood Fund.
Autumn – where a gardener’s lot is not a lazy one……..
February, March and April were all go, go, go for MEG. Weeding and spraying -organic and non toxic of course- to prepare the walkways for the spreading of gravel was a big task but members were happy to take it on. The heavy and unexpected rain slowed us down but we kept going. We shifted our first 10 cubic metres in April. We also managed to rust proof the new storage container, rebuild and repair a few beds, and clean out the old storage area (pity about the rats!). Our work was rewarded – home made cake for morning tea (and a chat about the fruit fly survey) and later a bbq lunch.
MEG Upgrade Summer 2024
In 2023 we set ourselves the big task of revitalising the garden over the first six months of 2024. Two years of restricted access during the peak of the pandemic and the flooding of the garden in October last year left the garden a little worn out.
With a generous grant from the West Gate Neighbourhood Fund, we have been able to give the orchard a lift. In recent years members had to regularly compete with birds and other critters for apricots, plums, nectarines, peaches and apples. We were able to net most of the trees after fruit set, so that the bees were still able to do their work. We were also able to hang fruit fly traps to minimise any impact from the spread of Queensland fruit fly, without any impact on the bees.
Recognising the changes to the climate we have also installed an inground watering system for the orchard – with regulated watering to minimise waste and to keep the orchard healthy.
We also boosted our cold compost system with improved plant waste preparation and more compost bins.
And we have more planned for the next three months …….
End of year party 2020
Working Bee 5 December 2020
