Communal gardens are in bloom across our city as residents seek out opportunities to grow fresh produce, with fantastic results.
We are pleased to support green-thumbed groups like Kensington Stockyard Food Garden, which harvested 206 kg of produce and recorded 906 volunteer hours in a single year.
The group also reinvigorated its neighbouring garden at Kensington Community School and shared gardening knowledge with 147 children.
Martin Mulvihill is one of the passionate people behind our city’s newest garden, the Drill Hall Community Garden on Therry Street, set to open in mid-October.
The garden was initiated by the Drill Hall Residents’ Association, with support from Cohealth, the Multicultural Hub, Housing Choices Australia, Polygon Design and the City of Melbourne.
‘Drill Hall residents are at the centre of this project, which emphasises accessibility and inclusion for the wide range of people who live in the affordable housing, including people in wheelchairs,’ Martin said.
‘There will be wicking beds allocated to locals, worm farms, a children’s area, and places to sit and relax. The garden will be wonderful for residents, but it will also be a public space.’
Communal gardens are an important way for people to access fresh produce, boost their wellbeing and build community connections as Melbourne’s population grows.
Growing sustainable, local produce and composting organic waste is also a great way to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill, as we take action on climate change.
Other communal garden locations include Stevenson Lane, Boyd Community Hub, East Melbourne Library, Geographe Street in Docklands, and Courtney Street in North Melbourne.
For more information, visit Community Food Guide.
