6.00pm - Arrive early to catch up with friends, make your purchases from BOG/ Seeds, BOG/ Books or the BOG/ Shop or help doing a little maintenance on the gardens at Peace Hall. 7.00pm - We will welcome Terry Stokes. In this talk Terry will look at the importance of soil health and how to enhance the microbial eco systems within the soil. Terry's presentation will also cover Biodiversity, Water Con-servation, Natural Pest Control, Balanced Essential Nutrient Provision, Garden Productivity and more.  Terry Stokes has worked in the field of organic, regenerative garden and land management for the past 13 vears and has helped develop a leading Bio Organic Sustainable Solutions business in Queensland, educating farmers and gardeners alike on how to grow more naturally and productively. After our speaker we will have: Members Time to share What I have been doing in my garden this month' or What I can show off from my garden at the moment'. Member presentations - Share a recipe or a gardening tip BoGI Clinic - bring along anything from you garden that is causing you a problem, we'll try to find a solution Raffle draw Supper - Supper - August is Soup Night - bring a pot of soup, a mug and spoon. Members who bring a Pot of Soup will receive 2 free Raffle Tickets for the nights raffle. BOGI Shop, BOGI Seeds, BOGI Books and BOGI Library will all be open from 6.00 pm.

Drop in for a cuppa, a chat or to restock your garden supplies. BOGI Shop, Seeds, Books and Library will all be open.  Doors open from 11am when you can help tidy the Hall gardens, or help fold newsletters.   The topic of the May Meeting will be Seeds - Saving, Storing, Propagating.   Savings seeds from our own plants saves money and allows us to save seeds from plants that like our climate.  How should we store seeds?  How long can we store them? How do we propagate seeds?  They don't all propagate the same way.  When should we transplant seedlings?  So many more questions.   Along with your questions, bring a plate to share for afternoon tea, and your experiences.  If you have something for the giveaway table, bring that too.       

530pm Doors Open  6.00pm Arrive early to catch up with Friends, make your purcahses from BOGI Seeds, BOGI Books, BOGI Shop, or borrow a book from the Library, or help doing a little maintenance on the gardens at Peace Hall.   7.00pm We welcome Brian Kiepzig, Customer Relationship Manager at Neutrog.  Brian will tell us about their work with biological products and thte role they play in soil health and ultimately plant health.  He will also tell us some fo the work they are doing on disease prevention using biologicals.  Neutrogs R&D program includes world leading experts who share our innate curiosity to explore the capacity of microbes, as a means to providee sustainable, effective solutions that yield results and improve soil health.   After our Speaker, we will have our 2026 AGM, followed by presentations of Bring Along Items, the BOGI Clinic, Raffle Draw (Tickets $1 each) and Supper (bring a plate, and receive 2 raffle tickets too).  $2 admission for members and $4 for non members.   

  430pm - Please help Col if you can with BOGI Shop activities such as bagging produce into smaller lots (very handy) and unloading stock into the BOGI Produce Shop.  6pm - BOGI Seeds, Shop, Library, Book Store open  7pm - Presentation - all things gin and liquers (and washing conditioner!) from the garden with Tony Knight.         

Come and hear Michelle Gleeson - AKA the Bug Lady, as she shares her knowledge and love of bugs.   Michelle will also have copies of her book, Miniature Lives, Identifying Insects in Your Home an Garden, for $49.95.  Please note Michelle takes cash only.   

February Drop In and Chat Saturday 21 February Come and join in from 11.00am to 3.00pm  Doors open from 11am when you can help tidy the Hall gardens, help fold newsletters or help package items for the BOGI Shop. This is our first Drop In for 2026! Drop in for a cuppa, a chat or to restock your garden supplies. The BOGI Shop, BOGI Seeds, and BOGI Books will all be open. The topic of the February meeting we will be ‘Recycling Plastic Plant Pots’ We use so many plastic plant pots these days and there are many ways we can recycle them. Some ways of using them are very creative. Come along and share what you do and what you have seen others do. Share your thoughts and experiences with us, ask for our suggestions or just share what has been happening in your garden recently. This is the perfect time for sitting around sharing our knowledge and/or problems while enjoying a cuppa and a bite to eat. Let’s share our experiences, tips and knowledge. Bring along anything you may like to share. We will also have time to discuss any gardening problems.  Ask your questions about anything you want to know about gardening over this summer period. Bring along your questions and we’ll do our best to answer them. If you have something for the giveaway table, please bring it along to share.  Bring a plate of something to share for afternoon tea. Come along to join in a friendly social afternoon with like-minded people. Share a little of your time, knowledge and experiences. If you require any further information about the afternoon, please contact Penny Ossowski on 0438 254 673 or bogipresident@gmail.com

