Photo essay…

Garden brings food production back to the city

Published in

PacificEdge

5 min readJul 29, 2023

The David Stephen Neighbourhood Garden is a productive place that returns food production to the city.

COME BY any weekend day and you will find them—community gardeners farming urban land to supply themselves and their families with crispy fresh vegetables.

For the past fifty years, community-managed gardens have brought DIY participation in food security back into the cities. In our present cost of living squeeze the gardens offer savings on food purchases and a fall-back reserve of nutritious food for individuals and families. Based on cooperation and shared responsibility for a patch of land, the gardens are collectively managed through a form of grassroot democratic decision making.

A record of popular growth

Community gardens are usually established on local government land, less seldom on land owned by religious institutions or universities. The earliest community gardens in Australia date back to the mid-1980s when they were established in Melbourne and Sydney. In the following years community gardening caught the public imagination and spread through all of the capital cities as well as regional and smaller cities and towns. Garden participation reflects the local demographic makeup. They are open to all and some provide land and growing access for immigrant, sometimes refugee gardeners.

Around 20 years ago local government started developing policies to enable community gardening on public land, and some employ staff to assist the practice.

Community gardens offer both personal plots as well a shared gardening space.

The David Stephen garden

The David Stephen Neighbourhood Garden was recently renamed for the Tasmanian master organic gardener who has assisted a number of community gardens in the city get underway.

The David Stephen Neighbourhood Garden was named for the Tasmanian master organic gardener. David has assisted several community gardens get started and helped in their construction.

The garden has an active membership and improves member skill through workshops and the mutual assistance of experienced members. Composting garden waste as well as leaf fall from nearby deciduous street trees provides fertiliser for use on the garden beds, which are managed by organic gardening methods. A greenhouse provides a sheltered, warmer place for seedlings that are later replanted in the beds. Non-hybrid seeds are often used in community gardens because they will reproduce true to type. Gardeners collect and save them for replanting next growing season.

The Nipaluna community native plant nursery, which breeds species for environmental restoration and land rehabilitation projects, shares space with the community garden.

Netting excludes pest insects and birds that would eat the vegetables.

A variable feast

Walk through the David Stephen Neighbourhood Garden and you cannot help but notice how productive the garden beds are, even in the Tasmanian winter. Their productivity attests to the skill of the gardeners and the effective organisation of the garden.

For community gardens in general, the types and quantities of foods grown varies with the gardens, gardener knowledge and skill, and the season.

“Foods grown in community gardens hold significant value for both the community and the individuals involved in the process. Community gardens provide a space for people to come together and grow their own food, which can lead to increased social connections and a sense of community. Community gardens can also be a source of environmental benefits, as they can promote biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions associated with transporting food.

“Overall, foods grown in community gardens have the potential to not only provide fresh, healthy produce, but also to strengthen communities and promote sustainability.”

Poe AI, an artificial intelligence, neatly sums up the benefits of community gardening to accessing fresh foods, environmental improvement and community.

Safe places for all

Community gardens provide safe spaces for all, including families. Shared responsibility for the land and crops teaches cooperation and citizenship.

Coordinating communication among the gardens around the country and advocating for them is the work of Community Gardens Australia. A map on their website plots the location and details about community gardens across the country. The organisation is easily found through their Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Mastodon presence.

Community Gardens Australia: www.communitygarden.org.au

David Stephen Neighbourhood Garden can be found on Instagram and Facebook.