Well we certainly got all the rainwater we needed in our water tanks – and some!
Regular Volunteers, Mondays Only: 10am – 12noon Jobs this month include: WEEDING, fence and gate repairs, compost bay relocation … and Permablitz on Sunday 15/3/20, 10am – 2pm, followed by regular Troubadour’s Folk Music 2-4pm.
Bring your broken items or tools for sharpening: new REPAIR CAFÉ & ongoing BOOMERANG BAGS – 3rd Sunday monthly: 15/3/20, 10am – 1pm. Volunteers sewing cloth bags and helping repair broken things!
Clean Up Australia Day Sunday 1/3/20 9–12noon followed by thankyou lunch supplied by Kariong Progress Association.
Girrakool Blues Festival 6-8 March 2020 Thankyou to our volunteers during the event who collected many bottles and cans for fundraising.
Please call the POLICE ASSISTANCE LINE: 131 444 if you see anti-social behaviour.
Find us behind Kariong Progress Hall, in Dandaloo St.
Mondays and Fridays 10am – 12noon Jobs this month include: labyrinth path – weeding and re-planting and planning changes in the pond and fairy garden area. Hopefully watching more rainwater go into our water tanks!
BOOMERANG BAGS & new REPAIR CAFE – 3rd Sunday each month: 16/2/20, 10am – 1pm. Volunteers sewing cloth bags for the box at Kariong Foodworks and helping repair broken things!
ONGOING CHALLENGES We have always wanted to have our garden open for visitors and expect people to respect the space. Sadly we have had more vandalism over Christmas and had to resort to closing the garden outside of volunteer hours. The garden is open on Monday mornings 10am – 12noon – and can be accessed via the back gates if you need to find your tennis balls.
POLICE ASSISTANCE LINE: 131 444 if you see anti- social behaviour. Find us behind the Kariong Progress Hall, in Dandaloo St.
Big thanks to Kerrie Anderson, local Permaculture teacher, who guided the workshop participants through the theory and practice of building a Herb Spiral. Thanks to Tania from Woy Woy Community Garden who found free sandstone rocks on Gumtree and Kerrie helped us transport them to the garden – with help from Libby, Ben and Elia loading them up. The Herb Spiral grew rock by rock, bucket loads of compost and soil were added and finally a selection of herbs – each one place in the appropriate place – taking into consideration the best height (drier at the top, moister below) and whether on north side (more sun) or south side (less sun).Come and see it over summer – bring a watering can if you are able to give it a drink (there are taps on nearby buildings- hall and Arts Barn). Regular Volunteer days will recommence on Friday 10/1/20, 10am-12noon and continue on Monday’s and Friday’s 10-12noon.
Wonderful Wicking Bed
Local Resource Queen Robyn Crosland ran us through the wicking bed design principles and showed us a demonstration version with rescued resources before we got busy making our very own wicking bed. It was a wonderful team effort – first emptying the old “no dig” garden into buckets and wheelbarrows then re-building it as a Wicking bed -where the water is stored underneath the soil and ‘wicks’ its way up to the plants above. An overflow pipe was installed on the low side of the garden (to feed the citrus trees) and an inlet pipe sticks up like a chimney for adding water.
We already have corn sprouting in the wicking bed and the rhubarb plants that were transplanted from the old bed are looking very happy in their new water wise garden bed. We hope at least this garden bed is relatively drought proof as our 1000 Litre water tank is empty and our two steel tanks are very low.
Ideas so far for 2020:
monthly Repair Cafe and Boomerang Bags in Kariong Hall every 3rd Sunday of the month 10am-1pm (February to November)
Girrakool Blues Festival (volunteers needed to help collect redeemable bottles and cans)
Clean Up Australia Day (1st Sunday in March)
Muddy Mondays
Tree planting day at Pioneer Dairy (late March)
Live Well festival in April
Love the Labyrinth workshop
Frog and Fairy Garden Working bee
A visit from the ECO FAERIES from WA in June
For the Love of Birds, Bees and Butterflies … workshops
Another Solar Power day?
