Apr 272022
 

Thanks to the people who have contributed to this week’s newsletter: Ellie McSheedy, Jon Buttery, Megan Goodman and Robin Gale-Baker.

For a Queensland fruit fly free spring – act now! (by Robin Gale-Baker)

The material below is a shortened version of a new article by Robin on our website.

I [Robin] have heard a number of people refer to April as the end of the Queensland fruit fly (QFF) season, presumably because their summer veggies and summer fruit have now been harvested. However this is a misunderstanding. The QFF season never ends because the QFF life cycle is a 12 month cycle. Now (April) is the time to do every thing in your power to make sure that the larvae do not enter the soil and pupate ready to hatch in the spring.

The first jobs are:

  • Remove all fallen fruit from the ground.
  • Remove any fruit left on trees that cropped in summer.
  • Remove any veggies such as tomatoes or peppers or chillies still on the bushes.
  • Dispose of any of the above by cooking (baking, boiling) or microwaving, or solarising for 7 days in double black plastic bags, and then wrap anything not in plastic bags in newspaper and place all in the waste bin.
  • Do not put any infested fruit, even treated fruit, in the compost as this is an ideal breeding ground.

Pick autumnal fruits (e.g. feijoas, guavas, and autumn raspberries) as early as you can. Ditto winter fruit (e.g. persimmon and tamarillo). Dispose of any infected fruit as above.

Quite soon the female QFF will die, leaving the males to overwinter in warm places in your garden. These males will then mate with the females that hatch from pupae in the spring, and produce the first flush of QFF infestation around September (the second flush will be from December onwards). QFF males assemble in leks – groups of about 10 – and live through the winter in either the canopy of trees (such as lemon trees) or in trees adjacent to warm spots (such as compost heaps or chook pens). It is therefore a good idea to put Wild May traps which attract males in the canopy of trees in these areas to reduce their number. Do this from May onwards. Place them 1.2-2 metres high on the east side of the tree where it will get the weak morning sun (placing them in hot sun evaporates the liquid quickly and denatures it).

Finally, from late winter onwards:

  • Put out protein baits in August and continue through the year.
  • Net all seedlings at time of planting, especially summer seedlings.
  • Net fruit trees or use net sleeves to cover fruiting branches or spray with kaolin clay.

Read the full article.

Jon’s podcast of the month

Jon Buttery enjoyed this relaxed discussion of home composting, where the emphasis is on doing the best you can rather than applying strict formulae.

Every newsletter needs a good picture

Leslie Vigil uses buttercream to make cakes that look like collections of plants or flowers.

Meg’s garden this month

Autumn is the time of restructuring in the garden. I have cleared beds and structures, put away the netting and shade cloth until next year and emptied spent potting mix (and a few curl grubs) from pots ready for the new season. After several years of growth, I have dug, pruned, and divided the raspberries, planting back canes that should fruit next year and passing some onto my neighbours. I have cut and re-located strawberry runners and fed the rhubarb which has replenished itself in time to help use up the apples and pears.

The garlic and some onions are now in and already showing strong green shoots above the soil. Garlic is a slow crop and it needs to be in a bed that you don’t wish to use for a while. The discovery of a flush of tarragon hidden under the eggplants was a highlight this month, leading to tarragon sauce with the first of the newly ripening lemons.

This month I am:
1. Feeding the curl grubs to the chooks.
2. Clearing fallen fruit and leaves under fruit trees.
3. Collecting leaves for the compost.
4. Dividing iris.
5. Thinning seedlings of beetroot, carrot and turnip.

Tarragon and lemon sauce

2 tablespoons butter
½ cup onion
3-4 cloves of garlic very finely chopped
1 cup good chicken stock
1 cup white wine
¼ cup cream
¼ cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of fresh tarragon

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat then add the onion and garlic, reduce the heat to low and saute until the onion is soft.

Add the chicken stock and wine, stir and increase the heat to medium-high and simmer until reduced by about half (about 10 minutes).

Reduce the heat and add the cream, lemon juice and salt and pepper, stirring gently and simmer for a further 3-5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add tarragon.

Read more of Megan Goodman’s other recipes on our website.

What seeds to plant in May

Here is a list (see the planting guide for more detail):

Brassicas

Kale
Mizuna
Mustard greens
Pak choy

Cool season veggies

Broad beans
Coriander
Fennel
Garlic
Peas

Leafy greens

Lettuce
Rocket
Silverbeet
Spinach

Other

Carrot
Chickpea
Chives
Onion
Parsley
Potato
Radish

If you haven’t planted your cool season veggie seeds yet, plant them now. It’s now a bit late for planting broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower seeds (but it’s ok to plant seedlings).

Read Helen’s guides on growing garlic.

Read Robin’s guides on growing broad beans and garlic.

Some of our articles you might have missed over the last month

Which link was clicked most times in the last newsletter?

The most popular link in the last newsletter was Jian’s article about how to grow blueberries.

b33e661f-c100-4ebe-9ffa-847952e0da4e.jpgJoke (or pun) of the week

I had a date last night. It was perfect.

Tomorrow, I’ll try a grape.

Read more jokes.

Not quite local but interesting

Ellie McSheedy has written in to tell us about a new community garden in Belgrave. Welcome Ellie and colleagues!

The Belgrave Food Garden is a new community garden located at 1624 Burwood Highway, Belgrave. The aim is to create a welcoming space to connect the community through growing and sharing food and experiences. They operate the space as an outdoor classroom, with monthly working bees on the 2nd Sunday of the month, 10am-midday. They also run regular workshops to teach gardening skills, with the next two workshops being on the next two Sundays.

