2012 Sustainability Street Phillip Bay Highlights
January to April 2012 saw us enjoying unusually wet weather. Our water tank has been supplying our us for ages now and the vegies are growing well but do need more light to flourish.
Here we see our raised bed with seedlings growing up, our herb bed is on ground level in the foreground and our zucchini and pumpkin patches are in the background. Dwarf fruit trees are against the back fence, the one with every second paling removed!!
Here we see our raised bed with seedlings growing up, our herb bed is on ground level in the foreground and our zucchini and pumpkin patches are in the background. Dwarf fruit trees are against the back fence, the one with every second paling removed!!
Our Garden News First Half of 2012
A view of our stage one garden containing herbs, tomatoes and kale, the leafy plant in the centre of the photo. Kale is a cross between cabbage and silverbeet and all of it can be cooked. It is more nutritious than either of those two vegetables. Simply tear off the leafy bits and cut the stems into short, string bean sizes. Steam them first for three or four minutes and add the torn up leaves for another two minutes and there ya go! Beautiful Mate!!
Not much was done around our place in January as Leeanne had major back surgery and I was tending to her needs rather than the garden's. But, having planted it out last year, the plants looked after themselves pretty well and were not too jealous. ;-)
We enjoyed a great harvest until March/April when the zucchini started to die off, the tomatoes finished and the lettuce started to seed. I rebuilt the raised beds with more lucerne hay, cow manure, compost, soil and straw and planted them out with more lettuce, red cabbage, cauliflower, rockets, snow peas, silver beet and English spinach for our winter crops. The pumpkins are still producing so we'll leave them as long as possible.
We decided to take out the dwarf citrus trees, potting them up so we could put them into more sunlit areas. Unfortunately our avocado tree died. Don't what we'll do now with the back fence garden but we'll leave it until spring now.
Early in May, Greg attended the 2012 Climate Summit at the University of Western Sydney's Parramatta campus. He even managed to play some of his music there at the Saturday evening dinner! Action on climate change and global warming is very much a part of sustainable living and we take great pride in being involved in the movement to get Australia off it's addiction to fossil fuels on transition to 100% renewable energy ASAP!
Not much was done around our place in January as Leeanne had major back surgery and I was tending to her needs rather than the garden's. But, having planted it out last year, the plants looked after themselves pretty well and were not too jealous. ;-)
We enjoyed a great harvest until March/April when the zucchini started to die off, the tomatoes finished and the lettuce started to seed. I rebuilt the raised beds with more lucerne hay, cow manure, compost, soil and straw and planted them out with more lettuce, red cabbage, cauliflower, rockets, snow peas, silver beet and English spinach for our winter crops. The pumpkins are still producing so we'll leave them as long as possible.
We decided to take out the dwarf citrus trees, potting them up so we could put them into more sunlit areas. Unfortunately our avocado tree died. Don't what we'll do now with the back fence garden but we'll leave it until spring now.
Early in May, Greg attended the 2012 Climate Summit at the University of Western Sydney's Parramatta campus. He even managed to play some of his music there at the Saturday evening dinner! Action on climate change and global warming is very much a part of sustainable living and we take great pride in being involved in the movement to get Australia off it's addiction to fossil fuels on transition to 100% renewable energy ASAP!
La Perouse Market Gardens Saved!
Saving the La Perouse Market Gardens from being annexed by the Botany Cemetery took up a lot of our time in April and May. Greg launched a facebook to keep folks up to date while Lynda's WordPress site provided a great deal of info for supporters of the cause.
On May 22, Randwick City Council voted to rezone the gardens RU4 Rural Small Plot. This means that on other landuse is allowed. However, upon application, and after due process, the zoning can be amended to allow other uses such as the cemetery's proposed takeover of 60% of the site. We must now take the fight to the NSW Dept of Lands and it's Minister, Katrina Hodgkinson <[email protected]> and phone 9228 5210. There is still a long way to go to keep the market gardens safe for the production of local food. Here's an article I wrote on the eNewspaper, Street Corner.
