..... and beyond .....

..... ust some notes on other organisations and groups to reseach as time allows .....

 

 

Still Gardening

Friends of Groups

RTBG - Community Food Garden
           - Heirloom Tomatoes
           - Friends of the Gardens

Land Care

Conservation Volunteers

Mt Stuart Gardeners

West Hobart gardeners??

Urban Farming Tasmania

Second Bite

Stephanie Alexander School Gardens

Spring Community Festival

Sustainable Living Tasmania

Runnymede (and other heritage homes)


..... and so on and so on as more discoveries are made .....

............and beyond

 

If you already have a back yard which consumes enough of your time and growing more food does not interest you, there are various other ways you can get involved in your community and get your hands dirty. Many suburbs run Friends Of groups which engage in bush regeneration, track clearing and weed removal in their local reserves. These are mostly run by Hobart City Council, Landcare and interested volunteers.

 

Conservation Volunteers Tasmania run “working holidays” where volunteers participate in programs that protect and enhance our environment and heritage. These involve everything from track clearing, sign painting, animal counts and trapping, weed removal and other conservation based projects.

 

The Still Gardening program helps older people to stay active in their gardens, eat well and live independently. They take on “Garden Mate” volunteers to work with these people to help keep their gardens well cared for. It is a rewarding task which makes a tangible difference and enriches the lives of both the volunteer and the home owner. For details contact Juliet Chapman on 62369349 or email stillgardening@hobartcity.com.au.   

Other Gardens

 

Other gardens which I intend to write on and investigate in the future despite the fact that this course has finished include Taroona Community Garden, Goodwood Community Garden, Chigwell Community Garden and Kingborough Community Garden.

TASMANIAN COMMUNITY FOOD GARDEN

 

The Tasmanian Community Food Garden is part of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. It has replaced the much-loved Pete’s Patch which has been redeveloped and extended with wider paths, attractive brick walls and various irregularly shaped patches. Rather than holding plots for individual community members these plots are available to community groups so far including a veterans group and Second Bite.

 

It is has been designed as a place for Tasmanians to come together to learn about cultivation and cooking skills which they can then share with their communities. More than twenty community groups are making a cooperative effort to create and maintain the garden beds. It aims to develop “a model community food garden demonstrating best practice in sustainable food production and preparation, supported by a community of food gardens and food gardeners”. It is funded by the Tasmanian Community Fund.

 

They are currently running workshops on various propagation and plant growing themes. These are on Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 2pm and are free to Feeding the Future and Tasmanian Community Food Garden members. Other participants will need to pay $15. To book for these please contact the RTBG on 62363050.

 

Facebook information include photos of the scarecrow wedding and honeymoon can be accessed at www.facebook.com/TasmanianCommunityFoodGarden/timeline.

 

ST JOHN'S ORCHARD

Behind the Anglican rectory at 9 St John’s Avenue New Town was once a large urban back yard with room for fruit trees and chooks. The Lenah Links community group took out the lease on the garden to allow local residents to grow some food or just spend time in a large shady space.

It has a variety of fruit trees including apricots, nectarines, apples, peaches, a mature walnut and a mulberry tree. There is a chook shed with large healthy chooks and the regular and competitive crowing of roosters next to a large herb spiral.

 

Ogilvie High School has plots where they grow vegetables for use in the school canteen, a group from St John’s Anglican Church grows flowers, and Work Skills help maintain the orchard. The space also has a large green shade cloth covered potting and propagation shed.

 

 

They also run regular community events such as Music in the Orchard and a Harmony Day picnic in the orchard throughout the year. 

 

On the last Sunday of every month between 11.30 and 3 a working bee is held followed by wood-fired pizza cooked in a wonderful domed stone pizza oven. More information can be found by ringing Ruth on 0408344105 or via www.lenahlinks.com.

 

SOUTH HOBART COMMUNITY GARDEN

 

The SoHo Community Garden at 106 Cascade Road was transformed from a grassy plot to a productive garden by community volunteers. It was funded by various grants and people took the opportunity to sponsor fruit trees. Apparently there are still some fruit trees left to sponsor if you’re interested.

 

 

It is run under a garden management and maintenance plan and has a forest garden plant register to help members identify and use plants. Their website is quite useful with a sowing guide and details of the management and maintenance plans.

There is an online form for membership which comes in two types. There is general membership for between $20 and $40 or personal plots available for between $20 and $50 depending on the size of the plot and whether or not you have a concession card.

Any contributions of time, labour or financial support are welcome. For any further information please contact the facilitator’s group via communitygarden@southhobart.org.

WEST MOONAH COMMUNITY GARDEN

 

West Moonah Community Garden is run out of the West Moonah Community House on Springfield Road. Plots are available here for community members for a very minimal price of $30 per year. There appeared to be plots available when I visited.

 

They also sell bags of compost for $5 and run a community shed from this sunny patch of land. The shed provides equipment and a space for people to share and learn skills in a safe, social and supportive environment. The shed is open every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 12.30 pm. For more information on this space you can contact Patrick on 0409419911.

The West Moonah Community House is contactable on 62732360 or you can email info@westmoonahcommunityhouse.com.

From here they also run the West Moonah Community Volunteer Program. This involves volunteers who do general garden maintenance for aged and frail people in the area including mowing, weeding, pruning and so on. For more information on this program please contact Barbara on 62732362.