Presented by the Friends of the Brisbane Botanical Gardens and Sherwood Arboretum    Nematodes are the most numerous animals in the world but the only species that receive attention are those which attack humans, farm animals, cats, dogs, or insects. The nematodes which live in soil are vitally important from an environmental and food production perspective but they are largely ignored by humans.   If you would like to learn something about this fascinating group of animals, you are welcome to attend a presentation at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens Auditorium on Wednesday 12 February at 5.30 pm. Dr Graham Stirling, the most experienced nematologist in Australia, will discuss the nematodes that live in soil and explain why they are important.   The ‘good’ nematodes play a vital role in minimising global warming, because they help ensure that the plants in our natural forests and grasslands receive a continuous supply of nutrients The ‘bad’ nematodes reduce the yield of many of our food and fibre crops by as much as 25% The ‘ugly’ nematodes cause severe damage and often decimate food crops such as potato, carrot, sweet potato and tomato After the presentation, which will run for about 30 minutes, attendees can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee while observing some of these tiny worms under a microscope. RSVP: fbbgsa.org.au/events COST: $20 ($10 members and BG staff)   For those unable to attend, 66 fact sheets on plant and soil nematodes can be accessed on the Australasian Plant Pathology Society website:  https://www.appsnet.org/nematodes    

Join us for the first event for 2026.   Admission:    Members $2.00    Non Members $4.00 Raffle Tickets    $1.00 each Doors Open - 5.30pm  6.00pm - Arrive early to catch up with friends, make your purchases from BOGI Seeds, BOGI Books or the BOGI Shop or help doing a little maintenance on the gardens at Peace Hall. 7.00pm     Come along and join Arno King as he shares his passion for all things gardening. Arno is a Brisbane-based landscape architect and horticulturist, Radio 4BC presenter and a long-time supporter of BOGI. Arno grows a wide diversity of unusual plant species and is particularly interested in growing edible plants in creative settings and biological and organic gardening.  After our speaker we will have Presentation of ‘Bring Along’ items ‘what I can show off from my garden at the moment’. Member presentations - Share a recipe or a gardening tip BOGI Clinic - bring along anything from you garden that is causing you a problem, we’ll try to find a solution Raffle draw Supper - Bring something to share for supper and you will receive 2 free Raffle Tickets for the nights raffle. BOGI Shop, BOGI Seeds, BOGI Books and BOGI Library will all be open from 6.00pm.  

Our December Christmas meeting will be on Thursday 4 December.    6.00pm (or earlier) - Stalls start selling 7.00pm - Pesto tasting and voting  7.30pm - Stalls stop selling and it will be time for: Annette's Quiz Checking out and voting for best homemade Christmas Gift Entertainment and Games Presentation of prizes and Green Frog Awards Sharing what is happening in your garden Raffle Draw Supper and Chat For any queries, please contact Penny, President on 0438254673 or email her at bogipresident@gmail.com  Bring a prize to donate to the raffle and something delicious to be shared for supper.   Please also remember a Tip or Saying to get freee entry to the meeting - these will be used throughout the year in the BOGI newsletter.  And, bring your sense of fun and joy.    If you have any history info - please bring that along and find Helen.   Thank you   

Please note, there is NO November Drop In and Chat on Saturday 15 November.  The BOGI Produce Store  will be open (thank you Col and Leanne).   You will also be able to pay your membership for the upcoming year if it is due - by cash or card - please see Helen on Saturday.   For members who have RSVPd, the 50th Birthday Party starts at Midday, concluding by 3pm on Saturday 15 November.  For any questions, please contact the BOGI President, Penny, on 0438 254 673.         

BOGI Meeting Thursday 6 November 7.00pm til late (Doors Open 530pm) Admission - Members $2, Non Members $4 Raffle Tickets - $1 each Join BOGI Member and owner of Dragon Grove Fragrances, Tallis Bartlett as she shows us how to make: Distilled Floral Water A Christmassy Essential Oil Blend Rose Beads Pomanders DIY CHristmas Decorations including tree ornaments, a wreath and a dried fruit garland.  BOGI Shop, seeds, books, library, all open from 6.00pm.