More bees please

A new guide for gardeners, farmers and everyday Australians to help Australia’s bee population survive has been launched by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC). 

Chairman of the Pollination Program R&D Advisory Committee, Gerald Martin, said that as there was increasing public concern for the wellbeing and survival of global honeybee populations the guide was timely.
 
“... honeybees are coming under increasing pressure from urbanisation, bushfires, changing agricultural practices and changing land management practices,” Mr Martin said.  “Pests and diseases are an ever-increasing threat, including the deadly bee pest Varroa mite which has wreaked havoc across the globe. ....”

“The guide lists herbs, shrubs, trees and other plants, broken up into suggestions for domestic gardens, streetscapes, urban open spaces, rural environments and stationary beekeeping, and further categorised by type of climate,” he said.  “Growing plants that provide food for honeybees can be accomplished at any scale, from a pot of herbs on a balcony to thousands of hectares of revegetation or pastures.    “Many of these plants are also beneficial to a range of other insects, birds and small mammals that live on nectar and pollen.”

Bee Friendly - A planting guide for European honeybees and Australian native pollinators is available at this link:     PS News link.


(Thanks to PS News for this item)

Next Lawrenny Court working bee - 2 Feb

Would you like to work with other GAF members to lend a hand to residents of Lawrenny Court? 

The next Lawrenny Court working bee will be held at 2:30pm on Saturday 2nd February. We'll meet at the hall on the Hill Street side of Lawrenny Court. Please bring gardening tools and an hour or so off your time.

Please RSVP to my_mort@hotmail.com (Miriam) by 1 Feb.

January Planting Notes

Well here we are at the beginning again - January Planting Notes. below

I hope you have had a restorative time and are ready for another great gardening year. I have had 2 of my grandchildren to stay and after a week of an adventure a day, Alicia declared that her favourite time was picking and eating boysenberries and digging potatoes in my back garden. My favourite too.

Watch out in the New Year for the new WHEN project - we were successful in getting an Earn Your Stars grant from the Tasmanian Climate Change Office to help householders in West Hobart draught proof their homes, with demonstration workshops and discounted products.

Best wishes and happy harvesting.

Margaret

JANUARY	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
French Bush Beans (last chance)	x
Swedes (last chance)	x
Turnips		x	x	x
Shallots/Spring Onions	x	x
Lettuce (last chance to grow to decent size)	x	x	x
Cauliflower -  Punnet to Garden	x
Cabbage - P to G	x
Broccoli  - P to G	x
Cabbage (direct seedlings small style cabbages)	x	x	x
Into Punnets:
Cauliflower	x
Lettuce - last chance before winter	x	x

Solar PV installations in West Hobart?

I wonder how many solar PV systems have been installed in West Hobart.  Looking at the fabulous website pvoutput.org, where the proud owners of solar pv systems upload data on their kWh output, there seem to be only a couple of West Hobart systems listed.   But there must be many more solar PV systems installed in our area.  This website is a neat way to collect information on renewable energy that has actually been produced by households.  So, if you have a solar PV system, think about uploading your data to share with the community! 

Of course, if you can automate the data collection and the uploading to the internet, that's the easiest way to go.  Whirlpool is a good website where you can learn from others about the ins and outs of "Green Tech" (and heaps of other fascinating IT subjects).

Another great website which aims to track greenhouse gases avoided, is The Butterfly Project.  Householders can register on this site and keep a record of changes they have made to reduce their carbon footprint and the resulting impacts on their electric power bills.  Another good one to check out during the holiday season!

Witness King Tides - starting on 14 December

This is an excellent project which is now going national.  Green Cross Australia, supported by the NSW OEH, Tasmanian Climate Change Office and numerous coastal councils, is proud to deliver the Witness King Tides project for the first time, for all of Australia. 

Witness King Tides is a community photography initiative that asks people to head out during the king tide to capture pictures of the higher water levels and its impacts on coastal areas. The idea of the project is to help people understand what sea level rise is and what impacts it may have on their part of the coast. Seeing how high the sea level gets will really bring home what we can expect with sea level rises in the future

This is really worth promoting to friends and to schools, pls pass on the message.  There is copy for newsletters, suggested social media posts, a flyer and images available here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hgv7npecuhn7ur3/0m9BMSlvhW.

Visit the Witness King Tides website – www.witnesskingtides.org -  to find out when the king tides will occur in our area, and to register to participate (and receive enews). 

The next king tide in Hobart is at 8.53am on Friday 14 December.  Will any West Hobartians be out there with their cameras??  Let us know if you are going to catch the Hobart tide! 

Update from our Gardens and Food group

1. Produce Exchange
Let's start our local produce exchanges next Saturday 8 Dec.  3 - 4 pm.  We'll start it off at 190 Goulburn St (top of Goulburn just past the Y) and then if you would like to have an exchange on your verandah or in your garden let me know. Bring spare produce - not everyone has a glut of broad beans or rhubarb! And how about spare excess seedlings or seeds, jams, potted plants - I will pot some little Cape Gooseberries and anyone who wants to dig up a boysenberry runner is welcome. Recipes for using our produce would be nice too - I'll have Sally Wise to hand (in bookform!). There maybe be freshly baked sourdough bread too.

