Green thumbs

Green thumbs harvest all year round

Words by Graeme Scott

Here at Halcyon Parks our gardening group the Green Thumbs have gone from strength to strength since planting our first edible garden in January 2015.

We had four garden beds back then and we harvested and sold our first crop in May that year. Since then we have added an additional 16 garden beds which are 6m x 1.5m x 0.6m high, which is the largest across any Halcyon community. We have around 26 members in the Green Thumbs, with nine hands-on gardeners who have several jobs like planting seeds, planting seedlings, digging over beds as they become vacant, fertilising, spraying and harvesting. Most advice around the cultivation of vegetables revolves around the classic four seasons - Spring Summer, Autumn and Winter. Here on the alluvial plain of Meridan Plains we do not experience the true four seasons. We have distinct hot and cool seasons and this has an effect on the production of some varieties of fruit and vegetables. For example we have had no success in producing good quality cauliflower, broccoli and broad beans. Lush growth but no fruit. From our experience based on what we have grown successfully over the past six years we can divide our production into three phases - all year round, hot months and cooler months.

All year round: tomatoes, beans, spring onions, silver beet, bok choy, chili, capsicum, radish, lettuce, leeks and asparagus. Hot months: pumpkin, zucchini, squashes, okra, marrow, corn, cucumbers and eggplant. Cooler months: cabbage, peas, turnips, beetroot, english spinach, kolrabi and daikon. We also planted a citrus orchard and we have cumquat, mandarines, limes, oranges, grapefruit, and lemons. We have also planted feijoa, bananas, jaboticaba and a passionfruit vine. We harvest at 2pm on Friday and sell the produce for a $1.00 a bag at 5pm at the Recreation Club. All proceeds are used to buy fertiliser, soil, netting and frames to cover the young plants.

Merle and Graeme Scott

Doctor in the house

DEDICATED GP LOOKS FORWARD TO EXPLORING NEW PASSIONS AT HALCYON GLADES

Dr Robyn Mawer

Being a GP for more than 50 years, Dr Robyn Mawer said work has always consumed her life.

“I’m like a lot of other doctors, we work hard. I haven’t had a holiday for three years,’’ she said. She recently swapped a sixday-a-week job at a clinic in Hamilton, Brisbane, for a two-tothree day a week job at Health Hub Doctors Morayfield. “I’m working exclusively in the skin clinic. I love it. I think I’ve gone to heaven,’’ she said. In another major life change, Robyn has traded her twobedroom Hamilton unit for a new life at Halcyon Glades, which is ideally positioned between Brisbane and the beautiful beaches of the Sunshine Coast.

“My daughter wanted me to move to Halcyon,’’ she said. “When I got the job at the Health Hub Doctors Morayfield, Halcyon Glades just made perfect sense. “My daughter is close by in Fitzgibbon, I’ve got a good friend Jocelyn who lives in Caloundra, and I’m looking forward to signing up for the organised activities at Halcyon Glades.” “I think I’ll adapt well to community living.’’ Robyn says she has already been allocated a “buddy” to help navigate her way into the Halcyon life. “My husband died six years ago. There was very little neighbour interaction where I was living in the unit in Hamilton,’’ she said. “It’s very hard to come home to an empty unit. “I’m looking forward to having like-minded people around me and taking part in the organised activities.” Robyn said now that she is only working a few days each week, she will use her time to take art classes, forage around the library for a good read, and do some planting in the garden. “My mother was a very keen gardener. I never had the time, but I hope I find out that I have her green thumb,” she said. “I’m usually just finishing a book or just starting a new one. I enjoy crime writing and EnglishCanadian writer Peter Robinson is one of my favourite authors.’’ Robyn said her new Halcyon Glades home offers her the space she needs to be independent, but at the same time it will allow her to embrace a new community.