Are there ways in which council could encourage people to do this?
Let us know what you think: leave a comment below.
Let us know what you think: leave a comment below.
Thank you to all interested residents and friends who contributed their ideas and comments to this conversation. This conversation has now closed.
Can't rely on home gardeners alone. People who want to garden might not have the space.... And those who do may not be interested in utilizing it for food production. What's the incentive to landowners/ investors in creating home gardens? Some tenants not interested and maintenance then becomes a problem.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much knowledge within the community, the council could fund some local vegetable gardening experts to run free workshops for local residents on starting their own vegetable gardens.
ReplyDeleteThere could also be seasonal community gatherings on what to plant and ideas for ways to use excess crop eg tomatoes, fruit.
growing vege's in a suburban backyard isn't as easy as it may seem.
ReplyDeleteit's certainly not something you can just plant out and then harvest, seasons come and go quickly and work needs to be done over and over.
Fruit trees on the other hand fend for themselves, I think homes should be provided with at least one fruit tree, dwarf varieties, not full size trees as they too require pruning ect.
dwarf fruit trees don't need any maintenance, they produce full size fruit.
there is an ever growing range of dwarf fruit trees, peaches, nectarines, apples, cherries ect, all pick and eat fruits.
why can't the West have something like CERES - not only could you lease an allotment for a (very) nominal fee but you could encourage community activities.... all sorts of activities - learning how to grow certain things, cooking classes, environmental outings for local schools - the list goes on.. It wouldn't take a lot and there are some great locations down by the river....
ReplyDeleteI think a community garden could work well. This has benefits not only in terms of producing food for those who grow it, but also helps to foster networks across the local community. Could look to examples such as the Collingwood Children's Farm and CERES to see the elements that have made these a success
ReplyDeletewe have had our vegetable garden for 6 years now, when i talk to people about it, most are interested although unsure of how to go about planting and growing food. When walking the streets of Maribyrnong you see there is heaps of varied gardening knowledge. There needs to be a way or sharing the knowledge, i really like the idea of community gardens, with individual plots. It is social and brings community closer. I think there are heaps of yards that could be planted out with food, people might need encouragement and friendly contacts to learn from. Planting in a group environment might be more fun and encouraging.
ReplyDeleteIan has a good point in terms of renters. Renters often suffer from housing security issues and are unlikely to invest to improve soil & plant a crops, crops which they may never get to harvest because their (generalk) short leases. The best option for renters is portable which can move when they move. Possibly require more investment interms of bring in soil, compost & manure etc.
ReplyDeleteHome vegie gardens is one way to increase local food production, but clearly not the only way.
I concur with Ian's post that unless there are sufficient incentives for home gardeners to produce food then there may not be much take up.
ReplyDeleteThere are also significant barriers to successful home food gardening including maintenance, availability of sunlight, availability of space, set up costs etc.
Many residents don't have sufficient room and or sunlight to garden in the backyard.
Different gardening techniques produce different results in terms of harvest, success rate and efficient use of resources. It would be important for home gardeners to be educated about the techniques that will produce the most 'bang for their buck' with minimal resource input and impact on the environment.
School kitchen gardens seem to be a great way of engaging a whole cross section of the community in food gardening. If there are schools in the area which don't have kitchen gardens yet, maybe the council could encourage them and help them in setting gardens up.
ReplyDeleteI think home vegetable gardening is a great option for some but we should be looking at a much bigger scale. I like the idea of a CERES community space - wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to have in the West.
ReplyDeleteWe should also be considering a series of local community gardens so that people could walk or ride bikes.
I think there needs to be public spaces as well- We have enough room for some vegies- but we have big eucalypt trees that provide shelter and food for a large range of birds & animals- the trees overhang and prevent us from growing vegetables and so its a real balancing act. Community plots also encourage people to get to know their neighbours and share knowledge organically. I wouldn't go to a "gardening workshop" but I always seem to pick up tips through talking with like minded people. Smaller more localised gardens are more useful than big areas- where you either have to have a lot of time everyday to walk/cycle/PT to or you need to drive to... (in the summer particularly - gardens need regular attention)
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