Eco building, Garden

THE SOUTH MELBOURNE PERMABLITZ – COMMUNITY & CURVES

No Comments

Digging out soil from earth bag garden bed, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Digging a hole for a Medlar fruit tree, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Measuring hole for the Medlar fruit tree, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Digging out the old soil from the earth bag garden bed, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Curving earth bag wall, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Little boy climbing sand pile, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Pile of gloves, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Compost pile, at the South Melbourne Permablitz

Unkinking irrigation hose for erth bag garden beds, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Little girl playing, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

Little boy sitting on the pile of sand, at the South Melbourne Commons Permablitz

My shoulder and arm muscles had finally forgiven me after my first Blitz and I decided to try another, at which thankfully, I was neither designer nor facilitator. Not in a backyard this time, but at the South Melbourne Commons in the capable hands of designers Seila and Charlie.

It was lovely to see all those veggie beds in a shared public space, all nestled around that lovely old brick building. The earth bag beds had already been constructed at a past Blitz which I wish I’d been to as this is something we would like to do for our Blitz. They were lovely and curving, and our main job for the day was to fill them up with compost for the cafe garden. Warm windy days are not ideal for shifting compost, but after a few eye watering encounters we managed to move the huge pile before lunch.

After some serious matocking the soil gave way just enough to let us plant some Medlar fruit trees, I’ll be curious to see how they go as I don’t think i’ve ever seen, let alone tasted their fruit. Whenever someone turned their head the kids at the Blitz cheekily tried to fill in the holes again, nothing like a little bit of mischief to keep us on our toes.

Continue Reading

Family, Garden, Guides

APPLES & JAM

2 Comments
Soft toy birds at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Tree with birds hanging from its branches at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Soft toy birds at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Permablitz team taking a guided tour of the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Timber crate shelves at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Close up of timber crate shelves at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Shelves and tree branches at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Birdcage hung from the ceiling at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Swan and paper decorations at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Succulent indoor plants in painted tin cans at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Felt party hats at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Blackboard messages at the Apples & Jam Playhouse, South Melbourne Commons

Theatre stage at the South Melbourne Commons

Shadows on the floor at the South Melbourne Commons

The Little Vegie Path Crate Veggie gardens at the South Melbourne Commons

 

When we got home we collapsed in a weary heap, that is I collapsed, Dylan decided he had to finish making a plywood box for our straw bales to live in. He is mad you know. Today I ticked off my second Permablitz and Dylan his third. It was at the South Melbourne Commons, a complete overhaul of the gardens there that has been chugging along for a couple of years. More about the Blitz later, after lunch we went for a tour of the Commons building. Inside the lovely old red brick building was hiding a treasure. The Apples & Jam Playhouse, where children’s parties and playgroups are held. Little patchwork birds hung from the lichen covered branches of a tree, swans dived between paper baubles hanging from the ceiling and toadstools sprouted from the floor towering over our heads. It was all very gorgeous and magical so I couldn’t resist putting some photos up. Creating a little world for children to play in must just be such a lovely job, you can just be so free and creative.

Continue Reading

Family, Garden, Guides, Recipes

BRIGHT SPOTS IN A GREY DAY

1 Comment

 

Newspaper pot seedlings in a row with an ornamental duck

Seedlings in newspaper pots

Giant mustard seedling in a newspaper pot

Flowers on an ornamental duck and newspaper pots

Close up of circles on community garden plot planting plan

Mustard, asparagus and cabbage seedlings in front of books

Cabbage seedlings in newspaper pots

Carrots and beetroot in planting plan for community garden plot, Flemington, Australia

Cauliflower in the nature strip guerrilla garden

Cauliflower in the nature strip at night

Seeds and planting design for community garden plot, Flemington, Australia

5 colour silverbeet seedling

Flowers picked from the garden and the watercolour planting plan for a community garden plot, Flemington, Australia

 

I woke up Saturday morning at 6am sneezing. Dylan had been sick as a dog all week and had passed on the batton just in time for the weekend. But it didn’t hit me too badly, at first I was a bit sad to miss the Elwood Permablitz, but when I heard there would be an RMIT film crew there I was secretly relieved. I find being interviewed quite traumatic.

I spent my weekend just generally lazing around in the sun when he crept out from the clouds and doing a planting plan for my mum’s community garden plot at the Farnham Street Park. I’m excited to have a place to experiment with chickpeas, soya beans and peanuts! I spent Sunday afternoon in our sharehouse “loft” that I took over this winter as my greenhouse. Can you tell I was bored? I planted out a whole stack of dried beans into newspaper pots for my mum’s garden and some super hot chilli seeds. I have experimented with putting seedlings in milk cartons and toilet rolls in the past, but the newspaper pots are by far the best thing I’ve used to minimise transplant stress. They break down really well and are just so cute.

Now I’m off to make dinner, our nature strip cauliflower has gotten enormous and Dylan thinks someone will take it if we leave it too long. Chickpea and cauliflower curry I think, with coconut rice! Mmmm…

Continue Reading

Garden, Recipes

REMNANTS LIKE SPECKS OF PAINT

No Comments

Broccoli Waltham in the nature strip

Cauliflower in the nature strip guerrilla garden

Broccoli Waltham in the nature strip guerrilla garden

Broccoli on the chopping board

Broccoli, chilli, lemon zest, bread crumb and parmesan pasta

Globe artichoke and orange marigolds in the nature strip guerrilla garden

Grape hyacinth flowering in the nature strip guerrilla garden

Spider in the broccoli Waltham

Broccoli and broad beans in the no-dig garden

Aquadulce broad beansgrown from seeds from the Diggers Club

Blue borage flowers

Garden diary watercolours and colourful specks of food on the plate to match

Our little nature strip guerrilla garden has burst into life as winter and spring fight it out (looks like the last week of 20 degrees and glorious sunshine will be battered down to 11 degrees and dreariness by the end of the week. Sigh.). The broccoli has formed beautiful heads and the cauliflower is shyly following. After hearing about the local naughties raiding nearby community and school gardens, in some cases departing with whole strawberry plants, I have been delighted to see no one has taken anything. Sure people seem to think it is a good place to dispose of junk mail and empties but otherwise people have left it alone. More surprising, as is technically public land people have more of a right to have a nibble, but don’t tell them I said that until after I have harvested my first cauliflower, he’s just so cute.

Here is the recipe for the Broccoli and chilli pasta with garlic breadcrumbs.

Continue Reading