What would you like to see happen at Kariong Eco Garden in 2020 and beyond? We welcome more active volunteers in the garden, the office and joining our management committee that meets most months.
We would like to wish everyone a safe and blessed Christmas and hope to see you in the garden in 2020.
As part of the Community Garden Week, we will be hosting these events supported by Central Coast Council:
Monday 9th September
10am – 12noon Talk about Soil by Graeme King, local permaculture lover covering the importance of healthy soil for nutrient-dense food. Plant sale and morning tea. Gold coin donation welcome.
11am Worm farming demonstration and Composting Activities for all ages (Find out about A.D.A.M. – Aliveness, Diversity, Air and Moisture)
Friday 13th September
10am – 12 noon Talk about Growing Native Plants by Graeme Ingall from the Australian Plant Society, covering local plants, where to purchase, growing conditions and habitat provided. Plant sale and morning tea. Gold coin donation welcome.
Sunday 22nd September
Kariong Progress Association and Kariong Eco Garden are hosting a Solar Power Info Day on Sunday 22/9/19, 10am – 2pm in the Kariong Progress Hall, 2 Dandaloo Street, Kariong.
Lunch will be catered for everyone who registers by 16/9/19 – via email to kariongpa@gmail.com or phone 0429 431 889.
Kariong Progress Association has recently installed a 7.8 KW solar power system (with 6 KW inverter) on the roof of the community hall thanks to funding from Central Coast Council.
Tony Farina, President of Kariong Progress Association, says, “The aim of the day is to create a time and place for locals to share their knowledge about and experience with solar power, whether you already have a system and want to improve it or tell people about your experience or you are thinking of getting a solar power system and have some questions.”
Julian Bowker, Peninsula resident with a background in electronic engineering and computers will give an interactive talk on “Where does my energy money go?” showing how to monitor your electricity use. “It is really important for everyone to understand how they are using power and to know how to save money,” said Julian. Having performed audits for many local homes, he is patient when explaining what the options are.
Kariong Eco Garden President, Lisa Wriley, says “the Solar Power Info day is a must for anyone considering solar or with solar already.”
The Program:
10am Arrive and Browse Info on Display
10.10am Acknowledgement of Country
10.15am Welcome & Introductions
10.30am Launch of Kariong Progress Hall’s Solar Power Public Interface 10.40 Where does my energy money go? – Julian Bowker
11.00am Local Case Studies – Hear real experiences with solar panels, inverters, batteries, choosing a retailer, feed-in tariffs, installers, maintenance, DIY and passive solar design.
11.50am Central Coast Community Energy Assoc – Jo Muller
12noon Solar Power Panel – all speakers – have your questions ready! 12.30pm – Lunch & Electric Car Show & Tell in car park & time to browse Info displays
1.00pm Small Group Conversations – you choose from KPA/KEG – Kariong Kilowatt Counter;Community Environment Network – Climate Futures group; Central Coast Community Energy Assoc & Julian Bowker, Australian Conservation Foundation – Central Coast branch.
Steve and Elliah has made Progress on our Cycle of life sculpture. The beds have been prepared for spring planting and blueberries have been planted outside our fence!
Annual Fundraising Trivia Night
Kariong Eco Garden, established in 2005 and opened in 2007, is fundraising for its ongoing work “maintaining a living garden and providing a place of learning for sustainable and earth-friendly practices for families and other interested people in the local community”.
We would love you to join us at our annual fundraising Trivia Night this Saturday 17/8/19 at 6pm, in Kariong Progress Hall, Dandaloo Street, Kariong.
Buy your $10/person (over 12 years of age) tickets at Kariong Neighbourhood Centre by 3pm on Friday or online here.
Our Quiz Master Jim Katrakilis has prepared some great questions to challenge us.
