 Many thanks to all those members who helped out with our very successful Bunnings Sausage Sizzle. Pictured L-R are: Jason, Kay C, Gail and Sam (with his back to us).
Also helping on the day were: Tom, Sandra F, Rita, Chris, Sandra L, John, Kay T, Alan, Alfred & Karen. We made a very healthy profit and a good time was had by all. Apology: I must apologise for the late publication of the roster. I was waiting for people to volunteer and when it was complete there was a holdup with getting the email out to everyone. Will do better next time! $100 from Coles for the sausage sizzle $50 from Woolworths for the sausage sizzle $100 from Bunnings for seedlings, seed raising mix & snail bait Ridge capping materials for the chook shed from Cory Gaul at Reece Plumbing supplies Compost Heaps & Worm Farm Thanks to lots of hard work by some of our members both of these systems are up and running again. Please take note of signs. Any questions about these systems can be directed to Sandra Lisson who attends the Tuesday morning working bees. There are now multiple ways of disposing of any prunings and food waste. The chooks also like a feed of green leaves and other food scraps. (No rhubarb leaves please as they are poisonous.) Communal areas are clearly marked. Department of Justice. We are pleased to announce that the DOJ work groups will be returning to the garden on the 28th of April with Carol Cummings supervising. These people are doing community service and have made a huge difference to the maintenance of our garden. Tuesday Working Bees If you have some spare time and would like to help out in the garden there are always some members present on Tuesday mornings. Tip Vouchers If anyone has spare tip vouchers to donate we would be very grateful. Citrus Trees Thanks also to Brian Matheson for correctly pruning our citrus trees. They should now produce better crops in the years ahead. Future Projects The committee are planning to rebuild the edging in the circular communal plots and build a frame for the kiwi fruit at the rear of the clubhouse. If anyone would like to help with these projects please contact Tom Freeman. (President) Committee meeting All members are welcome to attend committee meetings. Our next meeting will be held on Saturday 30th April at 11am followed by some garden activities and then lunch. Please bring a plate of food to share. The pizza oven will be lit in case you want to cook or warm something up. Tea and coffee will be provided. Hope to see you next Saturday!
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 Rosebud Community Garden March 2022 Newsletter A lovely evening was enjoyed by some members at our sausage sizzle evening on Sunday 6th March. Vale Linda Hendrix We were sad to hear of the passing of one of our former members. Linda was an active member of the garden committee for several years before moving to Hervey Bay. Plot Fees The committee has decided to increase plot fees by $10 P/A as of July 1st 2022. This has become necessary for two reasons. Firstly because costs have increased and there has been no fee increase for at least six years. Secondly because we have been unable to have our Bunnings sausage sizzles which are our main fundraisers. Plots will now cost $30 for a low bed and $40 for a raised bed. Unused / Neglected Plots Members are reminded that when joining the garden you agreed to spend one or two hours a month helping to maintain communal areas or help in some other way. You also must keep your plot weed-free and notify the committee if you are unable to maintain your plot for two months or more. If this last requirement is not met and you can’t be contacted, your plot may be reallocated. Hothouse Watering System The hothouse watering system is up and running. Please do not try to alter or adjust the timer. Ian Champion is looking after the system and has it misting daily. Herbs There is a variety of perennial herbs for all members to use, mainly around the communal area. These include chives, rosemary, lemongrass, marjoram, oregano and sage. There are also several bay trees. Signs have been made to identify these plants. Working Bees Every Tuesday morning from 10am there will be members available at the garden to assist anyone who needs help and advice on various aspects of gardening. E.g. Sandra Lisson will be on hand to guide you on use of the compost heap. Tuesday 15th March 10am Gail Russell will be in the hothouse to share her seed-saving ideas. Traditionally March 17th is the day for planting sweet peas. We need to grow more flowers in the garden to attract the bees. Gail has some saved seeds to get things moving. Other seeds to grow now that it’s autumn are: broccoli, cabbage, beetroot, broad beans, cauliflower, kale and onions. Hope to see you there. Sunday 20th March 10am Learn how easy it is to make a no-dig bed by layering brown and green garden waste. Let’s transform a communal bed or two, and make them ready for autumn planting. Come prepared with secateurs and a bucket of kitchen scraps. We can also talk about the benefits of crop rotation. Run by Kay and Ian. Many thanks to all those members who have contributed in some way over the past few months. We have some new, very enthusiastic people who have worked hard with pruning trees, reorganising the compost bays, helping with the chooks and various other jobs. It’s great to see people getting stuck in and helping to make the garden a success. Chicken Manure We have been able to acquire a large heap of aged chicken manure for use in the compost heaps and also for members’ plots. It’s a good time of year to get some compost onto your plot in preparation for winter vegetables. Compost Rules!!
Our AGM for 2021was held recently with the following results: President: Tom Freeman Vice President: Jason Weller Treasurer: John Eldridge Assistant Treasurer: Sandra Lisson Secretary: Jenni Lawry Membership Secretary: Kay Champion General members: Ian Champion (Website), Sandra Freeman (Newsletter) Gail Russell (Facebook) Peter Headlam Christine Narburgs Alfred Schultz Congratulations to all. As you can see there is a lot happening at the garden at the moment, so keep up the good work! Happy Gardening, Sandra Freeman
Following the reintroduction of stage three restrictions and advice from the Mornington Peninsula Shire, the garden will be closed until further notice.
The committee will continue to monitor the situation and liaise with the council and let you know when restrictions are eased. Keep safe and stay well Tom Freeman on behalf of the Committee, Rosebud Community Garden Inc  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:
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
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!! 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. Happy Gardening, Tom and Sandra Freeman. HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our members!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. 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. 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 |
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