How to not be poisoned.

Some fruit and vegetables are sprayed a lot, others not so. Some absorb pesticides, others are more resilient. How the hell do we find out?

Click on Continue Reading below to find out. And thanks to Dorka for finding this list.

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Delicious Three-course Vegetarian Feast
Saturday May 22

Come and support the hard working wonderful, spirited people who run the Source food outlet.

If you haven’t been to Source yet, just do it. They’re just above the university campus in French Street.

They’re open from 11 am each Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

(Just click on the image to see feast details)

Here are some of Karen Brown’s colourful photos taken at this year’s Harvest Fair.

(You can click on the images to make then bigger)

Karen is an ace professional photographer and activist, if you ever need portrait or event photos click HERE to contact her.

Here’s the planting layout for the community garden as of this week.
(Click on graphic to see it full size.)

Spud harvesting and more planting taking place this Saturday 20th (3pm on).

Jonah G @ 46.

On one of those magical Summer days, February 13, the community garden saw its first harvest – whilst one group picked the beans, another crew shelled them (over a little wine and Jonah’s excellent dips) and a good time was had by all.

Spuds will be next and the beds are now being prepared for autumn / winter crops of beetroot, wom bok, kale and a variety of other crops.

For anyone interested, next Saturday (20th Feb) will do more bean harvesting and planting of seeds and seedlings. For the record we have 30 garden beds, each of them allocated to a person or family to manage.

Thanks to Dave Graddon for the photos.

ROLL UP, ROLL UP it’s Waterworks Harvest Fair time again!!!

Calling all you wonderful valley people who would like to help set up our second Harvest Fair about fun, food and sustainable living – it’s on Sunday March 28. Click HERE to see poster.

I am hostessing weekly morning teas (with scones) 10am at my house (144 Waterworks Rd) every Wednesday before the fair.

Amanda Sully (sully.amanda@gmail.com)

Please come if you are able to put in some real time and energy as we need your help!!!

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Its that lovely time of year, so here are three delightful garden enterprises.

• Food in my backyard:
If you are new to gardening, or need help, Christine and Juliet from FIMBY run a neat little local (South Hobart) enterprise that is proving to be really popular. Have a look at their friendly website

• Tarremah Growers:
Catherine in Fern Tree advises that they have for sale a fabulous range of tomato seedlings, including those vanishing old tasty varieties. No website sorry, but you can download their tomato catalogue here and place an order.

• Woodbridge Fruit Trees:
Too late for fruit tree planting now, but do keep this one in mind. For close to 30 years this family group has been preserving old fruit tree varieties on dwarf stock suitable for home gardens. Great varieties and a big range of fruiting times. Take a look at their website and place your order before next Winter.

Local ’sustainable commmunities’ have now set up in West Hobart and in the Channel area. We can learn from them as much as they can learn from us. And we can collaborate on some things.

Click HERE to visit West Hobart’s site.

Note that this group has set up three sub-groups: Home Energy / Gardening / Transport. What do people think about us doing similar?

We have a lot of sunny hillside space going unused, and we’re wondering about growing a grain crop.

Quinoa (see photo) is not a grass, like wheat etc: it sounds interesting and tastes OK too, but so far I haven’t found any useful information about whether it would grow here – apart from discovering that it originated in the Andes, likes warm days and colder nights, takes 4 – 6 months to mature and should be planted once the frosts are over.

Amaranth can be planted with quinoa so they must require similar conditions: while it might be another possibility I don’t know what it tastes like!

Does anyone in the valley have experience with backyard grain-growing, or know where we can learn more about it?

For starters have a look at this website.

Trish-131

Ever wondered what it would be like if a team of locals came in the did your garden up – in one day! Well, that’s the idea behind the ‘Permablitz’ movement, now popular in Melbourne.

Instead of each homeowner slogging away on their own garden, groups of householders band together and do each other’s gardens. Your garden gets blitzed on a chosen week-end. Good gardening solutions and ideas come from many heads rather than one.

Nobody gets out of doing the work, but it is a fun way to get things done and it’s commuty bonding too. Is there scope to do this in our community? I know of somebody in West Hobart who had her garden done over this way.

Check out the Permablitz website for more.

(With thanks to Philip-136)