Neil McDougall had a farm. The Farm was gifted for community use and became a Park . Now the Community is bringing the farm back to life as a Community Garden—and that's just the beginning.
On Sunday July 1, fifty four enthusiastic people came together to break fast and break ground at what what was once a dairy farm belonging to Neil and Hazel McDougall.
Four raised garden beds were filled with rich, dark organic soil and filled with seedlings raised by members. These corrugated iron beds were generously donated by a local company Empire Beds. Part of the old cow byre was cleaned up to be used for potting and storage.
Our community is amazing and it was so uplifting to see how everyone pulled together to get the garden up and running. No need to name names for special effort as that would mean naming each and every worker. Even those who came just to offer encouragement played their part.
Future plans for the garden include: construction of the remaining beds from a range of recycled materials in keeping with a commitment to waste reduction and to demonstrate how these methods can be incorporated at home. Some of the beds will be wicking beds to reduce water use.( see resources for a link to more on wicking beds)
Other elevated beds will allow for wheelchairs to be placed underneath for front facing access. The Garden has applied for funding to complete construction of the remaining beds and paved pathways to make mobility around the garden easier and safer for the less abled.
Plantings will incorporate Australian natives, as well as vegetables and fruit and nut trees. There will also be a special area to engage those with sensory stimulation needs. The garden will operate along organic principles without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, herbicides or fungicides. Plantings to bring the "good bugs" will be made as part of integrated pest management. Using nature to fight nature, as one new member commented on Sunday.
The Community garden will be open source and all beds communal beds. The fence around the stable yard separating the garden from community has been removed. Because this community garden is in a public space people are free to walk through the area and pick from the garden.This will be a social experiment in trust that people will harvest with others in mind. Beds will be signed requesting people not to gather before crops are ready and to leave some for others. It is hoped that people who take, will give back with their time and friendship to others.
The purpose of the garden is to bring members of the local community together. Contact has been made with a range of Community Groups, including Senior Citizen Clubs, Schools and Multicultural organisations to promote awareness of the gardens function. Events are being planned from September. The Community Garden welcomes all potential members to join and participate in whatever way they can. Membership remains free until the end of this year. You can find us via the website. www.mcdougallfarmcg.org, on Facebook - www.facebook.com/groups/McDougallPark
You can follow us on twitter.