Danawa Community Garden
Community gardens are places where people come together to grow fresh food, to learn, relax and make new friends.
Danawa Community Garden exists to help you to feed yourself and your family with fresh, organic, locally grown food, and to have fun doing it!
Our purpose is
- the ongoing development of an inviting and accessible place for a diversity of people to come together: sharing work, stories, experiences and food, in a supportive and co-operative environment.
- the exploration and education of organic gardening, sustainability and permaculture gardening principles
- grow a range of foods for members and the wider community
Danawa is a shared garden space, and we rely on the generosity and participation of our friends and members to grow and maintain the food gardens - and to share the bounteous harvest!
If you would like to read more about our garden's development. purpose and strategy, you are invited to download our Masterplan.
Where are we?
Danawa Community Garden is located in Spring Creek Reserve, Torquay (near the tennis courts) - just on the left as you drive in. Look for the meeting space - a shelter made from reclaimed timbers and constructed entirely by volunteers - the mandala gardens, wetlands and fruit trees.
How can you be involved?
- Come down to the garden on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month from 2pm onwards for a the Pick'n'Plant Day, a guided tour, and maybe a BBQ over the summer
- Dig in and get down and dirty 1st and 3rd Tuesdays 10am - a midweek session popular with mums and bubs
- Come along to a meeting, or one of our semi-regular pot-luck local-food dinners
- Learn about growing plants in our new plant propagation nursery!
- Just drop into the garden and soak up the vibe..
- Become a member!
Upcoming Events
Check out what events that we are planning over 2011 and into next summer at our Events Page.
Membership
Individual membership $25
Family membership $35
Memberships renewed August/September
Membership benefits
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keep in the loop about garden events
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access to online groupsite - discussion pages, calendar, photos, blog, and more!
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discounts on training and workshops
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discount plants
Membership application available here
Contacts
For more information, contact danawacommunitygarden@gmail.com or
Perry Mills perryagmills@gmail.com (0428) 848 646
Claire Gittings gittingsclaire@yahoo.com.au (0423) 683 120
John Harrison john.dharrison@bigpond.com 5261-6193
Volunteers Wanted!
Danawa is looking for people with the following skills/interests
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Plant propagation - to lead and/or assist with the management of the plant nursery, including helping on the watering roster over summer. Danawa has been invited to supply seedlings for SCEG's Growit! program, so we will need to have a regular supply of quality veggie seedlings ready throughout Summer and Autumn 2011
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Irrigation - to assist in setting up a reliable watering system for the nursery. The challenge is that there's no power and no water pressure!
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Backhoe - we need to lay a drain about 20m x 400mm near the entry
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Market stall - people to go on a roster to 'man' a stall shared with SCEG at the Cowrie Market on the 3rd Sunday in the month. A great way to catch up with friends!
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Develop corporate sponsorship program - We would like to develop a multi-level program to support the gardens recurrent costs
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Artists - there are a number of opportunities to get more artwork in the garden, particularly some creative interpretaion materials - the garden needs some good looking signs to help show people around!
Materials wanted
We are currently looking for the following materials. If you have any of the following, please contact Perry Mills on (0428) 848 646
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straw/hay bales - for seats, raised garden beds and mulching
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20m concrete stormwater pipe (or sewer pipe) and pit
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Dhurang gravel for the driveway
Thanks, everyone!
We acknowledge the following organisations who have asssisted in the development of the gardens to date - further assistance is always welcome!
|
Organisations |
Businesses |
| Spring Creek Community House
Surf Coast Shire Torquay Community Enterprise Australian Open Gardens Scheme |
Lake and Land Civil Contractors Malcolm Slater Landscapes Zeally Bay Bakery Barwon Water Torquay Mitre 10 Quiksilver Surfcoast Plumbing Meredith Cheeses Eco-rehab |
Thanks to Torquay Community Enterprise
Thanks to the TCE for their grants of $1500 last year - it has enabled us to create a most beautiful mosaic sign to grace the entrance to the garden.
The project was overseen by leading local mosaicist Kate Van Nooten, who with the assistance of equally talented Claire Gittings, designed and created this beautiful work, teaching a bunch of garden members and admirers how its done and inspiring us all to do some more.
Links
Pat Blampied Pat lives in Jan Juc and maintains a great website full of practical ideas on how to apply permaculture into your garden, and beyond
Geelong Organic Gardeners meets regularly in the Geelong Botanic Gardens and is a really active, vibrant group of passionate greenthumbs. A number of Danawa members attend regularly.
City farms and community gardens network is the website for community gardens across the nations, and it has great fact-sheets, news, features and tips!
Permaculture Research Institute overseen by insprational permaculture teacher Geoff Lawton has lots of examples of permaculture at work, including links to videos of how gardens are changing peoples lives for the better across the world.
Sustainable Gardening Australia are a non-government, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to changing the way Australians garden. You may be interested in joining the local SGA Pod of home gardeners helping each other out in the garden - there is one in Jan Juc! Contact AlisonAphrys on surfychic@shewrites.com.au or (0412) 012 904 .
CottonOn Foundation - the clothing company that promotes 'fashion for a cause' has a foundation assists a number of worthy causes - check it out!
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Photo courtesy of Adrienne Dillon