Melbourne - Pop Up Patch

 

I'm presenting at the Sustainability Festival at Melbourne's Federation Square. It's a filthy hot day but before my talk I want to visit a new community garden that's been installed on the Federation roof top car park.

This 7 year old slab of unused concrete has been converted into a thriving veggie patch by the blokes from The Little Veggie Patch Company.

After much bureaucratic wrangling, they have the space for 12 months for 140 do-it-yourself veggie boxes.

Members of the public can rent or buy boxes for the year ....

 

... and can choose from a seasonal mix of seeds to plant.

 

And experts are on hand throughout the week to give you advice about what and how to plant.

 

 

 There's also an array of planting systems if you want to set up your own veggie patch but are squeezed for space.

All the restaurants and cafes at Federation Square have their own box so they can grow ingredients for their daily menus.

Inspirational, huh? For more details contact The Little Veggie Patch.

Sydney - James St Reserve Community Garden

This is a story about how neighbours can come together - despite the odds - to build a better community. And there's no better way of building community than with a garden.

 

In 2010 a group of locals in Redfern had spotted a dusty corner of the James St Reserve that was crying out to be transformed. It was a pedestrian thoroughfare to the local supermarket and a drug-users haunt.

But they saw the potential. So they applied for a matching grant from the City of Sydney.

 ... et viola -  after much hard work - a luscious vegetable garden was born.

 The garden is planted in raised beds

 The vegetable and herb plantings are seasonal so there's always something in the garden to enjoy

 The garden is surrounded by a low fence with unlocked gates. Residents are divided into groups which are assigned their own beds to look after - but everyone is welcome to enjoy the harvests. Of course there's a bit of pilfering and vandalism that goes on. But they're developing ways of managing this and encouraging all residents to have some ownership of the garden. And it's working.

There was such a strong sense of collaboration and 'pulling together' when I visited.

 

Hope this inspires you to get your community to come together to transform a bit of neglected space in your suburb into a thriving veggie patch. It is possible.