As local stalwart, Lynda Newnam says, "The Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, administered by the Botany Cemetery Trust, is located in Matraville. It wants to expand into the neighbouring suburb of Phillip Bay and it will continue to make proposals to this long as long as it has support from Crown Lands and Planning. Email Minister Hodkinson (Crown Lands, Fisheries, Forestry, Agriculture, Food Security etc) and ask her to support the Gardens. Her contacts are:(02) 9228 5210 [email protected] The Minister for Planning is Brad Hazzard - (02) 9228 5258 [email protected] . The Minister for Heritage is Robyn Parker - 9228 5253 Email: [email protected] - ask Ms Parker to speak up for the agricultural heritage of the whole 7ha site. Then contact the Premier and ask what the Government is doing to protect Crown Land currently under agriculture as well as identify Crown Land with potential for agriculture. Contact: 9228 5239 Email: [email protected] The Government established the Office of Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security in November 2011. The head is Dr Regina Fogarty 02 6391 3605 [email protected] Randwick Council has passed the RU4 rezoning and as RG says it would bankrupt any claims they had in sustainability and heritage if they supported the Cemetery proposal later this year. It is the State Government we need to concentrate on - not only to protect food producing land but also to identify sites deemed unsuitable for food production/residential which could become Sustainable Cemeteries"
On July 23, I again spoke at Randwick City Council's meeting in support of the Market Gardens after a motion was put to Council that the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park Trust be allowed to formally apply for 60% of that land to be rezoned so that the cemetery could expand into it. I ran a petition campaign on change.org: http://www.change.org/petitions/randwick-city-council-accept-our-thanks-for-voting-to-protect-the-la-perouse-market-gardens?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=signature_lull which inundated the Councillors with signatories of the petition to save the Market Gardens. We hit 1,000 signatories on the night and I was asked to stop the petition by Councillors. Council voted eight to six to refuse the application and it was sent back to the applicants with, for the second time, an emphatic "NO!" I then changed the tile of the petition to one thanking Council for supporting the Gardens.
Not much has been happening in our garden during winter as we wait for an opportunity to rejig it for spring. The raised beds are beginning to sink and I'll need to put in a few hours to get them stabilised again. We are still harvesting lettuce, kale, rocket, silver beet, tomatoes and herbs. I made some lovely soup out of our last pumpkin yesterday (August 22). The cabbage is only just now starting to form so we should have some to enjoy in a few weeks.
On May 22, Randwick City Council voted to rezone the gardens RU4 Rural Small Plot. This means that on other landuse is allowed. However, upon application, and after due process, the zoning can be amended to allow other uses such as the cemetery's proposed takeover of 60% of the site. We must now take the fight to the NSW Dept of Lands and it's Minister, Katrina Hodgkinson <[email protected]> and phone 9228 5210. There is still a long way to go to keep the market gardens safe for the production of local food. Here's an article I wrote on the eNewspaper, Street Corner.
As local stalwart, Lynda Newnam says, "The Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, administered by the Botany Cemetery Trust, is located in Matraville. It wants to expand into the neighbouring suburb of Phillip Bay and it will continue to make proposals to this long as long as it has support from Crown Lands and Planning. Email Minister Hodkinson (Crown Lands, Fisheries, Forestry, Agriculture, Food Security etc) and ask her to support the Gardens. Her contacts are:(02) 9228 5210 [email protected] The Minister for Planning is Brad Hazzard - (02) 9228 5258 [email protected] . The Minister for Heritage is Robyn Parker - 9228 5253 Email: [email protected] - ask Ms Parker to speak up for the agricultural heritage of the whole 7ha site. Then contact the Premier and ask what the Government is doing to protect Crown Land currently under agriculture as well as identify Crown Land with potential for agriculture. Contact: 9228 5239 Email: [email protected] The Government established the Office of Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security in November 2011. The head is Dr Regina Fogarty 02 6391 3605 [email protected] Randwick Council has passed the RU4 rezoning and as RG says it would bankrupt any claims they had in sustainability and heritage if they supported the Cemetery proposal later this year. It is the State Government we need to concentrate on - not only to protect food producing land but also to identify sites deemed unsuitable for food production/residential which could become Sustainable Cemeteries"
On July 23, I again spoke at Randwick City Council's meeting in support of the Market Gardens after a motion was put to Council that the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park Trust be allowed to formally apply for 60% of that land to be rezoned so that the cemetery could expand into it. I ran a petition campaign on change.org: http://www.change.org/petitions/randwick-city-council-accept-our-thanks-for-voting-to-protect-the-la-perouse-market-gardens?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=signature_lull which inundated the Councillors with signatories of the petition to save the Market Gardens. We hit 1,000 signatories on the night and I was asked to stop the petition by Councillors. Council voted eight to six to refuse the application and it was sent back to the applicants with, for the second time, an emphatic "NO!" I then changed the tile of the petition to one thanking Council for supporting the Gardens.
