​Welcome back everyone!

It was great to see the garden reopen in June (with some restrictions in place.)

Members are encouraged to visit their plots and tidy them up ready for spring planting. The weeds have taken hold in many plots so if you are able to clean them up it will help to stop them spreading everywhere.

The Department of Justice groups are still in recess until further notice, so it is up to the members to help maintain the garden.

Restrictions:

1. No access to the tool shed. Members please bring your own tools.
2. No access to the clubhouse until further notice.
3. Keep social distancing in mind. 1.5 m from people who don’t live with you.
4. Sign in and out via the sheet located on the BBQs under the awning beside the clubhouse. Please use the hand sanitiser provided.
5. Maximum of 10 members in the garden at any one time

 
Fees due
Invoices will be sent out this month for payment of membership and plot fees. Please remember when you are paying online to include your name and plot number.
The committee has decided to defer the proposed fee increase this year as some members may be experiencing financial difficulty during the Covid pandemic. They will reassess the issue next financial year.

Pruning
The committee has decided to bring in a professional tree pruner to tidy up all the fruit trees and to remove several self-sown trees at the garden. As we don’t have the Department of Justice people at the moment it was thought to be the best way of having the trees pruned at the correct time and in the correct manner.

Annual General Meeting
The AGM has been deferred until later in the year as we cannot meet in person at the moment. A decision will be made by September 1st.

We are looking to fill the roles of Secretary, Treasurer and general committee members. Please consider putting your hand up for one of these roles and helping with the running of the garden. The current committee members have been covering these jobs and would like to share the load.

Can you spare an hour or so each month?  That’s all it takes to get involved and have a say in the running of the garden.  Please reply to this email or contact Tom Freeman (President) on 0417 042 554 if you can help.
 
Happy Gardening,
 
Sandra Freeman

WARNING – IT IS POTENTIALLY UNSAFE TO ENTER
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Due to the shared nature of the garden you are at an increased risk of catching COVID-19. Until further notice entry will be conditional on complying with the following hygiene protocols to ensure the safety of all users of the garden.
• You must not enter if you are unwell, infected, under quarantine, or awaiting test results
• You must provide all your own tools, including watering cans (these have been locked away)
• Gloves must be worn prior to entry and until after exiting the garden
• Only tend to your own plot, unless you have discussed arrangements with the committee
• The toilet, tool shed and storage shed are locked and must not be opened
• No children are permitted into the garden until further notice
• You must strictly observe social distancing and any government directives
• To meet contact tracing protocols, you must record your entry and departure times in the log provided
It is critical that these protocols are followed for continued access to the garden.
Let’s stay safe together so that we can all continue to produce food and get enjoyment from the garden.

Authorised by Committee, Rosebud Community Garden 20 May 2020

Stay safe and WASH YOUR HANDS!!
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The Department of Justice groups that attend the garden on Wednesdays and Thursdays have been postponed until further notice.

Farewell to our Treasurer !

It is with regret that we say farewell to Renee Du Bois, our treasurer who is leaving to take up a career opportunity in Queensland.  Whilst treasurer, Renee has improved our overall financial management package, including invoicing of membership dues, moved record keeping to electronic storage and updated our website.

Thank you Renee for your valuable contribution to the Garden and we wish every success in your new job and future in sunny Queensland.

We are now looking for a new treasurer, so if you think you can help, please let us know.
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Happy Gardening,  Tom and Sandra Freeman.

Christmas Party
A good time was had by all the members who joined us for our Christmas celebration in December. We had delicious food, good wine, Kris Kringle gifts and pretty good weather. We were joined by Chris Brayne our local Member of Parliament who spoke briefly about his work with local community organisations.

February Committee Meeting
Our next meeting will be held on Saturday 29th February at 11am. This will be followed by a session focussing on our native food garden at 12.00. Our shared lunch will also include tastings of some native food creations. Many restaurants are beginning to include native ingredients now so it will only be a matter of time before they become commonplace.

Chicken manure
We need to find a new source of chicken manure for our composting now that the Browns Road facility has closed down. If anyone knows of a good source of manure could they please contact someone on the committee or reply to this email.


Pizza Oven
​You may have noticed that our pizza oven has been partially demolished. This is because it wasn’t working efficiently and it was decided to rebuild it. Tom, John and the people from the Dept. of Justice started work on it last week and have made excellent progress. Once it is completed we will have a pizza night to celebrate. Stay tuned!

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle
We have been allocated a date for our next fundraiser at Bunnings in Rosebud. So please put Sunday 26th April in your diary. We will  need lots of help on the day from as many members as possible. We usually work in two hour shifts and you may choose to cook, serve or handle the money.

Compost bins
Please take notice of all signs in the composting area and make sure you only dump in the correct bins. Carol and her team from the Dept of Justice are doing an amazing job creating compost so we need to make sure we don’t make it harder for them.

New members
A warm welcome to the following people who have joined recently:
Aaron Hume, Meaghan Healy, Katrina Bevis, Marissa & Mark Lesze and Hannah Ryan.
New members are invited to attend the next meeting on Sat 29th Feb to meet the committee and to join our shared lunch. Please bring a small plate of food to share.  Tea and coffee is available.
 
Happy Gardening,
Sandra Freeman
PS. Thanks to the good fairy who cleaned the toilet and added a toilet roll holder!         

1.  New Retractable Hose Reels
Good news! We were fortunate to receive four new hose reels donated by Bunnings in Rosebud. The Committee has recently purchased two more so we now have plenty of hoses capable of reaching all garden plots.

