New Site

We've moved the GCOG content off http://goldcoastorganic.com to it's new home here at http://gcorganicgrowers.blogspot.com so that it can concentrate on news just about the GCOG Club. All the relevant content is still here - enjoy!

August Newsletter now available

The August GCOG Newsletter is now available along with all the recent editions found on the Newletters page. Enjoy!

GCOG library goes online

The library has an amazing range of great books. However, until now, I find it has been difficult to get time at meetings to browse through the books and magazines. Now you can search for them and order them online. We hope we will then have your reserved items ready for when you arrive at the next meeting.

Bear with us for the first month or two, until we iron out any bugs though, and switch from the old paper-based system.

Some data needs minor correction, and DVDs are not on there yet, but that will be sorted out soon.

To access it, click on  "Our Library" in the "Links" part of the menus on the right side of the website.

Photos from Eco Village Visit

Had a great visit to the Currumbin Eco Village today. I had the kids (sorry for all the noise!), so it was a little difficult to take everything in, but was a great day. Here are photos:

Veggie Competition

Here are some of the entries in the Veggie competition so far. Please bring in your entries to the meetings!

Visit to Shangrilai Gardens

Jude hosted and presented a large range of flora that he grows: too much information to record it all.

Some of the plants and trees he talked about...

• Dragon fruit: both red and yellow varieties, and Sapote (a South American variety?) Red Dragon Fruit and Sapote was served with morning tea.
• Bonsia Ginkho: known as 'memory fruit' in China, take 10 years to fruit. the nut is good to roast. Jude knows of only one female tree in Queensland, possibly Australia: in Toowoomba.
• Chinese Peanut, and Malibar Chestnut.  Nuts were served at morning tea time.
• Camphorwood trees: much sought after by cabinet makers.
• Shangrilai Tree: Jude's own variety.
• Clumping Cane: has a round trunk, whereas spreading varieties have a notch or groove.
• Pomelo: similar to lemonade, but bigger.
• Bananas: a yellow fleshed Malaysian variety that are best cooked, and Sugar bananas.
• Tiger Grass: use the leaves for wrapping when cooking.
• An extensive garden with -
• Loofah, or luffa etc: also known as the "Dishloth Gourd". The tightly grown inner fibers make long wearing, useful sponges, and the young fruit is edible.
• Sweet potato
• Large beans which Jude is keeping for seed. Contact him for seeds as they will be available shortly.
• ... far too much was growing in there to name here ...

More pics here, many of which are of the above.

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

Photos from Christmas Meeting of Organic Growers Club

I meant to do a writeup on this meeting, but never got around to completing it. Here's the photos I took anyway!

March Meeting - Growing Tropical Vegetables

Our March meeting is being held this Thursday the 18th, commencing at 7.30 pm, at the usual venue in Elanora.

Our guest speaker for the evening is Elisabeth Fekonia, and it looks like a very interesting presentation – I’ve copied the introduction to her talk below, and also attached a flyer for a class that Elisabeth will be holding in Brisbane in April.

Growing Tropical Vegetables
"Do you fall into the same rut every summer with your vegetable garden? We can grow many of our favourite vegetables throughout most of the year but when the summer heat strikes, most of our plants just seem to wilt away. No wonder so many people give up on their gardens when summer arrives! But this need not be. Summer in this part of the world is the perfect time for growing tropical vegetables. In this wonderful sub- tropical climate of ours we can grow vegetables that are easy to care for as they need very little irrigation. Some tropical vegetables generously keep producing year after year.

Edible landscapes can so easily be created with these hardy plants and they make quite a presence in the landscape. Full sun does not deter them and watering is hardly an issue as these plants are deeply rooted into the soil. Once the plants are established and there are long dry periods, they just seem to sit there doing nothing much until the rains come again. The heat and the rain then bring on rapid growth and a few weeks later the garden will show a dramatic difference.

Cooking these unusual vegetables is also very easy. A lot of these dishes have the addition of coconut cream and recipes are often cooked in one pot. The taste of tropical vegetables is very appealing to most people and they are good for us as well.

I look forward to sharing my fifteen years of experience in growing these tropical vegetables in a Permaculture Food Forest Garden at your next meeting. I will also bring plants and books along so you too can learn to enjoy them.

Elisabeth Fekonia"

So in addition to our usual Club activities, we will have the chance to ask lots of questions and exchange ideas – and it has been suggested that, as a number of extra guests will be joining us for the evening, that it would be helpful if anyone could bring along a spare fold-up chair in case they are needed.

Regards,

Diane Kelly
GCOG Membership Secretary

Gold Coast Organic Growers AGM

This was held last night, 18th February at the community meeting rooms at the Pines Elanora Shopping centre, where the group holds their monthly meetings.

