November 19, 2022

Garden tour at Hans’s garden in Dorrigo

We’re trying our luck for another plateau visit!

Hans has been visiting with us for the last few years, after coming up from Tasmania to Dorrigo 5yrs ago. Located in a newer subdivision of town, he was lucky enough to start with a framework of trees as initial shelter for a productive patch. It’s a compact and lush site with developing microclimates to exploit. Hans has been planting and constructing protections for his flourishing garden. Come up and escape the summer heat 🙂

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

October 24, 2022

Garden tour at Steve’s garden in Korora

NewsletterDon Open Gardens

This event is booked out, you can still RSVP to be added to the waiting list.

You maybe familiar with his name; Steve McGrane is a qualified horticultural presenter and writer, calling in on the ABC Mid North Coast’s station for Wednesday’s morning garden chat. This time, it’s going to happen while we’re there!

Steve has been working on creating an intensively managed, productive and ornamental suburban block for the last 15yrs. His veges, chickens, compost, aquaponics and food forest adventure await us.

Arrivals must be no later than 9am (or let in after 10am) to ensure a smooth radio cross, and numbers will be limited – can’t wait for this one!

If you attend, please bring a plate of yummies to share for morning tea and any seeds or cuttings you wish to share on the day.

See you there 🙂

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

October 9, 2022

Garden tour at Watercress farm, Deer Vale, with Venita

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Event postponed due to poor weather.

Venita is one DIY lady. Over the last decade the hard working farm girl has put her experience and energy into building her own rural home and garden from scratch in the beautiful rolling hills of Deer Vale. Not merely project management; drill, saw, hammer and nails – she’s wielded them all to create a character filled cabin and orchard.

Nestled on the edge of native forest and farmland, there will be an option to go for a walk down to some special patches of remnant cool temperate rainforest.

If you attend, please bring a plate of yummies to share for lunch and any seeds or cuttings you wish to share on the day.

See you there 🙂

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

August 12, 2022

Talking gardening with Phil Dudman

NewsletterDon Open Gardens

It’s an action-packed August this year! In between our packing day and the Bellingen Spring Plant Fair, we are squeezing in a guest speaker: Phil Dudman.

This will be a return visit by Phil, with our reliable Fernmount garden hosts, Chris and Merren.

Phil is a public gardening figure and, until recently, Organic Gardener’s editor. He’s familiar with our climate, knowledgeable and very personable. We’ve given him a few suggested topics to give a talk on, but anything he chooses to dive into is bound to be a lively and engaging discussion.

If you attend, please bring a plate of yummies to share for lunch and any seeds or cuttings you wish to share on the day.

See you there 🙂

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

July 21, 2022

Seed packing in Raleigh hosted by Chris

NewsletterDon Open Gardens

Well I managed to miss our last seed packing day at Chris’s, but by all accounts it was a fantastic day despite the crazy weather, so we’ll ‘play it again Sam’.

Definitely planning to get down the mountain for this one. We will work a little, share a little, and probably laugh and eat a lot! Please come along, or forward any seeds for us to pack with your details.

Please bring any seeds you have saved for sharing.

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

June 6, 2022

Winter Solstice in Gleniffer with Dr Pepper

NewsletterDon Open Gardens

As the winter solstice approaches (Tuesday June 21st) we invite you to invoke the communal spirit of connection in the garden.

A meeting of like minds, to cast off the trials and tribulations of the last 2-3 years. Let’s shrug off the shackles and salute the sun with lengthening and (hopefully) brighter days to come. We’ll manifest some magic; the strength and support from our group is a nourishing warm energy. As is the cake!

So come on down to the Promised Land 😉

Please bring any seeds you have saved for sharing.

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

May 8, 2022

Garden visit to the garden of Adrian and family in Fernmount

NewsletterDon Open Gardens

Leela’s description of Adrian and his family’s Fernmount home:

We have been invited to visit their new house and garden. I’ve only taken a flying squiz, but the house looks stylish, lots of bananas and other things are leaping out of the ground. I’ve met their friendly pup & hear there’s chooks down the back. Looks like there’s a lot underway. Yep, I’m intrigued and looking forward to our next gathering at their place. Hope see you there too.

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

March 14, 2022

Lightstream in Lowanna

NewsletterDon Open Gardens

Our Lightstream in Lowanna visit was sadly postponed in November last year, but luckily Andrew and Judy are still keen to host us for a leisurely rural visit. We still have the rain lurking at present, but here’s hoping for a drying trend!

Judy’s suggestion is:

“I think 10.30 am would be good arrival time. Morning tea, then walk around garden, chat, go for swim about 12 and come back for lunch at 2ish. Finish at 4pm.”

Swimming is optional, of course, but their waterhole is a sight to behold!

