The Giant Russian Sunflowers at Donald’s Red Gate Community Garden are in the final days of their
spectacular bloom.

The Red Gate Crew, The Buloke Times

Measuring some four metres in height (that’s around 14ft in Red Gate parlance) with seedhead/flowers weighing in at around 2 kgs (4lbs?), they have been photographed many times by visitors passing through town and locals alike. Check them out soon if you haven’t already done so.

Towering above the McCulloch St. streetscape they have become a sight-seeing talking point and we have distributed many seeds to anybody who cared to ask.

This is the second year we have planted and grown them and we intend to continue planting them for many years to come.

Joy of gardening

We challenged all growers to a competition to grow the tallest sunflower but no-one stepped forward to claim the prize. So I guess the challenge carries over to 2025. We see it as a great way to introduce kids to the joys of gardening, but it’s open to all age groups.

We have also had spectacular success with our passionfruit vines. The fruit-fly netting has enabled us to harvest excellent tomato, apricot and plum yields in addition to other at risk crops. We worked out why our carrots were stunted and forking – the addition of sand to the soil did the trick. And like so many other gardeners around town, our brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts), were a disappointment, probably due to seasonal conditions, so we will be persevering again this year in the hope of improved results. Our asparagus is bolting, spreading and producing in ways we never expected. However, we need to refine our rhubarb techniques – another set of failures last year!

We have a prolific crop of Thai Basil but no-one seems to know what to do with it – it’s quite unlike the Sweet Basil we’re all familiar with; it has an aniseed flavour. If anybody would like to try some, just drop in to the Red Gate Garden any Tuesday morning – and this is an open invitation to EVERYONE! Share some of our produce, have a cuppa and a chat – Tuesday mornings from around 9 to 11.

Participation

Participation is what we strive to achieve.

Gardening also works as a subtle form of exercise for those who disdain formal exercise – you call on muscles and perform positioning that you might never attempt otherwise – all with a defined purpose: to produce food or ornamentals.

The Harvey family (Leonie/Geoff and son Bowen) rehabilitated our poly tunnel greenhouse/shadehouse with Bowen supplying the costly materials to us free of charge. The harveyhouse will hopefully give our seedlings a head-start for all seasons.

Come along and check us out – a fine bunch of people and excellent gardeners.

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 11 February 2025.