The landscape settings we have been looking at are:
Let us know what you think: leave a comment below.
- naturestrips
- street trees
- fruiting trees in parks and public spaces
- community gardens
Let us know what you think: leave a comment below.
It would be great to have large plots of public herb gardens for people to use.
ReplyDeletePlanting edible trees and plants in public spaces are a great idea as well as extending community garden spaces to include individual plots for residents without access to gardens would be the way to go
ReplyDeleteafter the council has paid off the multi million dollar debt, i would love to see fruit trees planted in parks and public spaces, that is a great idea, or failing that, lots of native trees from the local area
ReplyDeletethose large pot pant holders on barkly st have aged very quickly, they need some extra rope rings added, or if it's cheaper throw them out and plant the trees into the ground
Would like to see all of the above implemented. There are plenty of ways to address the maintenance issues . See AquaKerb for watering... Can't believe councils are so slow to adopt these technologies, ESP seeing all the roads that have been ripped up over last 2 years!! community gardens have many benefits as well as food production. Agree with previous post about pots on Barkly st .... Would like to know what they cost, they're awful and the trees themselves don't appear to be flourishing either.
ReplyDeleteAll of the above. Also, with a focus on food plants indigenous to the Western Plains.
ReplyDeletethe olives in barkly st cost about $110,000
ReplyDeletefruit trees in dedicated public places would be fantastic, but not on naturestrips.
fruit falling and in general would be a mess.
olives are not good, very few people know how to process them.
Bees! we need more bees to pollinate the fruit trees, plant bee forage plants instead of native grass on nature strips
We need a combination, although I agree that you want to be careful as what sort of fruit trees are planted on nature strips. Rotten fruit on the ground is not pretty. Perhaps you could allocate some parks to have a section - i.e. at Yarraville Gardens having a citrus spot, herbs are popular too. Large verges could have veggie plots - check out down near the Yarraville flyover the residents have done their own which seems to work well. You'd also need to do some research as to what people have already in the area and what they like to eat ;-)
ReplyDeletePublic investment in community gardening/local food production systems is a progressive step towards sustainable urban living, contributing to biodiversity values in the landscape and an opportunity to appreciate our farming communities moreso.
ReplyDeleteWe should strategically look at planting orchards, nut trees, herbal shrubs, vegie plots and native/indigenous bush foods into our landscape (street scapes/public parks/vacant public land). What would be good is if we had a community kitchen that hosted residents to harvest the local produce from our 'Maribyrnong Food Trail' (all the public spaces) and cook up meals to feed those struggling to feed themselves/preserve fruits to take home/enjoy the local harvest on the spot! It would be such a great education process for us urbanites to have local food production in our immediate environmnent. We could also contibute to the urban harvest swap meets that are happening in the local area.
I agree that private vegie plots should be made available to those who do not have access to a backyard. With regards to bees, there is currently a local apiarist who organises hives to be set up in private backyards whereby they harvest the honey for you and you receive some free honey for hosting the beehive. The rest of the honey goes to the apiarist for local sale.
Local food production in urban environments is something to encourage - Europe has adopted this idea wholeheartedly.
Community Gardens!!!!! They're a great way to get people together, especially given that some people are doers and some are organisers and some are teachers and some are just there for a cuppa and to support others. Community Gardens do so much more than just provide food. They're an opportunity to bring like-minded people together, to teach about where food really comes from, to work in sync with the seasons and to build confidence. Please help us fund some more in the area!
ReplyDeleteI second Nikki's post. Food security is an issue for many in our communities already and it is likely to increase. Urban food production and distribution has been successfully adopted in many countries to address this. There is already supportive research and strategies for many urban food production projects - Maribyrnong has the opportunity to become leaders in this area in Australia. There are myriad benefits for the community: peer support, learning & education, sharing cultural and generational knowledge, engaging schools, connecting people, sharing resources, improved access to quality fresh produce, reduced costs, improved health...if implemented with sound community consultation there will undoutably be improved community health and wellbeing. I think Maribyrnong can embrace all of the options above: community gardens are already generating a lot of activity and planning as I write; many streets are keen to plant nut trees; and fruit and nut trees (and vegies too) in public spaces and gardens in tandem with a program/organisation such as Vic Food Relief, Food Not Bombs or Urban Food Swaps (etc) can only flourish! Let's get to it Maribyrnong!