Chapmans Quality Fruit are donating a fresh Fruit & Vege tray for the raffle.
Colleen has donated a beautiful quilt to join other treasures on the Silent Auction table.
There are lots of ECO giveaways donated by Council. It is a family friendly event!
Kariong Pizza have offered a special deal for our traditional pizza orders on the night:
GARDEN NEWS – We have had a tough month with rubbish left by visitors, damage to our shed and fires. Thanks to the Kariong Bush Fire Brigade and other locals including business DOORCRAFT who have helped us. Please report anti-social behaviour to the Police Assistance Line 131 444.
Book into a free council Workshop to have your say about WASTE (on 1/7/19 at Umina; 3/7/19 at Erina): https://www.yourvoiceourcoast.com/our-coast-our-waste.Want food waste collection, large scale composting and a Tip Shop or two?
BOOMERANG BAGS – Sunday 14/7/19, 9.30am – 12.30pm in Kariong Hall. Help make shopping bags from donated fabric, to stock box at Foodworks.
Seed Saving & Plant Propagation workshop on Friday 28/6/19, 10am – 11am. Free for KEG members or $5 (includes KEG membership!). Just turn up 🙂
Thank you to Rotary Club of Kariong-Somersby for their donation to our garden. Save the date for our Annual Trivia night, Saturday 17/8/19, 6-9pm. Donations of prizes and silent auction items sought.
Steve has installed wonderful metal sculptures and we have a resident artist painting the life cycle of four animals – come in and have a look! Mandarins are in season.
Volunteer mornings in the garden are every Monday from 10 – 12 at Kariong Eco Garden, Dandaloo St. Contact Lisa on 0429 431 889.
We will be calling for food waste collection and large scale composting and a Tip Shop or two!
Boomerang Bags
Due to the long weekend we will move Boomerang Bags back a week to Sunday 16/6/19 9:30 – 12:30pm in Kariong Progress Hall. Help make shopping bags from donated fabric! Contact Lisa on 0429 431 889
Seed Saving & Plant Propagation workshop on Friday 28/6/19, 10 am – 12 noon. Free for KEG members or pay $5 membership fee on the day. Contact Lisa on 0429 431 889
Carey Buls, a local gardener and volunteer at the Council nursery will share her knowledge and skills with us. She has a keen interest in natives but still has time for vegetables and flowers. She will show us several different ways to plant seeds, and share her ideas for creating more space using containers or even wheelbarrows.
GARDEN NEWS – Volunteers and visitors have been eating bananas grown in the garden, making compost, planting seedlings, watering with our rainwater, cleaning up the ponds and talking about the climate crisis and things we can do.
BOOMERANG BAGS – due to Mothers’ Day, a day early on Saturday 11/5/19, 1.30pm – 4.30pm, in Kariong Progress Hall. Come along and help make shopping bags out of donated fabric. Bring a sewing machine if you have one or just turn up and help out with pinning on pockets, ironing, sewing or making cups of tea! The bags are for stocking the Bag Share box at Kariong Foodworks.
SPECIAL EVENT: Mother Earth Market Day in Dandaloo St, Kariong SATURDAY 11 MAY, 2-5PM Home-made items, cards, succulent fairy gardens, local crafts, soy candles, sauces, jams, chutneys, honey, locally baked sourdough bread. Ten minute $10 massage. 10 stalls – get your Mothers’ Day gifts here or a treat for yourself! Don’t miss the BEE TALK AT 2.30PM with Robyn, local amateur Bee-keeper.
BUSHCARE IN KARIONG – is taking a break. Please phone the Council Bushcare Officer 4325 8222 if you are keen to be a volunteer bush regenerator in Kariong or elsewhere in the Central Coast.
Find us behind the Kariong Progress Hall, in Dandaloo St. Next to the Tennis Court and playground. Find out more on our facebook page or website: www.kariongecogarden.org.au
