The Community Nursery will be running on self-guided activities for some of April/May including this Friday. We will be closed for Good Friday (18 April), Anzac Day (25 April). On other Fridays jobs will be mainly weeding, seed collecting and cleaning, track clearing, Education Centre cleaning. We wont be doing any potting up into PB3’s for the rest of the season. Rationale below.
As the season progresses into Autumn and Winter we will be doing less work in the Nursery. People are planting out their natives in Autumn and the Nursery beds are emptying. Potting jobs are targeted at preparing plants for sitting outside over winter, only potting into small pots ready for their re-potting in spring. Weeds, thankfully slow down their growth but weeding still required and watering is no longer necessary. We are still in the middle of seed collecting and cleaning and will sow all our seeds in June. They will sit out over winter, getting the “cold chilling” or stratifying that books tell us we should do by putting seeds in the fridge. It has generally not been a good seed collecting year with a scarcity of many of the usually reliable seed species. We will also do some cuttings workshops for those who wish to learn or re-learn this technique for propagating plants. We also hope the new pond will be created in this period, before the water table rises again. And so a new project will begin for us.
In the veggie garden the produce has been good this year with very successful onions, zucchini, peas, beans, tomatoes, carrots, celery, chillies, cucumbers. Garlic was a flop for me and brassicas, leeks, beetroot and potatoes a lesser crop than previous years. I did think my giant onions would look good at the Riverton Harvest Festival last weekend but seeing the huge produce table (including Joans massive crops – see pic below) I am pleased I didn’t take mine!!
We have a large variety of apples, mainly heritage varieties, and each year is different. Although not the best year, this year, due to less water availability, the birds were a much bigger problem than previous years and we had to pick many apples earlier than we would have liked. However, friends also picked our cider apples and other apples for juicing and cider vinegar making. There are more to be picked if anyone wants some as we have picked our fill of them.
If you have borrowed books from our Library, please return them so others can enjoy them.
Just a heads up our last day of the season will be 27th June 2025 and we will draw the Jo Ogier Print raffle on that day (there are still tickets left). Then we will be closed for winter.
Posted: 1 April 2025
After a quiet start to the year, we have had lots of volunteers on Fridays and the year seems to be speeding into Autumn. Watering has remained a major job through summer and other major nursery jobs recently have been seed collecting and seed cleaning in preparation for sowing all seeds in June. In general terms it has not been a good year for seeds, they seem to be much less available than previous good years so, vigilance is the key. When you are out and about look at our web guide first to see when seeds are likely to be ready and what they look like when mature for picking - https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/restoring-your-patch/get-growing/seeds/
Weeding is of course a major nursery task, so thanks particularly to Geoff Dembo and Ann Irving for keeping up the good work on that front. While keeping the plants alive through summer has been a major task for me, plants are now starting to go out of the Nursery for planting projects in Autumn and we are at last having a few gaps in beds to fill up with small seedlings for next season. Thanks to all our volunteers for great work on Fridays.
We have had a number of visiting groups, from Judys Trefoil, ex-guide leader group, to Rural Womens group to a Spanish tapas night! All while Brian was away to the Subantarctic Islands. Linda Ray and I did however, visit Antarctica (virtually!).
Jo Ogier has made a generous donation of one of her paintings (photo below), proceeds to the Community Nursery. Tickets are $5 each and you can pay cash in the Nursery or internet banking. To be sure the name and bank number match please use the following name STHLD COMMUNITY NURSERY CONSERVATION TRT, and Bank Account Number 031355 0645582 00 and make sure you put your name on the payment so I can allocate a ticket!
A date for your diary – Southland Ecological Restoration Network (www.sern.org.nz) Bus Trip to Waituna Saturday 5 April 2025 – details here, BOOKING ESSENTIAL
https://www.sern.org.nz/events/sern-autumn-field-trip-waituna/
A couple of exciting developments for the future – a new pond will be appearing in our paddock near the education centre (see Jason’s drone photos below) and we welcome Bronwyn back in her new Otatara School role connecting the Nursery and Bushy Point with Otatara School again.
Chris
Posted: 17 March 2025
After a quiet start to 2025, the Nursery is back in full swing on a Friday morning! Today we continued the watering – an almost daily task at the moment. Thanks to those on the watering roster over the holidays, much appreciated. The weather has continued to be sunny, so watering is a big task – we hand water due to being on tank water and it takes about an hour and a half to water the entire nursery. Any willing helpers appreciated.
Other tasks today with our 15 volunteers have been potting, weeding and now seed collecting – starting with red tussocks, toe toe and saltmarsh ribbonwood. We are also preparing for another big project on our property – another pond!!
If you haven’t yet seen the Jo Ogier exhibition at the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore, there is no time to lose – there will be a Floor talk by Jo on Sunday 16 February at 4pm, so maybe a good day to take in the exhibition and hear Jo. https://www.esgallery.co.nz/joogier
There is a marvellous opportunity to buy a wetland (with house attached!) – friends of ours are relocating to Christchurch and are selling their much loved property at Mabel Bush – see pics below and details here https://www.trademe.co.nz/link.aspx?i=12121&id=5146488854
Chris and Brian
www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz
Posted: 7 February 2025
We had a successful Community Nursery Break up on Friday 13th December, some jobs were done such as track gravelling and track clearing and much eating. As usual our pot luck morning teas were of epic proportions. A few thankyous to all our volunteers and gifts of Honorleas beautiful soaps and Christmas Wishes to all.
A band of waterers are in place over the holiday period. Hand watering (we are on talk water) of the Nursery takes about one and a half hours so it is quite a commitment, thanks to those who put their hands up for it. If you are at a loose end over the hols there is always weeding to be done, it wont be an organised thing, just come and do it if you feel like an hour or so of “quiet time”!!
And don’t forget, if you haven’t already done it to visit the Jo Ogier Exhibition at Eastern Southland Gallery, its on until February 25.
The Nursery will reopen for Volunteers on Friday 17th January 2025
Chris and Brian
Posted: 16 December 2024
On 26 November 24, Brian and I attended the Kowhai Reach opening event. We and the Nursery have been involved in this project one way or another for a very long time. Since farmer landowners on the Winton Stream objected to it being straightened for flood control and a number of landowners protected the meandering, kowhai lined stream with a QEII Covenant under the guidance of Roger Sutton. Carried on with gusto by the next QEII Rep Gay Munro, she involved Limehills School and we at the Community Nursery had many sessions with Limehills students to grow Kowhai with them for this project. It is hard to keep up that momentum but now after a few years of less activity, Jesse Bythell (the current QEII Rep), the SDC, landowners and Limehills students have come together with a grand plan for the future and the opening of a new parking area and outside clsssroom and beautiful new sign and hopes for a new track and more planting is the start of a new era for the project. Speakers included landowner Francis Shand, SDC Mayor Rob Scott, Councillor Margie Ruddenklau, Gay Munro and Jesse Bythell QEII, Teachers Kathy Turnbull and Kirsty Smith and a special kowhai song was sung by the students.
At the Community Nursery we have continued growing eco-sourced kowhai from the site over all those years and last year and this year are supplying plants for the rejuvenated and larger protected area. It was great to see old friends, new students and landowners and renewed enthusiasm for this very special Southland place.
Chris
Posted: 4 December 2024
