Newsletter #40 | March 2025

Kaarin Wilkinson
Apr 27
4 min read

Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.

Sustainable gardening in small spaces and containers

Saturday May 24th 1.30pm-3.30pm at Seaford Community Centre, Beechwood Grove, Seaford

We are now able to offer this workshop free. Places are limited so book now.

This workshop will provide great information for all gardeners from beginners to the more experienced. Growing in pots, styrofoam containers or raised beds? You can become a more successful container gardener.

This practical session will focus on vegetable and fruit growing and include creative container options, improving the soil, raised beds and organic gardening basics. Even if you have limited space or are renting you can still have a productive, colourful and sustainable garden.

Alan Shepard has had many years of practical experience in establishing community, school and organic gardens across Adelaide and coordinating primary school garden programs. He has been involved in and consulted on biodiversity and revegetation projects across Adelaide.

We are now able to offer this workshop free. Places are limited so book now on Eventbrite.

Bad Bugs

A bad bug has recently been discovered eating eggplants in the raised garden bed area. This was brought to the committee’s attention and, with permission of the leasee, all infested fruit has been removed from site.

We ask all bed holders to please check any eggplants that you have growing in the community garden. This bug can also infect tomatoes, capsicum and pepino fruit. Infected fruit will have small holes in them (see picture below).

Please remove anything you find infected with bug/grub from the site by taking home for disposal. Infected fruit and plants should not be placed in the garden compost nor the green bins. This grub affects primary industry so please remove.

It is unfortunate that when growing conditions are less than ideal, the bad bugs go hunting for weak and stressed plants. Everything is suffering from a lack of rain.

From the Committee

To thank Rory and Mel for their invaluable contribution to the development of SWCG and their work on our committee, please join us for a Thank You morning tea at the community garden Sunday May 4th at 11am.
Save the date: Sunday October 12th we will be holding an Open Day for the community to come and visit. The day will include free workshops and stalls.
Thanks to a recent grant from ATCO we are now able to hold several free workshops in 2025 for both adults and children. The "Gardening in Small places" workshop we had planned for 2024 will now be held free on Saturday May 24th Seaford Community Centre. Ideas for further workshops include "Growing from Seeds and Cutting" and "Waterwise Gardening". If you have any other suggestions, please speak to one of the committee or email us at seafordcg@gmail.com.
Plant sale coming soon!
We have had some questions recently about the plastic lining in the garden beds. When the beds were constructed, cardboard was used as a weed suppressant on the bottom. Black plastic was used around the sides to prevent soil and water escaping through gaps in the sleepers. If you have issues with soil or water escaping, please let us know and we will aim to rectify.

Neutrog

Hopefully everyone put their Neutrog order in before April 12th and has booked their collection for the May 3rd at Wallis Theatre Noarlunga?

Working Bee

Our next working bee for 2025 will be Saturday May 17th 11am - 2pm. The two focus areas will be continuing to prepare the native garden beds between the new pathways ready for planting when we get rain! And finishing the wicking beds. Also further clearing the market garden and as always there will be plenty of weeding. We will have a backhoe on site on the days for the heavy lifting.

Bunnings BBQs

No barbeque in May but a special one in June when we will be cooking up a storm for the King’s Birthday holiday on Monday June 9th.

Regular events

Orchard Group

Fortnightly Thursdays 9am-11am

If you would like to learn more about our orchard and get hints and tips on growing your own fruit, join the Thursday orchard group with Jennie on alternate Thursdays:

Gardening Social Group

Fortnightly Fridays 9am-11am

Every Friday fortnight gardeners and volunteers meet at the garden to do a few of the regular maintenance tasks, tend their own beds and share gardening stories together over morning tea. Coming dates are:

Driving and Parking cars at the Garden

Please do not drive vehicles on to the garden lease area unless you have express permission from one of the committee to deliver materials or equipment. Please also do not park in the Ambulance/CFS car parks and in Grange and Somerton Courts.

This project was seeded by

Our Committee

Our committee is Rory Fitzsimons (Chair), Kaarin Wilkinson, Jan Brown, Melissa Styles, Jennie Simon and Roger Whiteman. If you have any questions or ideas please contact us via Facebook, on our website, on the Seaford Wetlands Gardeners WhatsApp chat or on the garden email seafordcg@gmail.com.