ReplyDeleteI think community gardens are a great idea - they encourage people to connect with each other and eat well. And they provide a great opportunity for kids to learn where their food comes from! I'm all for this idea.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of community gardens. There is a great site on the cnr of Norfolk & Thomson Streets in Maidstone. The site has a public hall, outside toilets and sheds. Is completely fenced off, would be an excellent place for a community garden. Wouldn't cost much to get it going. My local park has a bit of dead space, Rogers Reserve, would be great to have some vege or herb planter boxes maybe close to the playground. How could we have garden tools on hand so that i don't have to remember to bring my own?
ReplyDeleteI think that all of these landscape settings should be employed and supported by Council to assist in increasing food security in the west. I wholeheartedly support Nikki's post. I believe that community gardens present multiple benefits to communities across health, environment and social areas. I think there is a great deal of scope for increasing the food production potential of disused land across Maribyrnong in consultation with local communities.
ReplyDeleteI also firmly believe in the importance of attracting bees and other pollinators including native animal species to our gardens and community spaces because without these pollinators it will be very difficult to keep production up.
As a resident with a tiny paved courtyard that gets only a couple of hours of sun in winter i would very much appreciate access to a plot in a community garden. Each season I try with little success to grow my own produce...it's very difficult without much light!
Implementing all of the above is a great start, just do it!! Pick one and implement it! Pleease just dont get caught up in the same old bureacracy, use the KISS method to get it through,
ReplyDeleteConsultate with the community nearby so there are people within walking distance you know will be interested to care/maintain it and thats all you need to start.
You will know you have acted too slow when you start to see the public doing it on their own which will be a shame.
I suggest that all the owners of vacant blocks of land in our municipality be approached by Council to see if their neighbours could use the land to grow food
ReplyDeleteI agree with comments posted by Nikki, J Frost and Neesh.
ReplyDeleteCouncil should explore all options listed. Urban food production & food security must be taken seriously.
I am not a great fan of the idea of nature strips- Unfortunately Maribyrnong dog owners are not responsible! (if people want to do that themselves thats another issue) it may be appropriate for some quiter areas - but certainly not the busier roads. Public parks (provided you have local support - as per Nicoles comment) are a great place to start with a few fruit trees.
ReplyDeleteAgree with anonymous- there could be some kind of incentive for owners of vacant land (who are not developing) to allow short term say 3-5 year use of their vacant land in return for cheaper rates- it would help clean up the area if some of the random blocks are kept and maintained through gardening activities.
A combination of all options would help with provision to and education about good healthy food. There is land along the maribyrnong river (near the Footscray Community Arts Centre) that seems is not currently being used and depending on results of soil testing could potentially be the western suburbs version of CERES. Access to sustainable means of living and education practices to cultivate this needs to be available to everyone within the community.
ReplyDeleteOther options may to look at privately owned unused land and maybe set up a program to encourage usage. Im thinking that many elderly or disabled residents may be living on blocks that are too hard to manage which could be used by others in the community who want to grow food but have little access to land. The benefits of this could be many including health benefits to the land owners from access to fresh food and being able to live at home longer rather than going to care facilities as their land would be effectively maintained for them. Increase socialisation may also occur which would benefit health as well. I often see beautiful fruit trees growing in backyards remaining unpicked and this may be due to the owners being unable to pick the fruit in addition to not needing the amount that is available. If properly organised such a scheme would increase a sense of community as well as providing food in an urban setting.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see a small part of Hansen Reserve, West Footscray become a community garden. It doesn't have to be huge. Hansen Reserve already acts as good community meeting place, having a community garden there would enhance the space and overlap well with it's existing facilities (i.e. Child and Maternal Health, Kindergarten.)
ReplyDeleteI regularly harvest fruiting trees around our city. Lilly Pillies and Olives, I pick bay leaves in Footscray and look forward to the time when all the all the planter boxes in Maribynong City and filled with sage rather than pansies! I think community gardens should be prioritised where there are local groups willing to take ownership over them.
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to see plants and trees used more creatively in the children's playgounds around our city. My kids always spend more time running around in the bushes than on the swingsets. That poor old paperbark in Simpson St Park, Yarraville is the perfect example...more kids climbing the tree than playing on the 'climbing equipment'.