 

2. The Tassievore Eat Local Challenge 

This summer the Tassievores are challenging you to eat, shop, grow and live more locally.  The benefits to buying locally go beyond what’s on your plate.  Joining the Tassievore Eat Local Challenge helps growers, producers and local businesses, supporting the Tasmanian economy and the environment.

The challenge is to ‘Eat Local’ for six month and you can choose how you want to do that.  Either by going the ‘whole hog!’ or simply being a ‘part-timer’ one day a week or all-Tassie fruit and veg.    So the choice is yours and you decide your challenge!!  Even our parliamentarians are getting in to it.  We have also had wide support from local producers and restaurants across Tasmania.

You can sign up at www.taseatlocal.com

3. Urban Permaculture Course

There will be a full permaculture course specifically focused on the urban environment at UTAS in Autumn next year.  It will be a wonderful opportunity to learn from experts.

Margaret S

Bird Walk this Sunday (tomorrow)!

Just a quick reminder that there is a guided bird-walk with highly entertaining and knowledgeable bird expert, Don Knowler (who has a great passion for all things avian), in Waterworks Valley with the Waterworks Valley Landcare Group this Sunday 2 December (there is a type in the schedule).

So if you’re interested brushing up on your knowledge of your feathery friends then please contact Robert Rands on 6223  6116 for further information.

Next gardening working bee - 24 Nov

Many thanks to those West Hobartians who came along on our Spring gardening outing in October to assist Lawrenny Court residents with their gardens.  We achieved a great deal in one afternoon!

The next Lawrenny Court working bee will be held on Saturday 24 November at 2:30-4pm.  Please meet at Lawrenny Court, adjacent to the hall on Hill Street,  and bring garden gloves and tools you think may be useful.

This is a rewarding activity that is very much appreciated by the residents. Afternoon tea provided. All welcome.  Please RSVP to Miriam - my_mort@hotmail.com

Sustainable Living Festival 2012 - Your last reminder!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The days are getting longer, weather is warming up and we’re thinking about all those projects around the house and in the garden..... building that new energy efficient renovation, installing solar panels and getting the garden beds ready. But not sure about the best solar panels, really want to renovate but don’t know where to start and want the best information to get results in the garden.....

Well, put aside the 10^th and 11^th of November for the 2012 Sustainable Living Festival. Here all your questions can be answered in the one space. You can talk to expert exhibitors about all your home and garden projects to get the best results and do the job right.

“This year the theme is “Food for Thought” promoting happy healthy sustainable communities. A Festival first, cooking demonstrations will be showcased in the main pavilion. This will be a highlight of the festival and demonstrations will feature some of Tasmania’s best chefs using Tassie ingredients” said Lissa Villeneuve, Festival Director.

Cooking demonstrations include: 

Sourdough Breadmaking with Margaret Steadman; Jamming without Pectin with Greg Woodward; Thea Webb making Energy Balls; Fail Proof Scones with Sally Wise; Rodney Dunn’s Pancetta, Goats Milk Ricotta and Spinach Rotolo; Alan Whykes with his Super Spring Rolls and Pumpkin Salsa; Seasonal Recipes with Rebel Black; and Stuart Addison Making Burgers with Tassie Game and Fungi.

And if cooking and eating food isn’t enough they will also be debating food.  The question of The Great Debate on Saturday at 1.30pm is “Can Tassie feed itself?”

Panelists debating the question include Dr Richard Doyle, senior Lecturer in Soil Science at UTAS; Roberto Perez, Director of Foundation for Nature and Humanity, a NGO in Cuba; Hannah Moloney, President of the Australian City Farm and Community Garden Network; Jenny Dudgeon, teacher and Slow Food Hobart Convivium leader;  and Tony Scherer from Frogmore Creek with our MC Charlie Webster.

On Sunday at 1.30pm a second Great Sustainable Debate will explore the question “Is prosperity without growth possible?”

Panellists include Paul Gilding, writer of The Great Disruption and advocate for sustainable economies; Greg Barns a columnist for the Mercury and writer for ABC’s Drum; Jack Redpath founder of the Tasmanian branch of Australian Youth Climate Coalition; Phil Harrington from Pitt & Sherry; Mardi Dungey, UTAS Professor of Economics & Finance; and Ross Harvey, Founding Director of SenseT @ UTAS.

The festival will also be a visual delight showcasing an array of sustainable art including sustainable seats made from recycled materials for the festival by students, artists and community groups.  Attendees will be asked to vote for their favourite seat.

There will be heaps of interactive sustainability workshops including beekeeping and working with recycled timber to name a few and there are yoga demonstrations, live music and interactive kids stuff all weekend.

Bike valet parking will be provided by Bicycle Tasmania, so you can come down on your bikes and park right at the door.

The weekend will culminate with The Totally Tassie Picnic on Sunday afternoon launching the Tassievore Eat Local Challenge encouraging people to eat more Tasmanian grown and produced food.…. It’s all at The 2012 Sustainable Living Festival.

Sat 10^th and Sun 11^th November, 10am – 4pm, PW1 Hobart Waterfront - Entry by donation