Tropical Garden visit, May 2nd

If you are interested in Dragon Fruit, Ginkgo, American Chestnuts, Chinese peanut trees …... and vegetables, herbs, native bees, tropical fruit trees and much more …… then come along to our first Club garden-outing of the year next Sunday!

We have a visit planned to the Shangri Lai Garden, which is the property of Club member Jude Lai, and is located by the Nerang River in Gilston. For many years, Jude organically farmed a 4 ½ hectare property near Beenleigh. When he moved to the Gold Coast, Jude brought with him many of the special exotic trees that he had grown, including a large Shangri Lai tree. (If you have a look at the web-site at http://www.shangrilaigarden.com you will get an idea of the many things that Jude has specialized in.)

The visit to Jude’s property will commence at 9.00 am on Sunday 2nd May, and the directions are listed below. We would suggest you bring some walking shoes or boots, and a hat, as we will be walking around to look at the trees, terraced vegetable gardens and other items of interest.

The address is 620 Gilston Road, Gilston, and (just in case we get lost) Jude’s contact numbers are 0403 772 684 and 5563 0281.

View Larger Map

1. If you are coming from Mudgeeraba and using Worongary Road, as you reach the junction of Gilston road, turn left of Gilston Rd, towards Hinze Dam.
2. Immediately about 20 ft from this Junction, turn right into a small slip road.
3. Go along this slip road, on the right, along a barb fence wire.
4. There are lots of letter post boxes standing out at this junction entrance.
5. My house is about 100 meters down this road on the left with lots of trees/ bushes/bamboos etc.
6. You will a see some sheep and a cow in the paddock.
7. A little sign with the word “Shangri Lai Garden” is on the gate post.

It sounds like a really interesting morning, so hope to see you there.

Regards,
Diane Kelly
GCOG Membership Secretary

Gold Coast Organic Growers April meeting.

This could be described as the "Autumn planting" meeting.
Features of the meeting:

• A table of various very robust looking seedlings for sale by members at their usual extremely reasonable prices. These were ready for immediate autumn planting. Also for sale: absolutely pure natural honey in various sized jars - a regular sale item at these meetings. (See pics below)
• The formal part of the meeting began, as usual, with impromptu questions from the floor, with answers and short discussion from the more knowledgeable members.
• By Lise Racine: A very extensive talk about garlic, which should be planted now and would be harvested between September and the start of the wet season. Another session will be held on all the things you can do with garlic in September, when members will hopefully be ready to pick their crops. (More info in Steve's post)
• Neil: A demonstration of creating "wicking gardens".  (More info in Steve's post, the April newsletter, and at the Easy-Grow Vegetables website.)

All the seedlings were extremely robust - testimony to the expertise of the members producing them. This should help ensure that you get a great crop off them.

Get your honey here. On sale at each meeting.

ps: 

1. As advised by Rebecca at the meeting, there is a good ongoing supply of horse manure available 7 days off Queen Street, Southport. If interested email DavidTangye@gmail.com for details.
2. A few members were taking their own notes. Anyone who would like to share them up on here, or in the monthly newsletter, your contributions will be more than welcome. Please contact Dorothy on (07) 5533 9905 (newsletter editor) or Steve at s@dalts.net (this blog).

Gold Coast Organic Gardeners - April Meeting

Another great meeting.... again, I'm not going to spend any time on editing.... here are my rough notes for everyone's benefit.

2 speakers tonight:

Lise - Garlic

• Russian Garlic related to Leek
• Not a garlic - doesn't have aliisein
• This is time to plant - next month too late
• Glen Large
• Soft neck variety in Queensland
• Purple Asian
• Compost
• Twice depth of clove
• Couple of weeks before - put them in the fridge for at least 7 days - 2-3 weeks
• If you don't put them in the fridge they can grow too fast
• Plant in march - beginning of a root phase
• If shoot is half way through clove - then they plant
• 10cm apart
• Bottom down, head up
• Research has proven - difference in germination is 3 days
• Need to test with no-dig
• Water - don't overwater...
• No more watering in Early August.... will then pool energy into the bulb.
• Can leave them in the ground for a while.
• Great herbal recipes with Apple Cider vineger and also in a syrup - good for colds.
• Can plant the stem bulbs as a seed to get to 1 clove the next year.
• Grow mustard between crop
• Rotate
• Comfry Fritters

Neil - Wicking Gardens

• No water restrictions now - but will come a time when we can't water again
• Perlite - natural product, better wicking
• Depends on soil on how long it will stay wet... use a compost soil to hold water better.
• Can also do Seedlings
• Watch Costa show from about 2 weeks ago (SBS)
• Check water level - put a stick in the whole.

Article in this month's newletter - website is http://www.easygrowvegetables.com has some good info

Gold Coast Organic Gardeners - March Meeting

Here are my notes from the GCOG March meeting. Sorry I don't have time to edit, but hopefully some of this might be useful for someone trying to remember what happened!

• No Newsletter Editor
• Dorothy Volunteered - good work
• Website
• People being very slack with Library books. Please bring your books back, if you can't be at the meeting, please call the librarian to ask them where you can drop the books off or seek permission to carry it over until next month. Same applies to PH testing kit and brix meter. Brix meter is very expensive
• Planting calendars available $20 each
• Winter vege competition. Who can grow the biggest
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Beetroot
• Leek
• Turnip
• Carrot
• Weirdest Vegetable
• Snowball Cauliflowers
• Autumn is the best time for growing 
• Home Grown Movie
• Zero Bin Movie
• Garlic is good this time of the year
• Kale - plant it now
• Asparagus - 20 year crop - baby ones wait 2 years.
• 1 year crowns, wait one year.
• Crop for about 6 weeks.
• Don't overpick them
• Kolrabi is a good one for this time of the year. Tastes quite mild and nutty.

Elizabeth - Permaculture from Sunshine coast. Talking about tropical fruit and vegetables

• with husband frank on 6 acres. Self sufficient
• Have created a lot of gardens over time. Permaculture Noosa group is about 70 people most months
• Nobody knew what to do with the tropical plants
• Tropical Vegetable workshop in Brisbane on April 10th
• Temperate plants hate all the rain, Tropicals doing well
• Sweet potato very common one that most people know about
• Yam Bea
• 3 basic categories
• Tropical 
• Brazilian Spinach - lovely border 
• Tahitian 
• Most tropicals 
• Starchy 
• Taro - Calcium Oxiland 
• Sweet Potatoe 
• Coco Yam
• Arrowroot
• Tahitian Spinach
• Yakon - Sweet roots, ground apple
• Beans, Gourds and Fruits
• New Gineau Bean
• Pepino
• Support species
• Vetiver Grass
• Lemon Grass
• Casava - bit of an issue with Cyanide - can build up if you have too much
• best way is to grate it
• ferment it - in a bucket
• Peel it - inner and the outer flesh combine to neutralise cyanide
• Always cook it
• Madagasca beans
• Bitter Melon - medicine food
• Jackfruit - know when it's ripe when you hear the possums
• pit pit - like and asparagus spear
• Aibika
• Tropical greens more nutricious as they are deep rooted
• Plant with Perenial Basil - confuses grasshoppers
• Eygytian spinach - her favourite - Maluchia
• Kankon - still going strong - rampant vine
• Japanese Parsley
• Kelor Tree
• Sweet potato vine tips
• Food Forrest