There was a relatively low turnout, and despite all officeholders' positions being vacant, few new people volunteered to take up positions. Fortunately most of the retiring officeholders agreed to renominate for the new year.

The President, Maria Roberson, conducted most of proceedings, standing aside for the relevant elections, and returning to complete proceedings.

All positions were refilled, excepting that of Editor of the newsletter.

The association's accounts were summarised, and made available for members to inspect.

Four new books were added to the group's already extensive hardcopy library. Note that all of these new additions are on topics outside of gardening, the groups main focus. The group's librarians intend to re-inventory all the books shortly. Books can be loaned to members.

It is evident that the group has a wealth within its ranks of expertise in both gardening and related environmental matters. More people, both experts and learner gardeners, are encouraged to attend, join up, and join in this year. The group maintains their own seed bank, and are very aware of the need to preserve natural seed in the face of the corporate world's drive to switch in genetically modified food.

Several visits to members' and others' gardens are planned, as has happened in the past.

Watch here for the date of the next meeting.

Gold Coast Organic Growers - September 09 Meeting

• Watering - as it's so dry try and use a hand-hose, not sprinklers
• Display of Chantonay carrots - they are pretty big (Top Weight even bigger, but only good for deep soils). Chantonay are good for no-dig gardens. I boughts some red core ones at the seed bank after the meeting which I'll plant on the weekend.
• With carrots, you can use sand - but also just quickly sprinkly along the line and thin out when they germinate... not worth trying to transplant. They take about 14 weeks to get to full size, but you can eat the biggest ones first and get a crop for a good proportion of the year
• Can you eat the tops? Yes - they are very nutritious and one guy puts them in his juices and smoothies (200x vit c of bottom)
• Parsley is from same family but is ok to transplant. Takes about 21 days to germinate so best to grow from seedlings.
• If you have a badly drained soil use Chantonay as Top Weight doesn't like the wet low-down in the soil and can get scab.
• Some letters from Government on GM crops on trial, Blue Rose, herbicide resistent sugar cane - the club gets 4 of these bulletins a month and they are available to any members that want to read them. Personally this stuff scares me a lot... for example what happens if a herbicide resistent gene makes it's way into an invasive weed??? They will say this could never happen - but have they done enough research???
• Someone asked about Cobbler Pegs. They are a weed - but are useful if you don't let them get to seed. Can be eaten in Salads and the Chooks/Ginaeu Pigs love them. Seeds are an old toothache rememdy. Someone mentioned to check out Isabelle's "Survival Guide" for more info on Cobbler Pegs.
• Question about Water saving Crystals - much discussion, but no-one really knew if they were organic or not. I doubt it.
• Potatoes - should they be flowering yet and when to harvest? Mine are flowering at the moment. Harvest when tops die. The guy that mentioned the carrot tops said you can eat the potato tops... I don't think this is right, I thought they were deadly nightshade family and very posionous - I hope he is still with us next month!
• Question about a good shade/fruit tree - Panama/Strawberries & Cream tree suggested - you can get it at Daley's in Kyogle.
• Capsicums in pots question from @hhcv - his get going well but then die before fruit. Probably lacking nutrients, add more compost and read about nutrient deficiencies (could be anything - Iron?). Pull up plants and check for nematodes (this is what happened to mine) - you could also try the wormtec solution which is supposed to introduce good nematodes.
• Mangoes - they flower a lot, but no fruit. Probably due to wet year last year - Bees could not polinate so flowers just drop. Could also be blackspot - try Ecorose blackspot (Ross)
• Community Gardens - GCCC handout. I now have a part share in an allotment at Southport.... looking forward to getting some veggies in there.

We then had an excellent talk from Narelle Cheney from Miessence about Aloe Vera... great product, what an amazing businesswoman. I have arranged to interview her for my new video blog at http://refactor.blip.tv when I get things going. It's not IT related, but I am interested in bootstrapping startup stories for http://upstarta.biz and she is on the Gold Coast (and used to be in IT).

Until next time.... happy gardening!

Gold Coast Organic Growers August 09 meeting

Gold Coast Organic gardeners meeting again tonight and it was great to see a massive turnout - especially seeing @dpn and @hhcv turn up. Most the evening was taken up by an awesome presentation/Q&A by Greg Plevey from wormtec, there were so many questions we could have gone until midnight I reckon!

Anyway - some notes from the intro section:

Spring starts in August on the Gold Coast - get planting now... this weekend should be a good weekend for planting seeds. Good things to plant at the moments are:

• Sunflowers
• Nasturtiums (very beneficial in veggie patches and are edible themselves)
• Beans
• Lettuce
• Carrots
  - Giant Western Red has now been replaced by "Top Weight"
  - For no dig gardens try Chantenay instead
• Basil
• Echinacea

Now have new seed packets - are colour coded (green-veg, pink-flowers and I forgot the other colour) and include more info on the pack about seeds and our club. They cost $1.50 please help the club by buying all your seeds from here if you can - they are mostly organic and your purchases help maintain the low prices.

