ONC Community Gardening

Beautiful Eilleen - who makes lovely things of famous Consumption Rebellion renown has asked about Community Gardening in the ONC. This is funny, because those of you know know Eilleen would know that she has scarpered away from ONC into the bush to live on a little farm.

Now the story goes that some fair minded clear thinking folks in ONC some time back in history set up the Canberra Organic Growers Society (COGS). As membership and interest in organic gardening grew, COGS set about establishing lots of community gardens on vacant land around Canberra. There are about 12 of them now I think. There is even one in Oakes Estate and in Queanbeyan on Henderson St near the train station.

The duck herder has a plot at the Holder community garden - now Eilleen this is extreme gardening at its best - as the plot is in a frost hollow and the bush fires burnt down all the pine trees that once sheltered the site from the prevailing north westerlies. Even so, the veggie gardening continues with much joy and fervour.

Getting a plot is easy - become a member of COGS and put your name down at the garden closest to you and get a plot as soon as one comes up. Some gardens (like ours) have spare plots at the moment because the water restrictions have weeded out all but the keenest gardeners. Plot fees are usually $1 per square meter per year - to pay for water and tools and insurance. Each garden is managed a little differently, but most have a little committee made up of a convener and a few other energetic fellow gardeners. I am not sure about other gardens, but plots at Holder garden are 9 meters by 5 meters, and lots of folks have a double plot. So my garden is 9 meters by 11 meters (counting the 1 meter path between my plots).

There is also room for a communal orchid and herb garden. Sometimes if a plot becomes vacant and doesn't have a new owner strait away, we grow communal pumpkins as well.

Another keen ONCian community gardener is Dilly Dally if you want to see some more pictures and stories from a different, less climactically exposed community garden.

So there you go!