What’s Been Happening

Rock Painting Workshop

As part of the City of Holdfast Bay 'Play at the Bay' program, we held a Christmas rock painting workshop at the garden on the 19th of December. Lots of fun and creativity lead to some lovely Christmas rocks.

Upcoming Events

Working Bee

When: Sunday 5th February 9.30am

Where: North Brighton Community Garden (parking off Brimble St)

What to Bring: Gardening gloves, water bottle, sunscreen & hat

Working Bees are a great way to get involved in the garden and to get to know your fellow community gardeners.
There is a job for all abilities. Any time you can spare to help would be great.

New Member Orientation

When: Sunday 5th February 10.30am

When: Sunday 8th January (for this month only the second Sunday of the month) at 11am

Where: North Brighton Community Garden, (parking off Brimble St)

Recently joined as a garden member or want to learn about what we do and how you can be involved in the garden, come along to a new member orientation session. No booking required.

Wednesday Morning Tea

When: Every Wednesday 10 to 11am(ish)

Where: North Brighton Community Garden, (parking off Brimble St)

Have a world-famous brownie recipe? Bring it along to our regular social event where everyone is welcome to come along for a cuppa, chat and share a bite to eat. We’ll often stay back to do a few jobs as well.
What to bring: Gardening gloves, drink bottle, plate of food to share (encouraged but not compulsory)

Get involved with the garden!

There are a number of ways you can help out at the garden and get involve with the garden community and meet like-minded people.

Let us know by emailing northbrightoncg@gmail.com if you can help with any of the following or would like more information.

Propagation Group

We’re about to start propagation/growing plants for our autumn plant sale. The group will mostly meet on a Wednesday after the morning tea and on some week-ends. This is a great way to learn how to grow plants from seeds and cuttings

Garden Group

We’re looking to start a group to look after the 3 communal garden beds. This would involve planning what to plant, planting and then looking after the plants. Let us know if this is something you would be interested in. An ongoing commitment would be required for the growing season (or longer if you want).

Watering Volunteers

At this time of the year keeping water up to the plants is one of the most important jobs in the garden. We need more people to volunteer to help with the watering. If you can spare some time to regularly water a part of the garden, we would love to hear from you. The more volunteers the less time each person needs to spend watering. This is a job that can be done to suit your schedule and a lovely way to relax and enjoy the garden.

House (garden) Keeping

Tap Key

One of the tap keys has gone missing, hoping someone has accidently taken it home. If you’ve used the tap key (with the macrame hanger) recently, can you please check your pockets/bags for it. If you’ve used a tap key, remember to return it to where you got it from.

Back Gate
The back gate is to be used for emergencies and larger deliveries only. It must be locked from the INSIDE only and chain not accessible from outside the garden. You shouldn't be able to lock and exit via the back gate - i.e you must exit via the front gate if the back gate is locked properly.

Garden tools
Some tools have been moved to the small sliding shed. When you have finished using any of the garden tools, please put them back safely away in the shed and lock the nursery.

Member Plots + missing produce
Reminder, that the plots on the left-hand side of the garden when you walk into the garden are leased by members. Members put a lot of time, money and effort into growing produce for their own use. Please don’t pick any produce from these plots without permission. If you see any of the general public doing so, please politely ask them to stop.
If unsure of what produce is available to garden members, please ask before taking.

What’s growing in the garden

Herbs galore! There are the usual summer herbs including, mint, chives, basil, dill and parsley. We also have Shiso (green & red varieties) and Vietnamese mint growing in abundance the moment. Garden members are able to pick produce (within reason) from the communal garden beds. This is a perfect way to try a herb you may not have used before. Not sure what you can pick, come along to a working bee or Wednesday morning tea and one of our friendly gardeners will be able to help you.

Shiso

*Perilla frutescens var. crispa*, also known as Perilla leaf or Japanese Basil and comes in green and red varieties.
Shiso leaves have a fresh, citrusy flavor with hints of cinnamon, cloves, and mint. They have a somewhat astringent flavor and bitter finish, particularly the red shiso leaves. The texture is similar to fresh mint leaves, while dried shiso has a more subdued flavor.
Shiso complements vegetables and fruits. Julienned shiso leaves are often mixed with salads to add a fresh, citrusy flavor. It's a popular ingredient in Vietnamese summer rolls. It is also dried and ground and used as a seasoning and sprinkled on rice, omelets, and soups, much like dried nori.
We have both the red and green Shiso growing in the middle communal garden bed.

Vietnamese Mint

*Persicaria odorata,* Vietnamese coriander, laksa leaf.
An edible herb commonly used fresh in rice paper rolls and salads or served alongside spring rolls together with lettuce and dipping sauce. It has a peppery minty taste, commonly found in Asian style cooking. Commonly eaten fresh in salads, soups and stews or cooked into duck, chicken, rice and vegetable dishes. Great as a garnish. Popular ingredient in chicken salad and in raw summer rice paper rolls. In Singapore and Malaysia, shredded leaf is an essential ingredient of Laksa, a spicy noodle soup. In Laos, leaf is eaten with raw beef Larb salad.
This is growing in the garden bed next to the BBQ.

Happy Gardening

Lisa & North Brighton Community Garden Committee

January 2023 Newsletter