- 1 acre, 1/4 acre and Composter Shed Size of the garden
- 53 Number of garden members
- $20 per year Membership fees
- $7000 Annual costs to run the garden
- Terrell Park Commitee Who do you lease the land from
Fish Creek Community Garden and the Fish Creek Community Composter
The Farm at Fish Creek grew out of the idea that a community has the potential to be able to produce enough food to feed the community. Since 2016 the farm has been slowly building the soil with compost, manures and enhancing microbial activity with worm castings and ferments. We plant a diverse range of organic and non-GMO vegetables, fruit trees and bushes, with a beehive on site to help pollination. We choose not to use pesticides and other chemicals.
In Fish Creek town we have the Fish Creek Community Garden – at the site of the now non-functional train station. There are three large composting bays that now look like an old steam train, with accompanying wicking bed carriages – thanks to Andrew at Ride the Wild Goat.
A little further up the road, we have the Fish Creek Community Composter – a large-scale heat-based mechanical composter (thanks to a Pick My Project grant from the Vic Government), handling input of invasive weeds from the wider area. Community weeding events are regularly held.
History
The Farm is at the end of the now-disused Buckley Park sporting oval.
There is an old cricket shed near the main entrance which is used to store produce and as an undercover area when events are held. Many community events have been held there – it’s a beautiful space, which has accommodated kite flying, donkey rides, sustainability and artistic events.
The acre used for the community farm has in the past had buildings of various kinds.
In preparing the growing beds we have found many discarded items, from old glass, iron, pots, bricks, and have had to dig through lots of gravel. It is certainly now a totally transformed space, with native trees planted around the perimeter, a beehive, espaliered fruit trees, an orchard, asparagus patch, to mention a few.
The Garden in Fish Creek is a space that is used by the community for their various community events, and the local kindergarten and primary school children come through every now and again to see what’s happening and to learn about all the things that happen in the garden and they get to share the produce and taste things they have maybe never tried before.
The Composter down the road churns through lots of local waste and weeds and is managed by a small team of volunteer efficient and enthusiastic soil and biodiversity geeks. And we love them for it. A tour can always be arranged.
Features
Location
Added by Buckley Park Community Farm
