mERRI cORNER cOMMUNITY gARDEN
Since 2006.
The Merri Corner Community Garden was conceived in 2006 by a group of passionate East Brunswick locals. A vacant block set among apartments and adjacent to the Merri Creek was begging for a creative use. The land couldn’t be developed for housing due to the environmental and inundation overlays, and a buffer zone for overhead powerlines.
Meetings began and plans took shape. Moreland City Council approved plans for the garden in 2009 and provided a seeding grant to help kick start the project. Merri Corner Community Garden Inc was formed in the same year. After lots of back breaking work weeding and building plots and paths, we planted our first vegies in the spring of 2010 –the wettest season in 10 years!
The Merri Corner Community Garden is a community group in Brunswick that provides spaces for people to grow vegies, fruit, herbs and flowers. We have 40 individual plots, and plenty of communal areas – a sensory garden, espaliered fruit trees, a communal garden bed and an olive grove and small orchard on the nature stip.
We have a philosophy of self sufficiency so we have a 45,000 litre water tank and compost all our garden and kitchen waste on site. We reuse and recycle everything and don’t use pesticides or chemical fertilisers.
By growing our own fresh fruit and vegies in this way we are living more sustainably. Gardeners get to grow food and share their knowledge, swap tips and meet other local residents. And of course, a garden is a place to relax, stroll, or simply enjoy the colour it adds to our urban landscape.
And we hope that it will encourage more community gardens to grow!