Building Community in a different kind of garden

I get excited by opportunities to create excuses for people to leave the house. I relate to hermits well and know the only thing that stands between me and the success I want, is my love of my treehouse home which doubles as my cave. Everyone has visited insecurity in their lives somewhere and many know the isolation it brings when they stay there for a while. This brings me to a community in Frankston who wanted to come out of their homes and meet people and do stuff together. It began as an idea and a piece of land given for a Community Garden. Enviable energy from a young mum nearby gave it momentum and so it happened to come across my desk.
Here’s the result, now out to the public for comment, and I feel pretty proud of this community.
Joy of the Earth community garden draft plan
We got to the creative result by asking this question of the groups who use the area to deliver services and of the individuals who were interested: If you could dream of the most exciting, community building space that would be just right for you, what would it be? In two sessions over 5 hours, people met others on tables over butchers paper and textas. Connections were made, support gleaned, ideas abounded, enthusiasm infectious.
Last night they listened while i described the cluster of vegie beds arranged to bring 5 people closer together, with a low wall to rest on. This little community was then linked to 2 other flower shaped clusters and then the whole community had many more indoor and outdoor spaces to gather, share, cook, create, grow, harvest, mooch about, learn, build, play and make friends. I can’t wait to see the first earthbag wall take shape! Joy of the Earth Community Garden. Watch this space..

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