When “go and touch grass” becomes a common joke online, you know we’re all in need of a little more nature and connection in our lives. But you know what’s even better than touching grass? Planting herbs, fruits and vegetables in a community garden, and seeing them grow and literally nourish you and the like-minded folks you’ve come to know and love.
You’ve probably walked past a community garden or two and thought, ‘Gee, that’s cute’, but have never picked up a trowel and chatted to other plant-lovers yourself. Rookie error.
However, as the ol’ saying goes, there’s no better time like the present. It’s been a rough few years where city-dwellers have had less access than ever to green spaces, and that’s not even considering that some suburbs are much denser, cramped and have far less greenery than others. And nature is vital to humans — as this New Scientist article reminds us, it’s only within the last 20 years that we’ve become a “majority-urban species”.
Scientists and psychologists are just beginning to dive deeper into the effect of isolation from nature in humans (especially after COVID), but as the New Scientist reports, it’s understood that access to nature can improve sleep, reduce stress, promote positive social interactions, helps boost memory and creativity and even generates “a sense of meaning in life”. Touching grass is quite literally healing.
But not only do community gardens provide a chance to get up close with nature, they also build a sense of connection to your neighbours and suburbs, helping them feel more friendly, warm and inviting.
With recent Headspace research highlighting a loneliness epidemic in young Australians, community gardens are a vital, fun and rewarding way to connect to the world and people around you. That’s why Lipton Ice Tea is helping support seven community gardens across Melbourne and Sydney that were crying out for funding, in order to help foster that sense of community we all need.
With that in mind, here are two community gardens across each of our capital cities for you to check out, though this handy site lists more than 650 across Australia, too, and beyond the capitals.
Sydney
Over in Marrickville, the Addison Road Community Garden is a thriving, un-gated space that anyone can visit. Sunday working bees also feature lunches made from the gardens as well as a ‘harvest’ from the organic markets that take place around the gardens each week, as the garden collects the ‘unsellable’ but perfectly fine produce and will cook or compost it, as well as give it away to members. The bees are the best way to get involved, and they’re from 2-4pm each Sunday.
In the Eastern Suburbs is the Randwick Community Organic Garden, which is committed to sustainability. There are more than 80 members who work together to grow organic produce and plants, create compost and share the fruits (and veggies) of their labour. It’s also one of the gardens that Lipton Ice Tea is supporting, allowing the garden and its members to flourish.
Adelaide
The Walyu Yarta Community Gardens are behind the rose garden in South Terrace’s Veale Gardens — a plot for the community in a beautiful space. Expert gardeners are there every Monday and Thursday from 9.30am-12.30pm, and working bees each Sunday.
The Whitmore Square Community Verge Garden is a collaborative effort between the City of Adelaide and the garden’s members, using a smart watering bed system. All are welcome to pick herbs and produce. You can sign up for a membership for both places via the City of Adelaide.
Brisbane
Running for over 10 years, Jane Street Community Gardens grows almost 200 varieties of edible plants in West End. You can rent plots, attend working bees, and also volunteer with admin tasks and the like, if you want to help out in other ways.
In Kelvin Grove is Kundu Park Community Garden, which is part of a larger collective involving gardens in Ashgrove, Mitchelton and Chapel Hill. Bring in your veggie scraps from home, and help make compost to let the gardens thrive.
Melbourne
Going off Community Gardens Australia’s count, at 160 gardens Melbourne has the most of any city in Australia.
One fave is the colourful Veg Out in St. Kilda right near Luna Park, with more than 140 plots, artworks littered across the space and animals involving rabbits, chickens, budgies and quails. As one of the most well-known gardens, there’s a waiting list for a plot, but digging in at a working bee is a great way to get started without overcommitting to your own mini garden.
Lipton has also been hard at work giving Berwick Neighbourhood Centre Community Garden and Yarraville Community Garden a much-deserved makeover, complete with fresh mulch, brand-spanking new tools and a sprinkle of volunteers to maintain the green goodness, so defs check those out if you’re in the neighbourhood.
Darwin
Darwin’s biggest garden is the Lakeside Drive Community Garden, which looks to educate volunteers on horticulture, living sustainably and all kinds of produce topics like pickling and fermentation. They also have days for ‘Little Gardeners’ too, giving it a cute family-friendly vibe.
In Rapid Creek, The Mulch Pit is another garden that’s all about sustainability, education and community, and is open to the public. You’ll find a heap of butterflies, artworks, chickens and delicious food cooked up in the kitchen — and maybe even Costa, too.
Hobart
Located in the stunning Hobart Royal Botanic Gardens is the Tasmanian Community Food Garden, which produces more than four tonnes of produce a year — most of which is donated to those in need across the state. The garden is often featured on Gardening Australia, too.
And in New Town, you can get involved at the Kickstart Arts Community Garden, which has recently opened. Get in while it’s new and be part of building something with your neighbours!
Perth
Running for almost three decades, Perth City Farm has transformed a former industrial site into a green and gorgeous garden for all. Over half a hectare, the farm is filled with produce and gates are open to all 8.30am-4pm Monday to Friday, and 8am-12 Saturdays.
Over in Fremantle, the Glyde-In Garden Gnomes is part of a community centre that offers a heap of community programs for all ages.
Canberra
In Ainslie, Gardening @Limestone is a small but enthusiastic community garden in the Church of Christ gardens with vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, raspberries and chooks, offering up delicious eggs. It was founded by Ken and Chris Perrin, church leaders who transformed the underused tennis court into a rich, flourishing garden.
Lyneham Commons Food Forest was created on unleased land behind the Lyneham primary school, near Sullivans Creek. It’s a perfect example of a community coming together to transform a space for the better of the neighbourhood and has been going strong since 2014.
