I’d like to share the last few snippets of Incredible Edible Broome’s 2020 with you before fully welcoming in 2021…
The IEB AGM was on the 5th December. If you’d like to know more about it, please see our annual and financial reports in the About section of the website. IEB said farewell to committee members: Melania, Tania and Michelle. We are so grateful for and highly value the time, energy and input from these lovely folk, thank you. Although it’s sad to say goodbye, this process provides space for others to join the committee. As a result, we’d like to warmly welcome new bodies onto the team: Nadia, Luisa and Kirrily as well as returning committee members Sam, Catriona, Brendan, Sue and myself (Ayesha). We look forward to another exciting, fun and full year ahead!
Before the IEB AGM kicked off, we had a round room chat about what our plans, dreams and hot tips for our wet season gardens were. I’m including this as a record, while it’s fresh(ish), so we can find it in the future. Here’s some notes on what we discussed:
What people plant and grow in the wet:
- propagate natives
- harvest fruit trees
- corn, beans, okra, peanuts, lentils, tumeric, ginger, galangal, lemon grass
- lots of types of spinach (kang kong, Egyptian, diabetes, Ceylon)
- plant citrus
- eat boab shoots, plant seeds for root harvesting
- plant bananas
- watermelons
- sweet potato
- passion fruit
- green manures: cow pea, lab lab, mung bean
How people prepare for the wet:
- fix reticulation
- move the chickens around to turn over the soil (and poo in it)
- cover in thick mulch and rest
- add poo
Hot Tips
- “letting go” let it grow wild
- check out the Facebook produce page
- Don’t buy banana plants, ask around at IEB for suckers
- plant bananas in circles not rows
- add moisture absorbers to seeds when storing
- plant fresh paw paw seeds (even include the pulp)
- you can grow grapes here! morning sun, reticulation, chook poo mix and on trellis with passionfruit
That was the predecessor to our first Fresh Food Share of 2021, on Saturday 6th February. It was a lovely way to welcome in the year with lots of new faces as well as those we already know and love. Below is a screenshot of the whiteboard (which you can also find on our Facebook page). Another example of our collective brains put to work to talk about our wins and fails of the wet season. And that’s a wrap.
Well, one last thought…we always get a good turn out at the shares this time of year. I think it’s due to a combination of the lush season we find ourselves in and that feeling of slowly emerging from a rest with new energy and an eagerness to reconnect with the soil and each other.
Ayesha