Home composting 101; Sunday, 1st May, 10am-midday; free.

You will learn the basics of composting, including: keep your compost pile odourless and pest-free; the differences between hot and cold composting; and how to set up the right system for you.

Mothers Day working bee; Sunday, 8th May, 10am-midday; free.

They will keep your kids entertained crafting Mothers Day gifts while you help out in the garden with a range of tasks such as weeding and watering. No need to book – just turn up.

Regular activities over the coming week

Farmers’ markets
Food swaps
Community gardens

Upcoming face-to-face events – not cooking

Fitzroy Estate Community Garden open day; Saturday, 30th April, 10am-1pm; free; Collingwood.

This 25-year-old community garden is home to 70 plots. Visitors will be treated to garden tours by both community gardeners and Cultivating Community.

The cook, the grower, the gardener and their plants; Saturday, 30th April, 7-10pm; $90 ($30 per hour); Collingwood.

The evening will include a feast prepared by Noah Crowcroft with ingredients sourced from Victorian producers and growers, gin from Collingwood based maker Melbourne Gin Company, and a discussion between the chef, the producers and Jason Chongue, Creative Director of the Garden State Festival. The menu will comprise: banh khot; larb hed; salt and pepper cauliflower; Vietnamese slaw; smoked broccoli salad; Port Arlington mussels; Sri Lankan beetroot curry; eggplant and tofu ma po; steamed jasmine rice; and pear cake.

Mothers Day cocktail school; Sunday, 8th May, 2-3.30pm; $65 ($44 per hour); Northcote.

Work your way through 3 Distiller cocktails, each highlighting one of their vodkas. Pause between each cocktail lesson to enjoy your creation by their grazing table.

Attracting pollinators to your garden; Wednesday, 11th May, 7-8.30pm; free; Camberwell.

Katrina Forstner, from Buzz and Dig, will discuss the importance of native bees and how to create your own bee friendly garden. She will talk through how to identify native bees, landscaping for bees, pesticide use, the best native plants to use, and how to make your own bee hotels and bee seed bombs. She will also talk about how native bees and honeybees can peacefully co-exist.

Wicking beds; Sunday, 15th May, 9.30-10.15am; $15 (reimbursable at the nursery); Diamond Creek.

Kate Hall will tell you about the benefits of wicking beds and how to set them up. Organised by Nillumbik Nursery.

Composting and worm farms; Sunday, 15th May, 1.30-3pm; free; Reservoir.

Learn how to start and look after your own compost system and worm farm at home. Or, if you don’t have the space at home, sign up to drop your organic scraps to the Regent Centre’s community compost.

Home composting and worm farming; Wednesday, 1st June, 10am-midday; free; Whittlesea.

Avoid sending food and garden waste to landfill by learning how to make home compost. Organised by Whittlesea Library.

Olive to oil harvest festival; at Lalor on Sunday, 15th May, midday-3pm, at Preston on Sunday, 29th May, midday-2pm, and at Brunswick East on Sunday, 29th May, midday-3pm; $10.

You bring the olives and they press them into olive oil for you to enjoy. Book a time to bring your olives. The first 50kg will be processed for you for free and each kilo after that will have a charge of 0.50 cents/kilo, payable on the day. The tickets are free if you are a resident of City of Yarra, Darebin, Moreland or Whittlesea.

Grazing board making workshop for women; Saturday, 4th June, 2-4pm; $189 ($95 per hour); Warrandyte.

Hayley Nicole will take you through the process of choosing from pre-prepared timber blanks, shaping and sanding then finishing and nourishing your unique board. You will also share a grazing board and optional beverage through the afternoon. All materials will be provided.

Growing berries; Saturday, 25th June, 10am-3pm; $115 ($23 per hour); CERES.

What you will learn: the wide range of berry fruits that can be grown in Victorian gardens; how to cultivate the plants for great yields and great flavour; and berry selection, planting and fertilising, and how to prune and trellis a range of different berry fruits. Presenter: Poppy Turbiak.

In April
In May
In June
Regular events

Upcoming face-to-face events – cooking

How to make food preparation quick and sustainable; Saturday, 7th May, 10-11.30am; $89 ($60 per hour); Ringwood.

Find out about different methods of food preservation and how preserving your own food can help save time, money, stress and reduce food waste. Taste samples.

The food of central Vietnam; Sunday, 22nd May, 10am-2pm; $160 ($40 per hour); Panton Hill.

Presenter: Kelly Meredith from Under The Pickle Tree. In the class, you will make your choice of chicken, pork or tofu satay marinated in a lemongrass paste that is char-grilled on hot coals. This is complemented by a homemade satay sauce and a Vietnamese herb platter. Also on the menu is chilli sauce and you will take home a jar of your own.

Sourdough bread; Saturday, 25th June, 10am-12.30pm; $65 ($26 per hour); Park Orchards.

Nadine will demonstrate the technique of sourdough bread making and baking. Take 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. Organised by Park Orchards Community House.

Gluten-free kitchen skills; Sunday, 26th June, 10am-3pm; $115 ($23 per hour); CERES.

Presenter: Melanie Leeson, from Mettle + Grace. After an introduction to gluten-free flours and their texture, taste and how to use them, you will have the opportunity to cook a collection of recipes, including: a cake using your own gluten-free flour blend; crackers to pair with a seasonal dip; pizzas; and a short-crust pastry dough for quiche. At the end, the class will sit down to eat lunch together.

In April
In May
In June
Regular classes

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