When summer is here it comes a few things to be aware of in our community garden...

Blue tongue Lizards and snakes

• Blue tongue lizards live and roam in the garden, so look before diving your hand into any garden areas. Several water bowls have been placed around the garden for their use so please top them up when you see them empty.
• So far no snakes have been sighted but be alert for the possibility, make a noise and keep your eyes open!

Pests and disease in your patch

• Unfortunately we have tomato blight, red spider mite and pottery mildew popping up in a few areas. Remember we are organic so any sprays need to be carefully selected before use. Please check with someone before spraying.
• Tomato blight all infected leaves should be removed, BAGGED, and put in the green landfill bin. Red spider mites have infected our papinos but they also can go for peppers, tomatoes, capsicum, beans, corn and strawberries. Remove all infected leaves BAG and put in the green landfill bin or use a non chemical option if the infestation is in its early stage.
• Powdery Mildew is common to zucchinis and can spread to rockmelon, grapes and cucumber so nipping it in the but is needed early. Spraying leaves with milk in their younger stage is recommended, never water leaves only the soil, remove infected leaves immediately and put them in the green landfill bin.
• CLEAN ALL GARDEN TOOLS USED WITH DILUTED BLEACH, VINEGAR OR METHYLATED SPIRITS IN A BUCKET THAT CAN BE USED BY OTHERS PLEASE OR WITH A RAG SOAKED IN THE CLEANER. We have vinegar under the sink in the garden.

Reduce waste and recycle!

​Mandurah Community Gardens is a partner in the Containers For Change initiative and we have collection bins on site for depositing your containers for recycling.

The containers are regularly collected from the gardens and are taken to a refund point. The payment we receive is then credited to our Scheme ID number.

If you would like to make a donation to Mandurah Community Gardens, please drop your containers off on our open days into our Container For Change bins.

You can drop off your containers in person to a refund collection point and then make a donation to MCG simply by quoting our Scheme ID Member No. C10271362. 

​The value of your deposits will be donated to Mandurah Community Gardens - THANK YOU, you will be supporting a much valued asset to our community!

MCG is a not for profit community organisation and we will use these funds to cover costs of water and electricity used in the garden, ongoing maintenance in the garden and to provide resources for use in the garden.

​Check out the Containers For Change website's Container Eligibility page for more details and a handy barcode search tool to see if a container is eligible for a refund. Click here to go to the page

Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) launches WiseGardening app to assist gardeners choose safer ways of dealing with pests, diseases and weeds.
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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

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

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!

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. 

​Wed, 12 Jan 2022

A rare opportunity exists to rent a plot at Mandurah Community Gardens!​

Mandurah Community Gardens was contacted  by Katherine, one of the organisers of the Australian Association For Environmental Education's (AAEE) 21st Biennial Conference and 4th Research Symposium being  held in Mandurah on the 28th to the 30th September. This conference aims to showcase innovative, practical and effective tools to help us "change the tides" of environmental and sustainability education.

The community  garden  was asked if we would accept the organic waste from the conference. Of course, we said yes!

Once the day's waste was weighed and recorded, it found it's way to the garden's worm farms and compost heap. One hundred people were able to reduce their lunch, morning and afternoon tea waste down to one bucket full. Wrapped in worm and compost friendly bags made from vegetables and not plastic the waste was collected by Cheryl from the garden then the bags were torn up and added with the food scraps, serviettes and green bags to a worm farm and the compost as an experiment to see how long it will take the bags to break down. ​