Manningham calendar of events

On the 1st Saturday of every month except January.

Second Wednesday of every month except for January. The meetings start at 8pm, with am optional meal beforehand starting at 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

2021 speakers and topics
14 Apr: Angelo Eliades on sustainable gardening and permaculture.
12 May: Robin Gale-Baker on growing vegetables.

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.

Join Heide gardener Alice Crowe for a tour of the kitchen gardens with a focus on the care and cultivation of the winter harvest. Following the tour, enjoy a glass of wine and a warming soup at the Heide cafe.

What you will learn:

• Pruning – formative and maintenance of new and established fruit trees. Also, selection and planting of new fruit trees.
• Winter fruit tree maintenance practices for pest and disease prevention, control and treatment.
• Pruning tool maintenance.

Presented by Angelo Eliades. The aim of this demonstration class is that you will leave it feeling confident to maintain your fruit trees. The preparation that is done in the colder months pays dividends in the growing and harvesting seasons to come.

Learn all of the pruning techniques and needs of individual fruit trees from apples and plums to persimmons and pomegranates. And hear about what not to do. Discover how to reduce and prevent pest and diseases that compromise your fruit production. Learn how to treat problems with different methods – organic/permaculture and conventional.

They will also cover buying new fruit trees and will demonstrate how to clean and sharpen your pruning tools and other edged garden tools (spades etc). You have the option to bring one of your own pruning tools along and learn how to sharpen it.

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.

What you will learn:

• Which produce plants are suitable to grow in small areas.
• Coping with shade and sun for produce growing.
• How to make the most of any available space for growing produce.

Presented by Angelo Eliades. Do you only have a small garden or no garden at all? Would you still like to grow your own food? This class will inspire you to get started. Topics will include fruit, vegetables and berries for small spaces, growing produce in pots and containers, maximising productivity in any size space and plant selection.

Learn about the flavours of Middle Eastern cooking. Try out recipes and cooking methods while preparing a three course menu. Stay and share your freshly prepared dinner with the group.

Trainer: Kushala Prem. Learn a range of practical skills that can be applied in your garden for immediate benefits including permaculture principles that apply to food production, home design & construction, energy conservation & generation and waste management systems.

Nadine will demonstrate the technique of sourdough bread making and baking. Bring a container to take home your dough to bake at home. This class is best suited to those who have some experience with bread making, however it is not essential.

This session is for people who have some bread making experience. Nadine will discuss breadmaking challenges and triumphs plus give you lots of tips.

Insect hotels are structures created to provide shelter for insects. Find out more and make your own to take home at this session with Kaye Roberts-Palmer.

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:

• 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.

Second Wednesday of every month except for January. The meetings start at 8pm, with am optional meal beforehand starting at 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

2021 speakers and topics
14 Apr: Angelo Eliades on sustainable gardening and permaculture.
12 May: Robin Gale-Baker on growing vegetables.

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:

• How to set up and prepare a vegetable garden.
• How to select, plant and care for crops.
• How to grow veggies in the ground, in raised beds and in pots.

Presented by Tess Gesundheit. This class will teach you everything you need to know to grow delicious produce in your own backyard. They will cover all of the veggie gardening basics, from setting up your patch to harvesting.

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.

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.

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.

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 Tess Gosling. 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.

Second Wednesday of every month except for January. The meetings start at 8pm, with am optional meal beforehand starting at 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

2021 speakers and topics
14 Apr: Angelo Eliades on sustainable gardening and permaculture.
12 May: Robin Gale-Baker on growing vegetables.

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:

• Why edibles fail and what how to improve their chances of success.
• How to choose the right pots, potting mix, additives and mulches.
• The best fruit and vegetables options for pots, and the best sustainable and organic maintenance techniques, including watering and feeding.

Presented by Diana Cotter. Is your lettuce and coriander running to seed? Do you have beans that flower but don’t fruit, or flowers falling off your citrus? Or do your plants seem to die no matter you do? If any of this sounds familiar, or if you’re a complete novice, then this class will teach you how to avoid these issues. You’ll learn how potting mix and watering work, how plants react to different situations, and how the weather affects different plants differently. There will be a practical demonstration showing how to properly prepare potting mix, plant seeds and seedlings, and maintain the potential fruits (and vegetables!) of your labour.

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.

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.

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.

Second Wednesday of every month except for January. The meetings start at 8pm, with am optional meal beforehand starting at 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

2021 speakers and topics
14 Apr: Angelo Eliades on sustainable gardening and permaculture.
12 May: Robin Gale-Baker on growing vegetables.

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: which native produce-plants are suitable for growing in pots and small spaces; what to harvest and when; and how to use bush foods and herbs to flavour your dishes.

Presented by Karen Sutherland of Edible Eden Design. Australian native plants have flavour and aroma profiles unlike any others, and can be easily incorporated into your kitchen. Also, a wide range of them can be grown in Melbourne in pots or small and difficult spaces. In this class, which is ideal for those with limited garden space or even just a courtyard or balcony, you will explore the world of edible native Australian plants that are easy to grow in such spaces, attractive to look at and can easily add flavour and interest to your home-cooked dishes. All plants covered are suitable for Melbourne’s climate, and will be discussed in terms of how best to use and grow them in your garden.

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.

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.

Second Wednesday of every month except for January. The meetings start at 8pm, with am optional meal beforehand starting at 6.30pm. Everyone welcome.

2021 speakers and topics
14 Apr: Angelo Eliades on sustainable gardening and permaculture.
12 May: Robin Gale-Baker on growing vegetables.

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.

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

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.