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from Mandurah Community Gardens
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Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) launches WiseGardening app to assist gardeners choose safer ways of dealing with pests, diseases and weeds. SGA has developed the WiseGardening app due to concerns about the risks of garden chemical products to humans and other life forms. Currently free to download, the WiseGardening app has been designed to help people protect their gardens from pests, diseases and weeds - without harming themselves or the planet. The app is the first of its kind in Australia and compares and rates over 850 products with a simple star system as well as suggesting non-chemical alternatives. According to scientists Dr. Sharron Pfueller, CEO of the environmental non-profit SGA, and Dr. Colin Allison, “With the WiseGardening app, you don’t need a degree in horticulture or biochemistry to know if the spray you’re putting on your roses could be harming creatures apart from insects or fungi. Our assessment team has done the work for you; combing through product ingredient lists, packaging and mode of delivery and mapping these risks into the user-friendly app. “Many products pose a risk to humans if they spill or ingest them or breathe in their vapours or aerosols. This is why we have looked at whether they contain ingredients with known carcinogenic properties, if they could affect people’s hormonal (endocrine) systems, or whether they may be genotoxic and contribute to DNA damage. “We have also assessed products and their ingredients for the risk they pose to bees and other beneficial insects, birds, fish, aquatic organisms, frogs, and earthworms. In addition to this we have looked at how likely they are to end up in waterways after rain and how long they persist in the soil." All products are given an easy-to-understand star rating and are periodically re-assessed to ensure any changes to formulations, packaging or active ingredients have been accounted for. The app also lists alternative, non-chemical options to help users make informed choices. WiseGardening is the accumulation of more than six years work by SGA’s assessment team complete with the support of volunteers, donations and a grant from the Telematics Trust. Currently free for users, the WiseGardening app is available to download at https://wisegardening.sgaonline.org.au The information with the link about SGA's product checker has also been added to our page Pest Control
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The opening ceremony was the culmination of years of hard work volunteered by many community members in Mandurah. It wasn't an easy task to start a community garden, with many initial attempts made.
However, you can't stop a great idea, and the discussion of a community garden continued and began to form into a working group, which then developed into a project, which eventually led to the success of establishing a community garden for Mandurah. It was quite an effort with a lot of persistence to create this incredible asset for the community. The Party
On Sunday 22nd May 2022, we held a small event with current members, past members and supporters to celebrate the 10 years that Mandurah Community Gardens has been around. We acknowledged the wonderful achievements made from the past to the present that not only made our community garden possible, but enabled it to continue to thrive.
The event was opened by Jennifer Boivin, the current president of Mandurah Community Gardens starting with the Noongar greeting "Kaya - Wandjoo" (hello and welcome), as an acknowledgement to our first nations people.
In attendance were representatives from the City Of Mandurah, including Deputy Mayor Caroline Knight, Councillors Don Pember, Daniel Wilkins and Amber Kearns, and Community Development Officer Tom Wood - who has been most helpful in coordinating the supply of equipment, funding, and other support for the event. Caroline Knight provided the guest-of-honour speech on behalf of the City of Mandurah, paying tribute for the efforts of many past and present volunteers and supporters. The Deputy Mayor also acknowledged the City of Mandurah's support for the existence of community gardens in Mandurah, the enthusiasm that the City of Mandurah has for Mandurah Community Gardens itself, and how they view Mandurah Community Gardens as a great asset for the people of the City of Mandurah, helping maintain the health and mental wellbeing of our community. Also in attendance was former Lord Mayor Paddi Creevey, who had officiated the launch of Mandurah Community Gardens back in 2012. Paddi, ever the orator, gave a insightful speech reflecting on the beginning of the garden, and reviewing the merits of having a community garden, what it means to be a community, and it how it helps us all. Apologies were received from David Templeman, who had planned to come but unfortunately was unable to attend at the last minute. We hope you are able to come to the 20th Anniversary David! Other Special Guests
Also attending the event were volunteers, representatives and supporters who helped to make Mandurah Community Gardens so great. Some were members from the past, some were past officials of local government and business, and some were in the original project that was instrumental in making the gardens happen.
We would like to thank these people who attended the event for their past and continued support of Mandurah Community Gardens:
Event Slideshow
These pictures were taken by members of Mandurah Community Gardens at the 10th Anniversary Celebration, and Perri Polson for the Mandurah Mail.
Click on the slideshow below to view the latest pictures added to our Google Photos Album. We even printed a book!
A preview of some of the pages in our 10th Anniversary photobook
We have a new History Page in the works - come back to our website.
If you want a non-toxic garden, especially if you are growing your food, then you should use alternatives to toxic chemicals to keep the weeds down.
Mandurah Community Gardens was contacted by Ella from Consumer Notice to let us know about an article they published regarding alternatives to Round Up. After checking out their article with useful information, we're sure you will agree that this topic is very important if you want to maintain an organic, healthy garden. We have added the Herbicide topic to the information section on our website, and we welcome any suggestions, feedback or ideas that you have to share. Read our information page on herbicides here In the News - 2012 to 2022 As a part of our 10th anniversary celebration, we look back at past articles in the local media about Mandurah Community Gardens and community gardens in general. Enjoy!
OTHER MENTIONS
I LOVE Bamboo. Yes, the best stuff will grow runners and spread quickly, however, it's also great for homemade garden stakes, making trellis and lots of other crafty projects. It also looks good.