You will need to register for the event, even if you RSVPd last year. Priority will be given to the first round responders, but we have also increased numbers from the previous invite.

Judy and Andrew are natural therapists with specialties in meditation, massage and herbalism. They have been on their MO for a couple of decades, running a successful airbnb as well as improving and adding to the initial buildings and gardens. Now they are mostly retired and throwing themselves fully into the productive gardens.

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

February 13, 2022

Seed packing day in Raleigh at Chris’s house

NewsletterDon Open Gardens

It’s on again – seed packing day at Chris’s in Raleigh for this year’s Bellingen Autumn plant fair. If you have excess seeds saved with good genetic purity, please pass them on to us with your details for packing. Better yet, come along and enjoy our version of ‘hard work’ (not).

Chris and Merren (18 Hyde St. Fernmount) are happy to recieve donations of seed from those who can’t make it to our seed cleaning day. We are keen for kale, all other brassicas, lettuce and spinach/chard seed. If anyone has surplus dried, please label with date saved, the growers and the plants name, and the collection locality. Seed can be left at their front door any time.

If you have potted plants, cuttings, tubers or other forms of non-seed plant material to donate for the plant fair, it is best if you can drop them off at our stall at the plant fair before 9 am. If you are not attending the plant fair or won’t be arriving until late, Chris and Merren in Fernmount have kindly offered to collect non-seed plant material on the Thursday and Friday prior to the plant fair. Please leave the material out the front of 18 Hyde St in Fernmount.

Limited places available.

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

January 20, 2022

Terry’s garden in South West Rocks

NewsletterDon Open Gardens

There’s a big day planned for early February; we’re trekking down to Terry in South West Rocks and getting two for the price of one, with a visit to Kimbo’s garden as well!

Terry has been joining us now for a couple of years and now it’s our turn to see what he’s been up to down South

Terry says:

Previously, I had been living in Belongil near Byron for two and a half years.

During that time, I had joined Byron Permaculture group with Geoff Lawton where we would meet once a month, this would include group presentations, guest speakers, garden visits, farm visits and volunteer community projects.

I loved all that kinda stuff !

Turn the page to the Covid thing …. And, I have an elderly mother living on her own with little support, so I moved back and started doing up a separate flat, so I could continue the transition and support.

South West Rocks has a beautiful environment tho, lacks culture, diversity, difference and has a high aged demographic.

“How am I going to survive here ? I thought after 8 years away ? Answer rebuild community connections and activate new groups and align with like minds to create life.

Thank you Bellingen seed savers for throwing me a lifeline ! You are an amazing group and this stuff is soooo important for health and community.

I decided to start a garden, it was straight white sand, full sun and wind exposed with little to no organic matter, zero water holding capacity.

The other factor was not knowing how long I’d stay and what can I do to enrich life: mine, my mother’s and others’ ?

Answer, start a garden.

Join Seed Savers.

Start Forest Ecology Alliance.

Start Voices of South West Rocks Community.

So, 20 months later its coming together, What I have tried to combine in the garden are visual aesthetics, bush foods, native legume species, fast carbon pathways, Bokashi, wildlife corridor habitat boxes, native animal refuge areas, endemic native plant species for biodiversity, water features, herbs, and fruit and vegetables.

Where I would like your help is in water site reuse and management and designing the new garden area ?

What I can help with is what I found successful in helping establish things in difficult areas.

We also plan to visit Kimbo’s garden he has been operating a double block 1000 sq mts super productive village garden that supplies many locals with greens on a daily basis, which is a hub for locals to call in and chat tell stories, swap things and purchase fresh locally grown produce.

Kim has been doing this off his own drive for probably 8 -12 years and it started just by wanting to grow a few things in his back yard.

What he has managed to do is miraculous, it’s so productive ! It’s a work of art right in the centre of town ! And it’s a gathering spot.Right on the spot where we would watch the local fishermen mend their nets when we were kids. Kim likes to keep things low key and simple and is humble about what he does, tho the value of this unique aspect is priceless. It’s identity, it’s culture, it’s food, it’s recipes, it’s remembrances, it’s health.

What I hope may come from this get together is bringing the best to all areas along our coast and connecting people who wish to share a love for growing things and along the way build a tribe and enrich a community.

Oh, Im also having lots of fun bringing colour and doing some beach shack Reno’s to this area as we most are experiencing coastal development growth it’s important to add visual options and embed growing knowledge I feel.

————

So the plan is; meet up at Terry’s 10am and travel to Kimbo’s patch by 10.30am, back to Terry’s for lunch and afterwards a look at/kayak on the lake in the arvo. Should be an action packed day!

If you RSVP for this event, an email (containing directions) will be sent to the email address you provide on the RSVP form. If you do not receive an email, please check your junk mail folder.

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