Local food-related events
Harvest Month and Home Harvest Feast 2014
Discussions are well underway for the planning of Harvest Month in March next year. As well as encouraging home growers to grow a little extra food, we are hoping to interest other community groups to run a harvest theme with their meetings during March. Do you have any activities in mind that interest you?
Community garden planting
We are very excited to be planting herbs and vegetables in Nillumbik Health’s planter box (in Main Street Eltham) on September 22, starting with a talk on community gardening at 10am. We would love you all to come along, although after the talk and a cuppa we will have to limit the hard work to about a dozen (just because of space). We have had generous donations from Bulleen Art & Garden, Edendale, and Stephen Onians and are delighted to be working with Nillumbik Health, SGA Eltham POD and NERP on this project. We would love to see regular ongoing support from locals or those passing through Eltham, to share the produce, re-plant, water, etc. This garden produce will be available to share with the general public as well as participants in Nillumbik Health activities.
Other food activities/information
Tomato seedlings
Stephen Onians is offering unusual tomato seedlings for sale again this year on Sep 21. He has around 140 potted tomato plants for sale (around 20-25 of each variety).
They are about 15cm tall now. He intends to make them available on Saturday the 21st of September onwards. They should be 18-22cm tall by then. He will put them on tables in his car park area. Please help yourself to the plants and leave the money in the security box provided. Price: $2.00 each pot.
Varieties:
- Kotlas – red , very early, good for cool climates.
- Peruvian sugar lump – very sweet red cherry, tall growing.
- Big Yellow – large yellow, long season, low acid.
- Italian Plum – large flat slicing tomato.
- Olomovic – a prolific producer of small to medium, red globe shaped fruit to 150g.
- Jaunne Flamme – this old French variety gives early crops of apricot-coloured fruits the size of a golf ball or slightly larger. It is a fabulous fresh-eating tomato with an explosive, intense flavour.
Stephen Onians 94386702 0433647920 220 Ironbark Road, Yarrambat Melways map 184 J 11
Another lot of potted seedlings will be available in six weeks time.
Varieties:
- Megatom – red, the name says it all.
- Tigerella – red with orange stripes , medium size , very productive.
- Galapagos – species tomato from Galapagos. Small cherry type, low growing, drought and salt resistant.
- Yellow pear- small yellow pear shaped fruit.
- Pixie- Stephen’s favourite, medium red fruit on compact plant, no staking required.