Manningham calendar of events

Learn how to recycle your organic waste at home with a compost bin or worm farm. Recycling organic materials has environmental and gardening benefits including: improved soil quality; reduced waste going to landfill; reduced greenhouse gas emissions; improved water savings; and cost savings. You will also learn how you can get 60% off the retail price of a compost bin, worm farm, or bokashi bin plus free delivery.

What you will learn:

• A range of common and heirloom tomatoes for a variety of growing situations.
• How to best prepare your soil, including the option of vegan soil additives.

Presented by Karen Sutherland, of Edible Eden Design and author of the upcoming book Tomato – Know, Sow, Grow, Feast. Homegrown tomatoes are a world away from bland supermarket fruits, no matter whether they are common or heirloom. And growing heirloom tomatoes opens up a rainbow of possibilities. Growing your own from seed to harvest in Melbourne will earn you serious gardening cred. Learn some tricks to help you growing your own from seed to harvest.

This event is also happening on 25th October, with different booking arrangements.

Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.

Menu: chilli sesame chicken salad; lamb fillet & roast veg salad; and banana, caramel & meringue salad.

This event is also happening on 24th October, with different booking arrangements.

Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.

Menu: chilli sesame chicken salad; lamb fillet & roast veg salad; and banana, caramel & meringue salad.

If you go to the market, you can also visit the school’s Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden.

Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.

Menu: coconut prawn salad; coriander spiced seared salmon salad; and pannacotta ‘trifle’.

A monthly (last Wednesday of the month) gathering of like-minded people who enjoy chatting about all things garden, in particular productive gardening. Set in the Heide I kitchen garden, join them for a chat and a light morning tea, including a Heide produce tasting. Facilitated by Heide gardener, Katie Grace.

Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.

Menu: coconut prawn salad; coriander spiced seared salmon salad; and pannacotta ‘trifle’.

Tutor: Holly from Holly’s Backyard Bees. Learn how to use beeswax to make your own food wraps and candles. Holly will teach you the skills to be able to make these items at home in any shape or size you like. You will take home a beeswax wrap and a beeswax candle.

On the 1st Saturday of every month except January with an additional market on the 3rd Saturday in December.

On the 1st Saturday of every month except January.

What you will learn:

• A range of edible natives that are easy to grow in Melbourne.
• Basics of companion planting.
• Which plants to choose in your garden planning, and how to grow and care for them.

Presented by Karen Sutherland, of Edible Eden Design. Non-indigenous Australians are waking up to the edible plants around us and wondering why we didn’t use them before. Knowing what will grow and also produce a harvest, as well as how to use it, is difficult as most of us aren’t yet familiar with apple berries or native mint. In this class, you will learn how to incorporate some easily grown edible native plants into your garden so that they work in harmony with your existing plants, as well as a variety of ways to use these plants in your kitchen.

Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.

Menu: asparagus, ham & brie tart; baked gnocchi; and panettone bites.

3 sessions, on Saturdays 9th November, 23rd November and 7th December, each 10am-4pm.

Trainer: Cass Groves. Learn about permaculture design principles to make your garden more sustainable and abundant. The course includes a brief history of permaculture, zone planning, soil health, companion planting, energy and water harvesting.

Gold coin donation.

Second Wednesday of every month except for January, The meetings start at 8pm, with a food swap 7.30-7.55pm. Everyone welcome.

2019 speakers and topics
13 Feb: Dwight King on dahlias.
13 Mar: Mike Dodson from Betta Grower Organic Fertilisers on potting mixes.
10 Apr: Seila Hierk on how to grow Winter Asian vegetables.
08 May: Paul on French ornamental vegetable gardens.
12 Jun: Jim Poulter on traditional Aboriginal use in Manningham.
10 Jul: Brendan Curtis on Japanese gardens.
14 Aug: Jainie on Neutrog’s ‘Who Flung Dung’.
11 Sep: Steve Morris on Circular Food.
09 Oct: Janine Kay on pelargoniums and geraniums.
13 Nov: Karen Sutherland on Edible Eden Design’s tomatoes.
11 Dec: Christmas party and supper.