Not much has been happening in our garden during winter as we wait for an opportunity to rejig it for spring. The raised beds are beginning to sink and I'll need to put in a few hours to get them stabilised again. We are still harvesting lettuce, kale, rocket, silver beet, tomatoes and herbs. I made some lovely soup out of our last pumpkin yesterday (August 22). The cabbage is only just now starting to form so we should have some to enjoy in a few weeks.
Chooks Next Door
Gareth and Maria purchased two lovely Isa Brown chooks in June and they have been producing wonderful eggs for few weeks now. However, the blighters have managed to find ways into our place and are making a real mess of the vegie gardens. So far they haven't done any real damage as the winter crops are coming to an end but we'll have to keep them at bay when I get the spring plantings started. They are so funny, always chortling to themselves as they go about their chooky ways.
Local Government Elections, September 8, 2012
I decided to stand for election in the September 8 local government elections for the South Ward of Randwick City. The Randwick/Botany Greens have kindly endorsed me as the second candidate on their ticket although I'm not a member. Here's a link to my facebook Council election page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gregory-John-Olsen-Randwick-City-Council-South-Ward-Candidate/431060003603895
In this photo you can see, from left to right current Greens Councillor, Murray Matson, La Perouse Market Garden lessee, Gordon Ha, me and #1 candidate on the South Ward Greens', ticket James Macdonald. This photo was taken by young photographer, Andy Johnson at the Market Gardens.
I have a simple four point platform that includes:
i) Protecting the La Perouse Chinese Market Gardens from annexure by the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park Trust;
ii) Improving bus stop locations on Bunnerong Rd for mobility impaired residents;
iii) Lobbying the State Government to limit container movements from Port Botany and maximise rail use to do so;
iv) Monitoring Orica’s chemical pollution.
In this photo you can see, from left to right current Greens Councillor, Murray Matson, La Perouse Market Garden lessee, Gordon Ha, me and #1 candidate on the South Ward Greens', ticket James Macdonald. This photo was taken by young photographer, Andy Johnson at the Market Gardens.
I have a simple four point platform that includes:
i) Protecting the La Perouse Chinese Market Gardens from annexure by the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park Trust;
ii) Improving bus stop locations on Bunnerong Rd for mobility impaired residents;
iii) Lobbying the State Government to limit container movements from Port Botany and maximise rail use to do so;
iv) Monitoring Orica’s chemical pollution.
Sustainable House Day, September 9, 2012
For the third year in succession Leeanne and I have decided to open our house up for Sustainable House day, 2012 on September 9. After initially saying "No", we changed out minds as Leeanne is feeling much better after her back surgery (it's best she's felt in years but she is still unfit for work). We are looking forward to helping and inspiring our visitors to sustainabilise their homes as the price for doing what we did has come down greatly in three years. You can do what we did now for way less than $10,000!! We are in the process of replacing all our nasty 50 watt halogens with LEDs and compact florescents.
Please come along and visit our place from 10 AM to 4 PM. Contact Sustainable House Day for details. :-)
Please come along and visit our place from 10 AM to 4 PM. Contact Sustainable House Day for details. :-)