Question about seed germination. Ross' method is to place seedlings in poly veggie cartons and put under glass (old shower screen) to keep humidity up. Create an humid "environment" for the seeds to keep them moist.

Some new books in Library. Good one on Sprouts by Isabelle Shipard. I love sprouts - they are a real superfood - must get some going this week as my wife bought a new sprout kit this week.

Report that some events are happening with Community Gardens - http://goldcosatcity.com.au/parks for more info. I also found another page here

Viability of Seeds. Smallers seeds are viable for less time. Keep at constant temp - NOT IN SHED (Ooops....! Mine are going in bin on weekend then!) Pumpkin seeds can keep 3 years - but most are only 1. Stories about 20 year old seeds from grandmas are the exception to the rule!

Someone asked about Ants on Strawberrys. Planting Penny Royals distrupts then a fair bit. Other solutions were agitating the ground (they hate movement). Get rid of Aphids (they farm them). Fish/Seaweed solution in the morning. Pine needles aroung the base of strawberrys (this is mostly to make soil more acid - but seems to stop ants too... maybe cos plant is then stronger?).

Question about Sweet potatoes - when to harvest. Should have a purple flower and they literally push themselves out of the ground. Reminded me to put mine in - hope it's not too late.

@dpn asked about his Tomatoes - he has lost 2 crops - thought it was a virus. Ross suggested it is probably too many bad nematodes and suggested following the method explained in this months newsletter. Organix was recommended as a solution to bring the good ones back - I reckon Greg's magic Wormix stuff might also do the trick!

Question about best Paw Paw tree - get a Red Paw-Paw - they taste way better. If there is not much space get a Bisexual one so you don't have to buy 2. I then wrote down "Pathos" in my notes (from @hhcv) - I can't remember what this is from!

We then went onto Greg's talk - which was nothing short of amazing... didn't write many notes as I was pretty gobsmacked. Go to his site http://wormtec.com.au for all the info. The soil biology primer he mentioned (only available for a couple more weeks for free) can be found here - it's only html - so my advice is try and scrape it (using wget or similar) before it's gone. A few of my own notes from what he said that might not be on site.

• Worm diet - as varied as possible - Lucerne, Blue Crusher Dust, Newspaper, Veggie Scraps are a good mix. I have a fair bit of crusher dust around my place - I'll have to try that!
• Horse manure - leave it for a month to let wormicides die. Chook, Cat & Dog poop is probably ok for wormicides (my question).
• Northern Rivers Seasol is way better than the Seasol brand - twice concentrate. Northern Rivers are at Harbourtown (Demand Avenue).

And that's it from me... see you again next month. This blog was mentioned in the newsletter - so welcome to new readers!

Gold Coast Organic Growers July 09 meeting

I just got back from my 2nd meeting of the GCOG (Gold Coast Organic Growers). It's a really awesome group of people - so much shared brains- trust is held in this group, what a source of info.

Anyway - the group is very low tech, much of the information is available verbally at the meeting and the paper newsletter. There is nothing wrong with this at all - and this format probably suits the older demographic of the group. Personally, I find it very hard to remember things and I am going to start taking some notes and posting them here from now on.

Maybe some members of the group that don't get the chance to write things down can use this as a useful reference. I'm not going to go into great detail - just some bullet points you can search on.

Anyway, here goes:

Much of this evening was spent talking about Citrus and fruit trees. Here are a few things that were mentioned:

• GOTU KOLA is great for Arthritis - you just eat it like salad (3 leaves a day). Someone brought some in
• Grumichama - great native fruit tree for SEQ - everyone raved about it. Make sure you get 2 (NOT from same clone)
• Jaboticaba - great tree but can take a long time to fruit. I think this is the one that fruits from the stem - again get 2.
• Acerola Cherry - has enough Vitamin C in 1 cherry for 1 day. Used to use it for Vit C tablets before they synthesised it (there is also Brazilian cherry - but this is not native and can escape).

I also found out that the Mandarin tree I have is probably just root stock - it died and I trimmed it right back (doh!). I also asked some people about Sweet Potatoes afterwards - you can plant the ones from the supermarket (not disease prone like normal potatoes). Peanuts are also very good as clay-breakers but watch out for animals digging them up (just use untreated peanuts from health store).

Whilst reading my notes - I found my notes from the May meeting. Here they are for prosperity

• Kelor Tree - had some magical quality I forget what (have to google it)
• Icecream pudding tree - yum