Benefits of joining Doncaster Garden Club:

• Eleven monthly newsletters per year.
• Speakers each monthly meeting.
• Discounts at selected nurseries.
• Club trading table.
• Free lending library.
• Part of a friendly and informative club.

What you will learn:

• The A-Z of growing native fruit.
• Handy hints and tips from an experienced native fruit grower.
• When to harvest native fruit, and different ways to use it.

Presented by Karen Sutherland, of Edible Eden Design. Native produce plants – or bush food – are becoming increasingly popular. Whilst many native fruits can’t be grown in Melbourne, some can. You’ll learn how to grow, harvest and use such fruit, with a particular focus on what can be grown in pots.

Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.

Menu: roast pumpkin tart; Moroccan chicken; and lemon cheesecake tart.

Come along to share your produce & compare notes with other food gardeners.

Bring along any veggies, fruit or herbs you have harvested, also eggs, preserves, recipes are welcome. Be inventive! You can also bring some things that not everyone else is growing at this time of year. This is a non-commercial event – no money changes hands.

For the lastest updates, see their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/baagvegieswap.

Organised by Outer Eastern Permaculture Swap. For the latest updates, see their Facebook page.

Australia’s largest amateur wine show:

• Around 700 wines available for tasting.
• Wine awards and presentations.
• Artisan olive oil sampling and sales.
• Free tasting glass.

This session will show you how you can get away with not spending a fortune on your garden by utilising things you may already have and learning some clever techniques to save money. Topics will include: potting mixes; pest control; fertilisers; seed sowing; seasonal plant propagation; and re-purposing household objects for use in the garden.

What you will learn:

• The importance of compost for soil health.
• How to fix common composting problems.
• Setting up and looking after a worm farm.

Presented by Diana Cotter. Learn how to make great compost, the essential ingredient for a thriving and healthy garden. Look at worm farms and Bokashi as other options. They will also show you how to make a DIY worm farm using recycled products.

Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.

Menu: preserved lemon prawns; greek meatballs; and fig tart.

Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.

Menu: preserved lemon prawns; greek meatballs; and fig tart.

If you go to the market, you can also visit the school’s Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden.

Learn a simple sourdough technique giving a great and reliable result for the home baker. Learn how to mix and shape your dough and then bake a pre-prepared loaf, giving you the opportunity to taste the result. You will be supplied with a jar of starter, recipes and your dough to bake at home. Bring a clear 4 litre container and an apron.

Book by phone (9850 3687) or email (office@livelearnajani.org.au).

A monthly (last Wednesday of the month) gathering of like-minded people who enjoy chatting about all things garden, in particular productive gardening. Set in the Heide I kitchen garden, join them for a chat and a light morning tea, including a Heide produce tasting. Facilitated by Heide gardener, Katie Grace.

Many of us plant our trees thinking that all we need to do is water them and wait for the harvest. But fruit trees can experience problems such as poor quality fruit, pests and disease. This session will explore what fruit trees is right for your property and the factors to consider for a successful fruit tree harvest ahead of time.

What you will learn:

• Growing espaliered fruit trees.
• Different techniques to make the most of all available space for espalier.
• Improve your general gardening skills.

Presented by Diana Cotter. “Go vertical” is the cry when garden space is limited. Gardening in two dimensions is what espalier is about and this class will cover the different types and how to get them started and then continue to train them into the desired shape. Topics covered include suitable fruit trees, pruning and training techniques.

Enjoy 3 tasting size courses cooked by chef Bek McMillan, from Gourmet Living, who will demonstrate step by step. All recipes are included.

Menu: prawn pasta salad; grilled pork fennel sausages; and Christmas mousse.

What you will learn:

• How to prune to keep trees to a manageable size.
• How to prune to maximise fruit production in the coming season.
• Keeping espaliered shapes in check.

Watch and ask questions of Angelo Eliades, as he prunes both traditionally shaped trees and espaliered varieties. Convention had us pruning deciduous fruit trees in winter but now the thinking is swinging to doing it straight after fruiting, in late summer or autumn. Techniques are slightly different, so it is wise to see the pruning in action on actual trees.