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FITTINGS FROM THE HOSES. It’s OK to change from sprinkler to shower head etc. but do not remove the actual end of the hoses.
Also PLEASE TURN OFF HOSES AND RELEASE PRESSURE WHEN RETRACTING THEM.
I’m sure if we look after them the hoses will last for many years and make watering easier.

​​Thanks to Jane Robbins, Bunnings Rosebud

1. November Committee Meeting.
Please note that this meeting has been moved to Saturday 7th December at 11am. It will be followed by our usual shared lunch. It would be great to see some new faces at our lunch, especially any new members. Please bring a small of plate of food to share. Children welcome.

*In our membership guidelines it is a requirement for all members to donate one hour per month to the maintenance of the garden. However now that most of this work is carried out by the Dept. of Justice people, our working bees are few and far between. As a result there are many members who don’t attend any meetings or functions. Let’s put the “community” back into the community garden! Come and meet the committee and your fellow gardeners and let us hear your ideas and thoughts about the garden.

2. Secretary Wanted!
Since our secretary moved away, several people have been helping out with this job. We really need someone new to take on the role. It is not an onerous task but involves taking the minutes of committee meetings, dealing with correspondence and updating our Facebook page and website. If any members feel they could help out please contact our President Tom Freeman on 0417 042 554. If you know anyone in the community who could help, even if they are not a member, please let Tom Know.

3. Pumpkins
There have been quite a few pumpkins planted in the areas beneath the fruit trees. Please feel free to water them if you have time, especially in the warmer weather.

4. Security in the garden
Please ALWAYS LOCK THE PADLOCK when entering and leaving the garden.  Last week the padlock was left unlocked and the gate open which means the lock could be stolen, dogs are able to get into the garden and there is a safety risk to members who are working on their plots.

5. Christmas Party
Our annual Christmas party will be held on Friday December 13th at the clubhouse. We would like to see ALL members attending .
We have invited Chris Brayne (State Member of Parliament for Nepean) and Carol Cumming ( who supervises the Department of Justice Program at the garden.) This will be a great opportunity to meet and chat with our special guests.
There will be a Kris Kringle to the value of $10-$15 with a gardening or food theme.
BYO own food and drinks. The BBQ will be available for people who want to cook their meat etc.

Sandra Freeman

Visitors to the garden
1. A group of students and their teacher from Advanced Community College will visit the garden this month to support their current study of community programs. Apart from a tour of the garden we will explain our history and aims and then involve them in practical sessions of composting, worm farm management, wicking beds and plot management.The session will be held on Thursday 24th October from 11am.

Any members wishing to help out on the day should contact Tom Freeman (0417 042 554).

2. Susan Reynoldson, Community Development Officer, Shire of Mornington Peninsula and Jo Price visited the garden earlier this month as they are conducting a review of the community support program. They were keen to discuss our aims and progress in delivering the benefits of the community garden to the local community. Overall they were impressed with the presentation of the garden and have provided us with numerous avenues to strengthen our relationship with the council and the community.
 
Spring Planting Season
We are now well into the spring planting season when members will be bringing punnets of seedlings to plant. We have recently cleaned out an enormous supply of empty plastic pots and punnets and as a result are asking that you take all leftover containers home with you when your planting is complete.
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Also, a reminder that you are responsible for the removal of any other items you bring to the garden when they are no longer needed. Eg: netting, stakes, frames, plant tags etc. Thank you for your support.
 
Happy Gardening,
Sandra Freeman

Welcome to our two newest members pictured here with our Membership officer Karen McCosker.         L-R Karen McCosker, Kris Van Son & Robyn Marshall.
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Monthly meetings/Lunch
Please note there will be NO Committee meeting/shared lunch in September due to the AFL Grand final Day and also because several members are unavailable.

Our next meeting will be held on Saturday 26th October at 11am. We also plan to hold an information session about our Native Food Garden on that day with tastings and recipes using the native ingredients. Perhaps our shared lunch could be based around that idea if people are feeling adventurous!

Retractable Hoses
We are planning to install several more retractable hoses in time for the summer. This should make it easier for everyone to have access to garden taps with hoses and fittings attached.
**Please do not remove or change the hose fittings.**

Compost
Our first batch of compost using the new system is ready for members to use thanks to an enormous amount of help from Carol and her teams from the Dept of Justice.  The compost ready for use is in the last bin closest to the worm farm. To keep this process going we need more supplies of non-glossy paper and clean brown cardboard. Please pay close attention to signs when adding garden waste to the compost area so as not to compromise the composting system in place.

Fees
Despite several reminders there are still some members who have not paid their fees. As we usually have people waiting for plots, the committee has decided that people who have not paid by the end of October will have their membership cancelled unless they have a valid reason. They will be contacted prior to this happening.

Spring Planting
Now that the winter is over and there are signs of new spring growth in the garden it is time to start thinking about getting your garden plots ready for the new season’s planting. Soil preparation is vital for getting the most out of your plot. Topping up with compost and mulch is a good idea.
 
Happy Gardening,
Sandra Freeman
 
 

​War on Waste
On Saturday 11th May, several RCG members were fortunate to attend a Forum on Waste run by the Mornington Peninsula Shire. The keynote speaker was Craig Reucassel who is continuing his War on Waste. Many issues were discussed and initiatives by the shire were announced.
On a local level the message is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. There were also a number of community groups with stalls promoting their programs and products which echoed this message..
Some hints for RCG members are: reduce the amount of plastic you use if possible, feed the worms with your organic waste, continue to grow your own vegies and carry your own water bottle and coffee mug. These small things add up, especially if you can convert family and friends.