Milson Park Community Garden

We work as a co-operative and we do not have allotments. Our garden is organic and we recycle food waste using the Japanese Bokashi system which we are turning into compost once it is fermented.

The garden design, based on research, is a medieval one which allows wheelchair access to 50% of the garden area. The raised beds help everyone be involved as they are 600mm in height and so you can be seated or a small child can - and still have easy reach. A North Sydney Council grant has given support. The timber beds were designed and constructed by local community members. The timber was sourced within Australia and is sustainable Australian native hardwood. (We wished to give an Australian mill the business rather than buying cheaper but unsustainable imported wood.)

A small committee of local community members chose the first planting plan and other community members raised the plants from seed sourced from Diggers Seeds in Victoria. To cut down on transplant shock, most seeds were sown in coir pellets. This has proved a great success. Children under five planted the potato beds but they are really, really interested in the heritage strawberries. Everyone keeps an eye on them to catch the strawberries when they are at their ripest. The fluid and casual nature of our gardening seems to suit everyone. Harvesting will be done by those who work in the garden. However, we are happy for people to pick small amounts of herbs, one reason why we have so many parsley plants.

We meet each Sunday at 10.30am to work in the garden and we have a roster for watering. We mulch with lucerne straw.

Some plants currently growing in the garden include: heirloom tomatoes, blueberries, carrots, arugula, beetroot, chives, purple climbing beans, "Lazy Housewife beans", Jalapeno chillies, sweet corn, arugula and mesclun mix of lettuces. Our herbs include: perennial basil and lettuce leaf basil, variegated sage, lots of parsley, pot celery, thyme and lemon scented thyme, golden marjoram and rosemary.