What you will learn:

• How to get started with keeping chickens in a suburban backyard.
• How to house and protect chooks from predators.
• How chooks can be used to improve your garden and soil.

Presented by Sarah Hardgrove. Keeping a few chooks in the backyard used to be a staple of Australian suburban life, and their eggs made up a healthy part of our diet. But even though our house blocks might be shrinking, a smaller backyard doesn’t necessarily mean an end to raising or enjoying them. In this class, you will find out just how easy it is to keep a few hens as pets and as the ultimate garden recyclers, as well as everything you need to know about housing, protecting and feeding them, and lots of practical ideas on how to live harmoniously with them in your garden. Suitable for those who have never kept chooks before.

On the 1st Saturday of every month except January with an additional market on the 3rd Saturday in December.

On the 1st Saturday of every month except January.

What you will learn:

• Traditional Indigenous lifestyles and healing practices pre European settlement.
• Traditional ways of using various Indigenous plants for medicinal purposes.
• Promising new research into their potential medical applications.

Presented by Gaby Harris. Indigenous Australians have been using native plants and animals for tens of thousands of years as sources of food and medicine. With European settlement much of this knowledge was lost or ignored, but there is now growing interest in relearning these traditional healing methods. More research is being carried out to see how we can grow, harvest and utilise our Indigenous plants for foods, medicines, cosmetics and more. This class will introduce you to some of the well-known, as well as some more obscure, Indigenous Australian plants, teach you how they were once used, and how you can use them now. You will be able to see, smell and taste a variety of these amazing plants and learn where you can find them and how to cook with them.

Gold coin donation.

This event will take place opn Tuesday, 10th December and again on Wednesday, 11th December, both 7-9pm.

You will learn:

• How to make a gingerbread tree cookie cake with shipped chocolate ganache.
• About fondant: how to colour it, roll and cut it out to perfectly fit your cookie.
• How to decorate cookies in a festive style with watercolour painted fondant, marble fondant, embossed lettering and gold/silver leaf.
• How to make your own stencils and cut out a large cookie cake.
• How to decorate and fill a large cookie cake.

Snacks and sparkling on arrival; tart and bruschetta to eat while you watch; cookies to take home.

This event will take place opn Tuesday, 10th December and again on Wednesday, 11th December, both 7-9pm.

You will learn:

• How to make a gingerbread tree cookie cake with shipped chocolate ganache.
• About fondant: how to colour it, roll and cut it out to perfectly fit your cookie.
• How to decorate cookies in a festive style with watercolour painted fondant, marble fondant, embossed lettering and gold/silver leaf.
• How to make your own stencils and cut out a large cookie cake.
• How to decorate and fill a large cookie cake.

Snacks and sparkling on arrival; tart and bruschetta to eat while you watch; cookies to take home.

Second Wednesday of every month except for January, The meetings start at 8pm, with a food swap 7.30-7.55pm. Everyone welcome.

2019 speakers and topics
13 Feb: Dwight King on dahlias.
13 Mar: Mike Dodson from Betta Grower Organic Fertilisers on potting mixes.
10 Apr: Seila Hierk on how to grow Winter Asian vegetables.
08 May: Paul on French ornamental vegetable gardens.
12 Jun: Jim Poulter on traditional Aboriginal use in Manningham.
10 Jul: Brendan Curtis on Japanese gardens.
14 Aug: Jainie on Neutrog’s ‘Who Flung Dung’.
11 Sep: Steve Morris on Circular Food.
09 Oct: Janine Kay on pelargoniums and geraniums.
13 Nov: Karen Sutherland on Edible Eden Design’s tomatoes.
11 Dec: Christmas party and supper.

Benefits of joining Doncaster Garden Club:

• Eleven monthly newsletters per year.
• Speakers each monthly meeting.
• Discounts at selected nurseries.
• Club trading table.
• Free lending library.
• Part of a friendly and informative club.