Introduction A brief stroll through the gardens Angel Street Permaculture Garden University of New South Wales Permaculture Community Garden Glovers Community Garden Randwick Community Organic Garden Cook, Marton and Solander Community Gardens, Waterloo Garden origins and structure How news travels Daily management structures Involvement swith other bodies What the garden means to participants Issues identified by the garden group Waterloo Community Garden The Women’s Community Garden, Marrickville Street Jungle Community Garden Project, Macdonaldtown Affiliated bodies But what does it all mean?? Footnotes

This section considers three community gardens on Department of Housing (DoH) land, Raglan Street, Waterloo. Information was gathered in the gardens and at a garden committee meeting. Garden origins and structure The establishment of the gardens was initially advertised around the DoH apartment blocks by SSC and announced at a precinct meeting; subsequent advertising has mainly been through the Redwater News — the newsletter for Redfern and Waterloo Department of Housing tenants. The SSC proposal met with initial resistance from DoH, who subsequently agreed to the proposal after agreement over placement of a playground. The gardens’ initial role was as a Community Development Project and while initial difficulties were encountered in recruiting members, there are now waiting lists for all three gardens. The gardens vary in size and structure; all have allotments, some containing communal areas (see plate 3.8). Cook has raised beds for less able gardeners and all have wide paths for ease of access. Membership is available to Department of Housing residents and costs $2.50 — the cost of a gate and toolbox key. Members volunteer to be on the garden committee which has elected officer-bearers and meets regularly. All gardens have a constitution and management guidelines.   Plate 3.8. Allotments in Marton Community Garden. The residential apartment block can be seen in the background. <<to top of page>> How news travels Due to the gardens’ proximity to residents’ homes, most information travels by word of mouth or by walking past the gardens; plate 3.9 shows the Marton Community Garden sign. Initial interest was drawn through the SSC advertising around the site. Gardeners also use mailouts; these are convenient as gardeners can hand-deliver mail to on-site residential mailboxes. Ongoing advertising is still used around the site, with a focus on providing translation for NESB residents.    Plate 3.9. Entrance sign to Marton Community Garden.  <<to top of page>> Daily management structures The gardens mainly run on an allotment basis with a lot of exchange and sharing of food and plants between gardeners. The gardeners try to accommodate individual needs, such as placing friends next to each other. Such negotiations generally occur face to face in the gardens, although some progress to committee meetings or consultation of the constitution. The gardens are organic, with some companion planting and integrated pest management, with training provided by SSC, often with ACFCGN’s assistance. Residents bring their kitchen scraps down to composting bins in the gardens. Most seedlings are started on gardeners’ balconies before being brought down for planting. <<to top of page>> Involvement with other bodies The gardeners have visited other community gardens, including Angel Street Permaculture Garden. A group aiming to start a garden in Minto visited the three gardens for inspiration; this inspired a return invitation to the Minto site and the gardeners plan to visit a Claymore community garden on the same day. The gardeners are very interested visits to more gardens, seeing visits as learning experiences and opportunities to meet people. <<to top of page>> What the garden means to participants The gardens’ main reported benefit was community interaction; all interviewees emphasised the gardens’ potential as sites to build community by meeting people, especially those from different ethnic backgrounds. Social events are now held amongst the gardeners. The spaces were seen to be dynamic and well used at all times of the day; people often use the gardens as sites for lunches and evening meals. The gardens provide space to compensate for the small residential units and allow the gardeners to work at their own pace. Members also see the benefits of taking waste to the gardens for composting. One gardener uses her plot for growing herbs for her catering business; hence, the garden is directly enhancing her economic condition. <<to top of page>> Issues identified by the garden groups The three gardens identified the core issue of immediate need for more space adjoining the gardens. Second, Marton Community Garden has been subject to recent vandalism, prompting one gardener to run barbed wire around the fence. The illegality and unappealing nature of this has become an issue amongst other gardeners. Third, past contradictions in composting techniques have highlighted the need for universally understood signage regarding the agreed-upon method.

Contents Preface Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Appendix I Appendix II References << email:lcrabtre@*SPAMBINGLER*els.mq.edu.au >> NOTE: Remember to delete the expression *SPAMBINGLER* from the address before sending the email. << honours index >> << phd index >> << home >> << to top of page >>