Community Garden

Canterbury Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Canterbury
Municipality:
Boroondara
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is allotment-based.

The Canterbury Community Garden was created in 2006 and provides a focal point for members of the local community who are supportive of the general principles of sustainability in the growing and sharing of food. It is made up of 36 plots, ranging in size, with annual fees of $50 or $60 depending on the size of the plot. All the plots are currently allocated and there is a substantial waiting list. Plot holders generally grow vegetables or small flowers. There are also some communal areas where fruit trees are grown, along with herbs and shared items. Gardeners take full responsibility for the up keep of their plots and are also required to attend at least two working bees each year to address larger maintenance tasks.

The group is run by a committee and the garden is part of the new Canterbury Community Hub.

CERES Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Brunswick East
Municipality:
Merri-Bek
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is allotment-based, mostly individual allotments plus a shared allotment area. There are around 50 garden plots which are rented out yearly to those with limited household space for growing.

There are regular working bees and social BBQs. These provide opportunities for gardeners to mingle, share freshly grown produce, swap seeds and pitch in to help maintain the site.

Coburg Common
Township/suburb:
Coburg
Municipality:
Merri-Bek
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is membership-based, but is also open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10am-1pm, at which times there are also plants for sale.

Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in gardening, for a nominal fee of $20 per annum or $10 for concession card holders. There are no individual plots and the produce is shared amongst the members.

Coburg Common first came into existence in 2020, when 6 garden boxes were rolled onto a barren site and slowly but surely the garden has taken shape since then.

Coburg Common is operated by a volunteer group called The Gardening Mob Inc (GMI). GMI was formed by some of the volunteers who previously ran Peppertree Place in Urquhart Street Coburg before it was taken over by Kevin Heinze GROW. The Uniting Church kindly allows the volunteers to utilise some land beside the church. GMI’s purpose is to enhance the opportunity for gardening for people of all abilities and to increase socialisation in the community through gardening, related activities and skill sharing and knowledge. They use sustainable practices and aim to be socially inclusive in all their endeavours.

Operations are partly funded through plant sales, many of which have been donated by the local community. The eclectic array of garden decor, pots and furniture is recycled or re-used hard rubbish rescues and donations. The artwork displayed in the garden was created by volunteers at various stages.

Coburg Common has formed relationships with the Coburg Community Library and the local University of the Third Age. They have also hosted a mental health day and run various workshops on propagation and tool maintenance and sharpening.

New members are always welcome.

Condell Growers and Sharers Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Fitzroy
Municipality:
City of Yarra
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is open to the public.

The community garden comprises 36 garden boxes. These used to be allocated to individuals but are now mainly communal, with everyone invited to sample the bounty. The garden is maintained by local residents – providing access to fresh food and encouraging sustainability.

There are monthly working bees, usually on the 2nd Saturday of every month, 10.30am-12.30pm.

There is an active composting program which aims to be reduce the food waste that goes into Yarra City’s rubbish bins and to create compost for the garden. If you would like to contribute your food waste, email them to arrange a time to participate in a 15-20 minute composting tutorial which will entitle you to participate in the program.

Creeds Farm Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Epping
Municipality:
Whittlesea
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is open to the public.

The garden is a communal garden where participants share both the gardening and the harvest. There are no fences, nor individual plots. The aims are:

  • To be a shared community garden where participants share the gardening and the harvest.
  • To provide space for the community to share knowledge and enhance social connection.
  • To act as a learning and demonstration centre for communal organic gardening.

There is a get together on the 4th Sunday of each month, 10.30-midday.

Croxton Community Garden / Marra Guwiyap Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Northcote
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is membership based but all the beds are communal. Members share produce, seed collecting, propagating, planting and harvesting tasks.

The garden came into existence in 2021 on an abandoned tennis court adjacent to Croxton Railway Station.

Most of the vegetables, herbs and berries are grown in custom-built wicking beds. Tools and equipment are on-site and a composting and worm farm setup provides much of the nutrients required. As at 2023, a small fruit tree orchard is expanding, and an edible indigenous plant garden is being developed. A local kindergarten has a small, child-sized veggie bed just for them.

The garden is a place for growing food, eco-sustainability, sharing activities, fun and learning together. The vision is for a shared, accessible space, creating a safer, healthier and more resilient environment and providing an amenity where the broader neighbourhood can come together in shared social and educational events.

There is a working bee on the 3rd Sunday of each month, 10am-1pm, followed by a shared lunch. Everyone is welcome.

Croydon Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Croydon
Municipality:
Maroondah
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is allotment-based.

There are 76 allotments (with most being 36 square metres), plus 6 raised garden beds, for a total size of 3,000 square metres. Membership is $10-20 pa, which includes an allotment, water and access to equipment (spades, forks, barrows, mowers, etc).

The garden has been in operation since the 1980s. Its purpose is to enable each person to grow things on their own individual allotment, with any excess to be shared with other allotment holders. There is a diversity of cultures/nationalities within the gardens, including heritance of; Anglo Saxons; Italians; Greek; Malaysian; Burmese; Mexican; South America; and Baltics. Members members learn from each other and try different plants, methods of cultivation and how to grow plants.