Hi I'm new to the group, is there any permaculture groups in the Rockhampton area? If not I am interested in starting one. I have a area downstairs that would be suitable for massage, yoga and discussion groups. I have just started on my vegetable garden. I have about 80 square metres to garden, it will be very intensive. Yesterday I purchased two laying chickens (day olds). I plan to purchase some guinea pigs.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Hi there fellow Rockyite. I just found this site too. are you in town? Hope you find some others around. Just thought I would say hello.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton I too am in Rocky. There is a PC garden at Yeppoon called Waru and I am told there was/is a group but they seem hard to contact. I am told they meet once a month on site, a Sunday morning, but no info on which Sunday of the month. Maybe contact Livingstone Rem Veg or Capricorn Coast Landcare for further contact details. There is also a community garden starting up at Wandal. It was devised as a disabled respite care facility but the idea is to focus on gardening and integrate the disability clients as part of a larger community group. They will be using PC principles so I guess they must have some local PC contacts. The contact person for that group who might be interested to hear from you is Julie Emmerson, phone 4927 2242 or email garden at homesupport.org.au
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Thanks for the reply, I will persue the leads you have given me. If anyone wants to catch up and talk permaculture or look at the set-up I am considering you are more than welcome. I would love to see other permaculture set-ups.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton I have only started to garden in rocky so am still expermenting with what grows here. Am trying to work out what to plant for winter at moment. Any surgestions? I only have a very small space of about 2m by 6m, so am just trying a few of lots of different things. Have been told that our place is not big enough to keep chooks or anything like :evil: I have tried to grow a few fruit trees but they are not doing well . So, as you can see I am very small time here but it is better than nothing. what dose everyone else have growing now?
Re: Groups in Rockhampton We are still struggling to learn to grow anything but I can give you some hints. We have papaws in a raised garden bed. They were purchased locally at the Arcade markets Sunday mornings. We have sweet potatoes from stock bought from the The Salad Bowl, Lakes Creek Road. They are really good once you get them going. We have an olive tree, not doing so good, a wild Soursop, some mangoes (they do really well up here if you like them). We have a raised garden bed with zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes all doing well but not far along yet. We have a shadehouse with hydro lettuce because it is just too hot and the days just too long in summer otherwise. We also have some beans which we planted once about 3 years ago and they keep turning up. My boss grows a lot of Chinese veggies as his wife is Chinese. Go to the markets and see what is available, that will give you ideas.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Dianne have you thought about guinea pigs for fertilizing? I plan to put guinea pigs on the old vegetable beds then put the chooks on it. When the chooks are finished take them off, water it well, wait till the greenery grows back then put them back on it again. After that puting a fresh batch of veges in, re-starting the cycle. I grow sweet potato and small cherry tomato's and pawpaws. I haven't really tried anything else.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton One other thing - the race club has an enormous pile of stable manure which they give away and can even load for you. It is sawdust mixed with manure and well steeped in horse urine, but they pile it up to age, and dish it out from the oldest part of the pile. I don't know the name of the guy who you need to speak to for arranging loading but if you call the R'ton Jockey Club office they can tell you. The RJC has been told to get rid of it by council. The only real restriction is you need to call in advance to line it up because some days they are busy getting ready for a big race meet, and no time to load it then.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton I'm thinking I need to get a licence. can drive, just never gorn in to get opens. makes it very hard when you cant pop into the markets ect. Also DH isn't very into all this stuff so he is my biggest hurdle. He dosn't like markets so dosn't take me, also dosn't wont small pets. I got the kids a budge and that didn't go down to well. I did order some cow poo from the guy that advtises in the local paper once, DH really not happy about that one so cant see him taking me to race track. Has anyone started to plant any of the winter crops yet?
Re: Groups in Rockhampton I haven't planted any winter crops yet. Dianne and Luisa would you like to catch up and share some gardening ideas?
