Food for the Soul Community Garden
Description
The Food for the Soul Community Garden is a place of learning and sharing. The garden is accessible and free for all to use and learn about ways to grow sustainable, chemical-free food.
The garden is located near the Volunteer Centre and Storage/Tractor Sheds. It contains eight wicking beds of which four are wheelchair accessible and the others suitable for anyone who prefers to stand up while tending the plants. A central circular garden displays a mix of native plants and cooking herbs to showcase that natives and other plants can be grown together.
The community garden is surrounded by native gardens that, once fully grown, will provide some privacy and shade.
Objectives
• Provision of an accessible and free community gardening space for anyone to visit, have a browse and harvest chemical-free produce for cooking.
• Showcasing sustainable gardening methods that require little water and no chemicals.
• Providing an educational space with seasonal information displayed, including about beneficial insects and seed collection.
• Production of organic fertilizer in the on-site worm farm.
Background
During Covid, in early 2020 most, if not all, support services for people with disability had to shut down, leaving this group even more at risk and vulnerable. BBG staff met with five local disability and mental health support providers to work on a space that would be accessible, even if something like Covid happened again.
Together a plan was developed for a community garden that is accessible for as many abilities as possible, always open and free. Tools provided in the garden give visitors the option to garden at their own leisure, add vegetable seedlings if they wish or to simply harvest some produce for use at home.
Through grant funding, tools, some materials, a wheelchair-friendly table setting, and a shelter were placed. BBG received support by donations of materials from local quarries and The Barossa Council provided help with the construction of the accessible pad.
The Food for the Soul Community Garden opened officially in November 2023.
Education
Regular community workshops and activities with schools and disability support providers are organised in this space to share information and hands-on experience.
Topics covered may include:
- Wicking Beds
- Companion Planting
- Biological Pest Control
- Beneficial Insects
- Crop Rotation
- Worm Farming
- Composting
We also offer circular food workshops, which are a combination of some of the workshops above. These usually include a lunch with freshly harvested vegetables and flowers from the garden.