The land slopes gently, has deep black topsoil (over a metre) at the bottom of the slope and ample at the top (30cm), well protected from the south and west winds with excellent east and north sun.

Last year, to fulfil Council requirements, we wrote a management plan, prepared a site plan, registered our name, become incorporated and purchased public liability. We now wait for a licence to be prepared and the 28 day public comment period to commence.

It will be 16 months since our first meeting and it has been a challenge to maintain enthusiasm and interest through this initial stage, while soil was never turned. We did it though, and while we continue to wait on the Council process we have money in the bank from fundraising and look forward to our own garden one day.

This month we will have a garden trip to

• Narooma Community Garden at the Narooma Primary School where the community grows food together while enriching the children’s curriculum.
• A one year old food forests created by Cam and Sara Taylor near Cobargo (a site just like ours) this has to be seen to be believed just what is possible in such a short period of time
• John Champagne’s 10 year old Permaculture demonstration property near Brogo. John is an inspirational teacher and leader that shows in the site analysis and sector planning, design methods, species selection for varying sites, contour swale and terraces that stabilise the land while retaining moisture and nutrients – all components of a stable food ecosystem

We will be inspired to achieve best practise sustainable gardening techniques and renew our enthusiasm for Tuross Community Garden.

Community Garden Tour
12th Feb 2012
Meet 8am at 38 Coogee St Tuross for an 8.30am departure
9-10am Narooma community garden
11-12.30pm morning tea at Cam’s and tour
1- 3.30pm lunch at John’s and property and tour
5pm back in Tuross

Register your interest by 9th Feb with Steve Smith 0407 399 405

Bring a hat, water, protective foot wear, snacks, a picnic lunch to share and we will pool when we meet.

You don’t have to be a member of the community garden to come along.

Tuross Community Garden hits a milestone

The garden site is within Kyla Park Recreational area surrounded by the Tuross cricket oval and netball court, Coila Lake and Kyla Park rural residential area.

Tuross Community Garden location within Kyla Park Recreational area

The Vision of the group is
An engaged and socially active community providing healthy sustainable produce

The Objectives of the group are to
• Build community though inclusive garden related activities
• Grow fresh produce
• Demonstrate sustainable practices in gardening and water use
• Provide ongoing learning opportunities
• Create local food security
• Reflect fairness, transparency and respect for all
• Have a flexible structure able to respond to changing community needs

Membership is now open, contact Susi 02/4473 9337

 

Our Constitution

Our Management Plan

Our Site Plan and a Detailed Site Plan

 

What we wish to achieve:

To Establish a Community garden to assist in feeding our community fresh, affordable vegetables, nuts and fruits. Growers are able to swap and any excess fruit and vegetables with local home gardens.

To use the Community garden to promote social opportunities, build community fabric and to help educate ourselves and our youth in being more aware and interested in food, its qualities and and its origins

To Establish a Community Garden such as the very sucessful and local "Sage Project" or follow the model put forward by the Australian Community Network

Our Constitution

Our Management Plan

Our Site Plan and a Detailed Site Plan

Sage (Sustainable Agriculture and Gardening Eurobodalla)

The SAGE project is the vision of a group of concerned residents of the Eurobodalla Shire and is intended as an education and demonstration site for sustainable agricultural and horticultural practices at the old Community Gardens site in Queen Street Moruya .

This project will have an initial role as a organic farming demonstration site for the Eurobodalla Slow Food Celebration in June 2009 with the longer term goal of being developed as a Training Facility for the teaching of sustainable horticultural and agricultural practices to both the home gardener and the small commercial producer.

This facility would have wide ranging community benefits such as the gaining of food production and preparation knowledge, enhancing the sense of community in the shire, the production of good food for those in need in our community and the development of sound horticultural skills to increase employment or self-employment prospects for job seekers.

The SAGE project is to be located on 2 acres of Council owned land, and will be both a demonstration project as well as a learning centre There will be a typical house block set up to show how a well designed yard can be both a great area for relaxation and recreation as well as producing significant amounts of organic food.

In addition there will be a more broadscale demonstration area for those who may have a spare hectare of land who would like to generate some income from organic horticulture. As well as increasing the local knowledge about sustainable, organic food production it is hoped to be able to supply organic produce at low prices to those with particular needs- for example people recovering from cancer and nursing homes.

read more on Slow Food Eurobodalla

ABC Radio National Bush Telegraph
Food on Friday - growing fruit and vegetables locally

By Bel Tromp
Friday, 21/05/2010

A small country town is trying to grow its own fruit and vegetables, turning around a national trend to source food from the supermarket shelves.

Moruya on the south coast of New South Wales used to be a horticultural food bowl, but that was long ago.

Now, like most of us, householders buy their fruit and veg from the supermarket, and it's all been trucked in from hundreds of kilometres away.

But a group of locals is trying reverse this movement. They've formed a group called the "Sage Project".

In this report: Stuart Scobie, Sage Project/Eurobodalla Slow Food Festival.

Click here to hear the podcast

South East resources:

Garden Forever

City Of Sydney - Starting a Community Garden

South East Community Gardens @ http://communitygardens.org.au

South East Community Gardens Brochure

Food Security in the South East

Bega Valley SeedSavers

Certified Compost material

Australia Wide Info:

Community Gardening An Annotated Bibliography

An Introduction Getting Started

Subscribe to a free online garden magazine

ABC Organic Gardener site for Sustainable living

Water sources:

Turlinjah - Australian first sewage disposal system 2/08/2002

TURLINJAH SEPTAGE EFFLUENT PROJECT - 23/4/2002