About Bellingen Seedsavers

We are a group of like-minded growers of edible and useful heritage plant varieties in the Bellingen area of northeast New South Wales, Australia.

Our climate varies from frost-free coastal areas to inland river valleys and highlands with frosts. Bellingen has an average annual rainfall of 1507ml.

Showing posts with label compost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label compost. Show all posts

Wednesday, 26 July 2017

Bellingen Seedsavers visit to Mullumbimby Community Garden


Joel (on left) guided us around the extensive community garden

A view over the garden


Bamboo scaffold for climbing beans




A built bamboo bench

A useful bamboo structure


Homemade Bee Hives

A bee house for solo bees


A simple chicken house

The community vegetable beds
Part of the 'Food For All' area.


Composting Bins

Collecting Food Scraps

Making Compost Tea with a small pump to aerate the tea.

Dwarf Cavendish Banana

A Permaculture principle

A Poly House in Construction

Setting up for Aquaponics.

Loofah









Friday, 23 June 2017

Winter Solstice gathering at David's garden in Gleniffer.

The road to David's garden

Beautiful Gleniffer, NSW - the view from from David's gate.


Bellingen Seedsavers take morning tea

As always a shared tea takes place before or after we wander through a garden. Obviously our winter day was very mild at noon.

Muffins and Chick Pea fritters

Savoury Muffins


This view from David's gate is of the surrounding escarpment of the Dorrigo Plateau.

Seedsavers take a garden walk.

Past the Mandarin tree

Past the Comfrey (left) and Nasturtium (right)



Under trees

Past the Sweet Potato groundcover,

Under the tall Custard Apple.

Mandarins are ornamental as well as delicious.


Lemons




David explains.
Every garden visit we share our local growing knowledge. We always learn more. Growing local is preferable if it saves burning carbon.

Star Fruit or Carambola



Star Fruit (Carambola) Crumble
Carambolas are so productive. Here is one way to use the fruit. Another member dries the slices.

The Winter Solstice Fire.

David likes to add a little ceremony and ritual to life. Why not!




Bellingen Seedsavers ceremonial fire for Winter Solstice


David made sure we participated in the 'Ceremony of Burning The Summer Hat'.

Rows of Comfrey edge David's gardens
 Comfrey is excellent for enriching the soil because it drags up deep nutrients that can activate soil improvement.


This is the biggest Lemon Verbena bush I have seen. It grows in part shade.

Pineapple near bellingen
Pineapple

Large fruit on Pomelo
The pomelo, Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis Wikipedia


David's Pomelo is bearing plenty of fruit.




Dipsacus (Teasel)

David is growing Teasel for medicinal reasons, to treat a Lyme like disease. He uses a tincture made from the root.



David believes this is a Yellow Mangosteen still surviving our warm temperate zone winter although it looks a little unhappy.








Sunday, 21 April 2013

Garden visit to a developing food forest at Gleniffer

Click on a photo to enlarge.

Afternoon Tea in the garden
 We always have a sumptuous afternoon tea after our garden tour.
Afternoon Tea in Gleniffer

date & walnut cake


Pumpkin muffins; a great way to use pumpkin

Candlenut Tree
 We will post recipes in a later post.
Candlenut on the tree

Carambola Tree with fruit

Compost heap

Ginger patch
Every plant pictured grows well in our warm temperate/sub-tropical climate. Ginger (above) is very useful and loves our heat and water. You can start with a chunk from the greengrocer or market. Make sure each piece planted has an eye.

Hawaiian Guava

Lab Lab Bean and Elder flower

Mandarin













As we wended our path through the food forest we came across a huge flowering mandarin laden with fruit.

The Lab Lab bean grows along fencelines and trellises.
Mushrooms

These mushrooms sprang out of the horse manure David had collected.

Newly constructed path

Pineapple guava

Plant table

Pomello



Mushrooms growing from horse manure mulch





 Saba Nuts shoot underneath the tree
David's garden has grown so much since our last visit. He hopes to host a permaculture course with Rosemary Morrow later in the year.
Banana

Rhubarb is useful in desserts or in savoury stews.

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