MUC GARDEN MEETING

Friday 25th September

5-7pm
Present: Pippa, Dean, Jess
Apologies: Craig, Kim

AGENDA
1.
2.
(Jess)
3.
4.

Report back from farmers market (Proposed by Jess)

Report back from working bee re. what has been planted for spring/summer

Record keeping at the garden (Pippa)

Management of the compost - issues with bad smell (Jess)
a. draft text for an information board (Pippa)
5. Budget - still have $1,330. What to spend it on? (Jess)
6. Partnership with Reground and decision on which bins to buy (Jess)
7. Ideas for future workshops? (Jess)
8. Fair Food Week 16th-25th October - run an event? (Jess)
9. Holiday working bee (Pippa)
10. Arch

Item

Discussion

Decisions

Action

Farmers market

Very successful talked to lots of

people and raised
$96.70

Money to be split with

Horticultured

Jess to transfer half

of money to
Horticultured

Arrange farmers
market for semester
More of an event next 1 2016
time? E.g. smoothies,
planting, seed
Start propagating
bombs, seed library
plants for next
market, e.g. herbs,
People asked for
succulents (maybe),
herbs and succulents lettuces
Report back from
working bee

Limited space planted summer

crops in between
winter crops
Lots of aphids!!

Jess and Pippa to

include propagation
as activity in working
bees

Harvest some green

garlic

Pippa and Jess to

spray aphids weekly

Spray with eco oil if

aphids still a problem
(can alternatve

Jess to email Andrew

re. trellis

Sprayed with soapy

water and removed
plants with lots of
them.

between eco oil and

soapy water)
Ask Andrews opinion
on suitable trellis

Need trellis for

cucumbers - attach to
back beds? Concrete
reinforcement?
Record keeping at
the garden

Website (Farming
Concrete) used for
measuring outputs of
garden, e.g. compost,
crops, happiness!!
Globally accessible
data - important for
urban farming
movement.

Record keeping
would be really
valuable - will use
Farming Concrete
website

Pippa to set up
compost measuring
system
Pippa and Jess to
schedule workshop
within working bee to
set up system
Pippa to run
workshop

Working bee to set up

record keeping
system?
Pippa has nearly set
up compost
measuring system
using scale,
laminated sheet, sign
+ pen
Compost
management

Compost is full of
citrus and smells
really bad!

Need to add lime to

neutralise smell

Jess/Pippa to see if
lime in shed, if not
need to buy
Manage with turning
and lime, see how
that goes.

Compost signage

*Draft sign info

below*

Pippa to make
banner and re-share
before printing

Budget

trellis $250
bins for re-ground
$140
Asphalt stickers $200
Blender $50
Garden expenses
Another cupcake
event?

Jess to look into

website subscription
Pippa to reseach rain
pergola and weights see if Bunnings will
do it free

another compost bin?

pay for weebly
subscription (5 years)
by CERES vouchers
with remaining funds
Plants for native
garden bed: midgen
berries, native violets,
goodenia ovata (or
from cuttings), yam
daisies
native wood chip
mulch (3 bags)
Consider rain shelter
at end of year
Mini weather
station/rain gauge
Partnership with
reground

Reground will bring

coffee grounds from
cafes in small 60L
wheelie bins;
will get a feel for how
often to bring it.
They will come and
swap an empty bin
for a full bin - no effort
required from us.

Dean to look into rain

gauge options

Will try 60L bins and

see if we can handle
the volume of
grounds.

Jess to buy bins and

contact Reground

Will try being more

liberal with use of
grounds in compost
and on garden.
Can use more
grounds to deter
snails and slugs, e.g.
around the edge of
the beds

Ideas for future

workshops

Propagating native
plants
Bird feeders
Propagating herbs +
creating a herb
garden

Dean to ask Heather

if interested in
running workshop on
propagating
carnivorous plants
Pippa to ask friend
about running bee
keeping workshop

Seed bombs
European wasp traps
Native bees/other
pollinators

Put together
schedule at later date

Pickling/fermenting/pr
eserves
Composting + worm
farm
Soils
Pruning fruit trees
Organic pest control
Propagating
carnivorous plants?
(Heather?)
Using coffee
grounds/chaff
Bonsai
Bee keeping
Native bees and birds Would be good to
attract pollinators to
garden
Could get bird bath
for garden - where to
put it? Does it need
to be raised?
Bird feeder? Attach to
shed/compost area?
Could put water bowl
above grate in
perennials bed to use
for water plants (e.g.
water chestnuts) and
use existing water
bowl next to herb
spiral as bird bath.
Fair food week
Holiday working bee

Need to find
somewhere
appropriate for insect
hotel

Jess/Pippa to set up
insect hotel from
shed at working bee
Dean to research
potential for native
bees in garden
Jess to email Andrew
re. encouraging birds
in garden incl. bowl in
grate
Pippa to look at
options for bird bowl
Dean to look at bird
feed options

Smoothies workshop
already registered
Jess is away

Pippa to run working

bee on Friday
Pippa happy to run
working bee
Arch

Old arch is going to

be removed.
Install new arch in
existing spot or at
entrance of garden?
Could shade natives
bed - plant something
deciduous?

Install new arch at

entrance of garden
and plant with
deciduous plants to
allow sun to enter
natives bed in winter
Grapes can stay this
season and we can
then try and train
them along the front
of the garden beds

Start training grapes

along garden beds
during working bees
Jess to email Andrew
re. arch at front of
garden
Everyone to research
potential native
climbers)

Experiment with
planting grapes on
one side and a native
climber on the other
side (e.g.
Hardenbergia, native
raspberries)

Compost signage
Thanks for donating your kitchen scraps to the Melbourne University Community Garden.
To help us manage the compost, please follow these guidelines:
Compost bins
please turn using the green aerator tool
please add a scoop of coffee chaff (in wheelie bin) to help the compost decompose quickly and
to control the smell
no coffee pods
no meat or dairy
please break woody material into small pieces
Please do not put fresh scraps in the resting bins

Worm Farm
The worms have very specific requirements, please put your scraps in the compost bins
instead, we will look after the worms.

Measuring

We are contributing to a global data set on the benefits of urban agriculture. please help by
weighing the scraps that you bring
instructions
link to farming concrete
Help yourself to chaff
If you have a compost bin at home, please feel free to take some coffee chaff (it is a great,
organic source of carbon) - we have an unlimited supply
Please help yourself to some herbs that compost from your scraps has helped us to grow.