I happened to mention this to my new neighbour who "found" a piece of bamboo for me to grow as a screen along my fence. It's the type of bamboo that grows very tall and produces bamboo about 1 inch thick. PERFECT! Bamboo needs a trench 40cm deep, that is full of good soil, and no obstacles such as roots that will hinder the growing path. Problem 1. I have a half dead tree right in the spot where I want to grow the bamboo. Son number 2 removed all the branches leaving me with a huge pile to get rid of. How to get rid of the mess? Son number 2 came to the rescue by giving me his mulcher. It's the same electric mulcher that was mentioned in earlier emails. The same as the one my other neighbour loaned me when we removed the trees from the front yard. I am in love with it. Son number 2 said he considered it as a fair exchange for all the food he will get later. How good is that? Problem 2. I removed several concrete slabs and started digging before discovering just how many roots were hindering my bamboo garden bed. Some are huge. and I had barely scratched the surface - reaching 40cm of root free soil was looking impossible. I also still had large branches left over - too big for my mulcher. I needed a chainsaw but I don't want one. They are too heavy for me, too expensive to buy and too expensive to run. A small bottle of chainsaw oil costs about $17, and you need lots of it. Then I would need to buy the tools to sharpen it etc. Plan 2 - I discovered that there exists an electric hand held cutting tool that is perfect for all the cutting jobs around the garden. It's called a Reciprocating Saw. After doing my homework and reading the reviews I found one for $70 at Bunnings. It's the XU1 710W Reciprocating Saw. - Yea Yea - you probably all know about these things but this was news for me. Enter my beloved Mother who has offered to buy this for me. I will be picking it up today! How exciting! All those tough branches and roots here I come! Problem 3. I now have a small pile of concrete slabs that need to be relocated. You guessed it - the spot where I want them is overgrown and will take me days of digging and probably some help to move them. I can move one about 4 feet before I need to sit and breathe. If that damned bamboo dies I will SCREAM! LOL! A story from a very happy gardener. Lana
Things got started for Neighbour Day on the 27th March with Jenny doing the neighbourly gesture of giving vegetables to Tom. Sharing produce over the fence, gifting a potted plant, or dropping off a bunch of flowers from your garden are all random acts of kindness and ways to say thank you for being a good neighbour to people in your street.
Neighbour Day is an initiative of Relationships Australia and supported by the City of Mandurah and community groups like Mandurah Community Gardens. We are spending more time at home and in our neighbourhood, so it is great to wave, smile and ask people how they are going. You never know you might appreciate the help from your neighbour one day.
The video below was created by the City of Mandurah to promote Neighbour Day. MCG President Jenny Boivin and Garden Coordinator Cheryl Ivey give some neighbourly advice on how to participate, and an invitation to get involved with your local community gardens.
Thanks to Tom and Emma from the City of Mandurah for enlisting our help to promote and celebrate how gardening can bring neighbours together.
Local business and refund point for the Containers For Change scheme, Containers For Cash Mandurah added Mandurah Community Gardens to their website and Facebook page in support of the organisation.
Your recycable containers can be dropped off at Mandurah Community Gardens, where they are collected by Containers For Cash Mandurah on a regular basis. You can also drop off your containers direct to Containers For Change Mandurah, and by giving our scheme number, you will ensure that Mandurah Community Gardens receives much needed funds from your donation. Mandurah Community Gardens' Containers For Change participation No. is C-1027-1362 As MCG is a non-profit organisation that is exists through member's fees, generous donations and grants, the money earned from this helps MCG to keep going, providing a wonderful place for community involvement and healthy activity in our local area. The flower Epiphyllum Oxypetalum flowers only once a year at night, taking approximately 2 hours to fully open, then wilting before the sun comes up. The flower has an outer mane of petals, with lotus-like nest of petals in front, and a brush of stamins in the centre defined by the bright white filaments and butter yellow anthers at their tips. The flower can be up to 25cm (about 9 inches) across when in full bloom. The fragrant scent of this flower can travel quite far in the night, up to half a kilometre away. The scent could be described as a delicate floral perfume with a hint of sweetness like that of the mango fruit. This video is of the flowering at Paul & Roz's home on the 7th March 2022. It was taken with a mobile phone on a tripod using a time-lapse setting of 30 second intervals, and then increased in speed when producing the video. Why not try grow these yourself? They can be easily propogated from cuttings and they grow well in a small pot with little fertiliser or water needed. The majesty of this flower and the smell of its perfume is worth waiting a year for! Enjoy! The next event on the Mandurah Community Gardens calendar is a workshop Growing Veggies 101 presented by John Draper from local business Harvest Me. Enjoy your own fresh, organic homegrown veggies grown yourself. This presentation will give you all the facts, tips and tricks to successfully start growing your very own veggies! The workshop is on Saturday 5th March 2022 from 10pm to 12 noon. Booking is essential as places are limited. Please contact Cheryl on 0414 348 404 or email info@mandurahcommunitygardens.com.au. If you will be coming to this workshop, please arrive 15 minutes early to start at 10am sharp. Everyone is welcome to stick around after the workshop to have a chat and a cuppa, check out the garden and our plants and worm products for sale. Following the workshop there will also be a Working Bee in the community garden from 12 to 2pm and everyone is welcome to join in. Hope to see you there! Click on the link below to download the flyer for the event.
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