Newsletter – Spring 2026

Spring is an exciting time in every garden, and ours is no exception. In this newsletter we share what’s been bringing us joy as the weather warms, wonder at the mystery of asparagus and take a close-up look at the humble nasturtium.

First, a heads-up about our upcoming Annual General Meeting. We’ll be sending out the formal notice soon, but in the meantime, please put Monday 7 December in your diaries – 6.30pm at the Reginald Murphy Community Centre in Greenknowe Ave.

All welcome; the AGM is great opportunity to share experiences, as well as hear from the committee about the year that’s been and what the future may hold. There will be refreshments.

You can read our Constitution, as well as the minutes of last year’s AGM on the About Us page of the website.

NEWS

Draft guidelines for community gardens

Last issue, we let you know that the City of Sydney would soon be seeking feedback on a new draft Community Greening Framework – a suite of new and updated policy documents covering community gardens, footpath and laneway gardens and community greening volunteers.

Most relevant to us, the draft Community gardens guidelines were released on 22 September, with a closing date for comments of 3 November.

The committee put together a submission on behalf of the garden, which is available here.

The Community Greening team will now go through all the feedback, and submit final draft guidelines to Council for approval, probably in March next year. We’ll keep you updated on developments.

AROUND THE GARDEN

Spring is a busy time in all areas of the garden, harvesting the last of the winter crops, sowing seeds and nurturing seedlings, planning and preparing beds. If you’d like to lend a hand, you’d be very welcome; as long as you’ve had your safety induction as a member, just drop in during working bee times. Whatever help you can offer, it’s always appreciated.

Spring working bee times:
Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8am–10am in the Potager garden
Sundays 4–6pm in the Kitchen and Bush Food gardens

Caught in the act

We just had to share this beautiful photo by Liz Silverstone, our insect whisperer.

A pair of Orchard Swallowtail butterflies, doing their thing in the Potager garden. Says Liz, ‘The fancy one is the lady; the black cape is the suitor.’

The ultimate spring vegetable!

Asparagus has been pushing up tasty spears at both ends of the garden for most of October. There’s plenty in the shops, but it’s magic watching it grow.

Unseen under the ground is the ‘crown’, the perennial part of the plant, that spends summer taking in energy via the tall feathery fronds it produced last spring. It goes quiet over winter as the foliage dies back, then as the weather warms, it pushes up those strong new shoots – the spears we eat – at a phenomenal rate – 5 cm per day in the right conditions.

Fun fact: Asparagus is dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female. Male plants produce larger, thicker and more numerous spears because they don’t spend energy making seeds. Female plants develop small red berries in autumn.

Flowering, fruiting, transition and renewal

Here are some recent highlights from across the garden. You can read more from past seasons in the new Stories section of our website.

Spring in the Potager garden has seen an explosion of growth. We got in early with our seedlings and are already harvesting zucchini from several plants. The hessian tie supporting the main stem in the photo encourages it to grow upwards rather than out, to save space. The green sorrel is also thriving.
More news in the Potager garden spring update, including how to strike a new baby eggplant.

In the Kitchen garden we’re still enjoying the produce from crops nurtured over winter. The broad beans made it all the way to harvest without aphid infestation, and we’ve been sharing multiple beetroots every week since mid-September, especially the candy-striped Chioggia and sweet Golden Detroit varieties.
More news in the Kitchen garden spring update.

In the Bush Food garden, our ‘Peter’s Thornless’ native raspberry has been producing lots of fruit – not as tangy as European varieties but sweet and juicy if left on the plant until fully ripe. We’re also thrilled to welcome seedlings of the fleshier variety of murnong or yam daisy, which are now in the ground and seem to be settling in well.
Read more in the Bush Food garden spring update.

EVENTS

Events are opportunities for members to come together outside regular working bees, to share, learn – and just chat. Keep your eye out for announcements!

SPRING ‘LONG TABLE’

Our Long Table lunch on 1 November was our first gathering without the generous shade of the native mulberry tree, which was given a drastic haircut a few months ago.

We have plans for seasonal shade from deciduous vines over the steel structure, including a self-pollinating Issai kiwiberry (Actinidia arguta 'Issai'), but in the meantime a few strategically hung tablecloths worked just fine.

Good food and good conversations were shared.

Tomatoes, beetroot, cape gooseberries, (lots of) spinach, salad leaves and herbs harvested from the garden were all on the menu. Along with some creative combinations inspired by garden produce with a bit of help from Harris Farm – and not forgetting the simple pleasures of bread, cheese and olives.

A few recipe links:
Jo’s Spring vegetable salad with maple-yuzu dressing
Lindy’s Spinach, pinenut and raisin cake

CLOSE-UP – NASTURTIUMS

Our Close-up series focuses on top tips and deep dives to help you get the most out of what the garden has to offer. This issue, we introduce the colourful world of nasturtiums, one of our favourite plants - beautiful, un-fussy, and entirely edible.

We grow several varieties of this lovely but unassuming plant, including the common mounding, trailing or semi-trailing cultivars, Tropaeolum majus, like the delicate yellow variety in the photo.

We also have a couple of newer dwarf types, Tropolaeum minus (or nanum), which do well around our vegetables and fruit trees. Baby Rose is a favourite.

The whole plant is edible. Both the flowers and leaves have a soft, almost velvety texture and pleasantly peppery taste similar to rocket or watercress. Try scattering a few flowers, torn large leaves or whole baby leaves on top of salad. This works particularly well with the magnificently variegated Alaska cultivar pictured here. Or try the leaves and stems in a stir fry or pesto.

According to Wikipedia, the flowers have as much vitamin C as parsley, as well as high concentrations of lutein, a carotenoid which may support eye health. It’s the lutein that gives the orange flowers their vibrant colour.
The bees love them too. Look closely and you’ll see a bee diving deep for nectar, with its stripey abdomen matching the striations on the petals.
Read the full nasturtium story.

STAY IN TOUCH

In between newsletters, follow us on Instagram. Members can also stay in touch via our various WhatsApp groups, intended for practical communications about things like rosters or working bees; they’re also great for sharing photos or useful resources you’ve come across. Let us know if you’re a member and would like to be added to these groups.

And don’t forget, spring and summer times for working bees are Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8am (Potager garden), and Sundays from 4pm (Kitchen and Bushfood gardens).

Hope to see you in the garden!