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Me, not so good with strangers. sorry. would like to keep talking though. Maybe somewhere down the track.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Hi, I'm brand new to this board, but am also in the Rockhampton area - Gracemere actually. At the moment I'm only renting, and can't see that changing any time soon, but am still going ahead with putting in some vegie patches (rather, turning existing beds full of weeds into vegie gardens). The landlord is happy for me to garden so that's a good thing! I've just borrowed Introduction to Permaculture from the library after reading bits and pieces everywhere that have really drawn me to this principle. Obviously renting and on a budget I won't be able to overhaul this entire block, but I'm hoping to at least incorporate as many principles as I can with what I am doing. Thanks for the info on the Wandal Community Garden and the racecourse horse poo - last time I needed manure I went out to my uncles cattle farm and collected some, but the racecourse is much more convenient in these days of trying to drive less. Looking forward to learning and reading about you guys here in Rocky for some local knowledge! Theresa Mum to Emma (4y7m) and Georgie (2y10m)
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Welcome Great to see another member in the rocky area. Please let us know how you go with your gardening and what sort of plants you have success with. Anytime you are in Rocky and have the time to drop in you are welcome.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Hi there Theresa. What are you thinking about planting? I have just planted a whole heep of things this week to see how they go. If you would like to try some different types of tomatoes I can send you some seeds. I have a thing for growing them and may have gotten to many packets last time.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Hello all, I'm also a Rockyite ( born and bred ) . I've been on a 1000m2 block in Frenchville for the last 4 years and am slowly building up a bit of a productive food garden. There were some existing mature fruit trees in the yard ( Citrus, mangoes, bananas and macadamia ) to which I've added some more as well as some perennial veggies and the odd annual. If anyone wants to get hold off some of the harder to get, oddball food plants like cassava, arrowroot, ceylon spinach or Yacon, give me a yell, as I usually have some planting material to spare. See ya
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Hi! I currently have Sweet Potato, Beans, Carrots, and Beetroot growing, and have planted some turnips, swedes and parsnips. We also have some Basil, Parsley, Chives and Mint growing well too. Sadly I do have bean fly in my beans though, so am needing to do some work on improving my soil and will need to get some more beds ready so I can get my crops rotating. But I have ordered some more green manure seeds and some cover crops to help get the weeds down and improve the soil as much as I can. My girls and I actually have loads of allergies, so we have a fairly restricted diet and I'm only growing things we are likely to eat, so sadly all the Tomato, Capsicum, Chilli, Potato, type plants are out for us I visited a friend on the weekend and met my first Indian Game chooks, so am now also working on a design for a chicken tractor that will be safe from my chicken-loving staffy Max! He is extremely strong and I know his love of chickens would mean he would bust through anything that wasn't engineered specifically to prevent him getting in... luckily I have two very capable brothers who I am going to enlist to help me weld something up! The biggest issue I have is that I'm renting... the landlord is ok for me to garden, but there is still that degree of uncertainty and I'm reluctant to get too carried away... :? I want nothing more than to go all out and get this block working properly - its a perfect block to work with because the entire back yard is practically a blank canvas. Anyway, that's enough rambling!
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Has anyone joined the community garden at Wandal? We are on their list but have heard nothing. I thought maybe we could all meet there and then if people are interested in seeing others gardens, we could make arrangements then. Or maybe we should PM each other?
Re: Groups in Rockhampton I am on an acreage just outside of Gracemere and would like to try a lot harder in my garden, I want to grow lots more food! I have a mandala garden very close to my house, only problem are the big trees close by. I am also trying to establish a windbreak as the wind roars in from the SE and drys everything out. I also use bore water, but I think it is fairly good quality. I would be interested in meeting other like-minded people to swap ideas and plants with.
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Welcome Nematode, I am very interested in starting up a local group that meets monthly. Visiting different gardens and getting guest speakers to talk about their area of expertise(e.g native gardens, fertilizing, living sustainably etc). There is a permaculture garden in Byfield that is having a open day tomorrow, they are having a expo from the 3rd-5th July. Their website is www.committed2change.org
Re: Groups in Rockhampton Thanks grassroots. I was unable to make it to the open garden yesterday but I am very keen to have a look. Perhaps you could let everyone know when the next open day will be. Does anyone have some ideas for edible trees in a windbreak, this wind is driving me nuts! I have planted some acacias, they are doing well.
