Newsletter #42 | June 2025

Kaarin Wilkinson
Jun 24
4 min read

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle

Save the date

Our next free workshop Propagation - growing from seeds and cuttings will be Saturday August 2nd at Seaford Community Centre 1-3pm. Lorraine Thompson of McLaren Vale Hillside Herbs will share her vast knowledge and experience with us.

What to do in your garden in winter

If your soil has been dry for an extended period it can become water-repellent (hydrophobic), even after heavy rains the water may not be getting deep into the soil. You need to dig and check. You can help the rain soak in by adding compost.

Consider planting a green manure crop to rejuvenate the soil. You can purchase special mixes of seed or make your own by mixing a legume, such a broad beans or peas, with a grain, such as oats and any other vegetables and herbs. Before they flower, dig in with a spade and you will add a wealth of goodness to the soil.

Get stuck into weed control. With rain comes weeds. Removing these while the ground is wet and before they grow too big will make the task more manageable and keep you loving your garden.

Get on top of any garden pests and diseases. With the long dry summer many plants have become stressed, and pests and diseases arrive. Check your plants and remove diseased plants and treat pests appropriately. Remember if plants are diseased don’t put them in the compost put them in your green bin.

Get the compost going by collect those autumn leaves and all those vegies peelings from winter soups so you have a great compost ready for summer planting. If you don’t have room for compost try creating a wire frame to stack the autumn leaf mulch and this will break down and be a good boost for your garden in a few months.

Prune most deciduous fruits trees, grape vines and ornamentals. Always use clean, sharp tools, using pruners on the smallest branches and a pruning saw on branches larger than 4 – 6 cm in diameter. Remember most plants will benefit from a feed of fertiliser after pruning.

Do a garden audit and check for any areas that need replanting or where you could add a bit of colour.

On wet days when the garden is not inviting do some research and look for something new to plant in spring. Visit your local library for books that inspire you to get creative in the garden.

Memberships 2025-26

Thank you to everyone who has joined the Seaford Wetlands Community Garden community. We greatly appreciate your contributions, both big and small. Despite inflation and rising prices everywhere, our fees for 2025-26 will not change. Annual membership payments of $20 are due on July 1st. Garden members who have a raised bed will also need to renew with a payment of $80. This payment is great value, providing soil, mulch, liquid fertiliser and water. We look forward to seeing everyone at one working bee each year.

Workshops 2025

Thanks to sponsorship from ATCO Australia we have more free workshops planned for 2025. August 2nd our workshop will be Propagation – growing from seeds and cuttings. For our October Open day on Sunday 19th October, we will have a workshop on Waterwise Gardening from the wonderful Sophie Thomson. Children's workshops are also in the planning. We welcome any ideas from our garden community.

From the committee

· Plants are still for sale. These will be available until sold out at garden group mornings and working bees.

· Reminder- liquid fertiliser and garden tools are available in the members shed (the small shed). Please ensure you clean tools and then return to the shed. Soil and mulch are also available to bed holders. There is now a bin near the shed for putting in damaged and broken tools.

· A safety book is now in the shed for recording any safety issues you become aware off please date and add you name so we can follow up if needed.

Maintaining your raised bed

· It has been wonderful to receive some great rainfall in the past weeks. While this is good for the plants that we want to grow it also promotes weed growth. Please remember to weed around your raised bed regularly. This makes the task of weed management a shared role and easier for everyone.

· Bed holders please also ensure that you keep your plants within your bed and install trellising over your bed if you have climbers. There is reo mesh available for this. The area around the beds needs to be kept free of vines and other plants that may create a tripping hazard.

Bunnings BBQs

Our next Bunnings barbeque is:

Saturday 19th July

If you are able to assist for a 2 hour shift please let Jan know via WhatsApp, phone, email or Facebook.

Volunteering to help on the day not only supports the development of the community garden with additional finances but allows you to meet fellow community gardeners. It is also a great social event to connect with your local community.

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:

July 10th

June July 24th

Gardening Social Group

Fortnightly Fridays 9.30am -11.30am

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:

July 4th

July 18yh

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 Kaarin Wilkinson, Jan Brown, 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.