If you’ve got a green thumb and live on a small plot of land or even an apartment, get down and dirty with your neighbours at one of Brisbane’s many community gardens.
Community gardens are often more than the sum of their parts. They don’t simply aim to grow plants but to educate people in organic gardening or permaculture, build local community connections, teach children about the environment and supply fresh food. There are many gardens across Brisbane that would welcome your involvement.
Some of the established gardens host events throughout the year, including school holiday activities via the Chill Out program or GOLD activities.
Northey Street City Farm
Brisbane’s largest community farm is in inner-city Windsor on the northside. This farm has a market garden (which grows fruit and veg to be sold at the Sunday organic market, chickens, orchard, great nursery (open to the public for plant sales) and regular courses in gardening and sustainable living. Volunteers are always needed for all sorts of jobs. This community garden also runs accredited permaculture courses and workshops.
Beelarong Community Garden
In York Street, Morningside, this unfenced community garden welcomes everyone to come and have a look and get involved. There are working bees and schools often make excursions to the garden. Read more about Beelarong Community Garden.
Spiral Gardens West End
This is actually two gardens. There's one on council land at Jane Street and the other at Paradise Park, West End. Join the regular working bees on weekdays and Sundays.
There are other, small community gardens in Brisbane. Visit one near you and see how you can get involved or simply stop and admire the garden.
Burnie Brae Park gardens at Karun Street Chermside. The gardens are open to the public and are tended by the local senior citizens group and other locals.
Koala Park Community Garden, Vendale Street, Moorooka - recently opened and funded by BCC. Councillor Griffiths helped support the venture, along with the Cerebral Palsy society and Moorooka Residents Association. The gardens were built to be accessible to all, with raised garden beds.
Rocks Riverside Park Community Garden – this community garden uses an allotment system where an individual or family looks after their own plot.
The Church of St Clements, Stafford runs their own community garden.
Vera Street Community Garden, Toowong, has monthly working bees open to all. They welcome people to come and have a look. Vera Street Community Garden has a website and the garden is within the grounds of Toowong College.
Find a list of other community gardens in Brisbane.
Some of the community gardens are on Council managed parkland. These gardens range in size from very large operations with 50 or more volunteers, such as Northey Street City Farm, Beelarong Community Farm and Spiral Community Hub’s gardens. But there also gardens involving a small group or a few families and others in school grounds. Regardless of size or location, these gardens provide a place for growing food, a space for demonstrating sustainable practices and the chance for people to interact and have fun as a community.
Brisbane City Council supports a network of community gardens, city farms in parks and schools and community facilities. If you want to start a new community garden, get some tips on the process and speak to the Council's Community Gardens Officer on 07 3403 8888.
Many schools are also starting to establish edible gardens, used by the children as part of the curriculum.
Does your school have a garden? Or your community? Tell us why it’s a good thing.
Hi, thanks for the article. I just wanted to let readers know that the Vera Street Community Garden has a website at www.verastreetgarden.org.