The community garden experience < our gardens

NORTHEY STREET CITY FARM -
visions of the future unfold at Breakfast Creek

The food gardens at Northey Street City Farm prior to their makeover. Herbs, vegetables and fruit grow in an ordered profusion. Eggs are produced by a small flock of chooks.

Entrance to the city farm's demonstartion home garden. The garden provides ideas for turning suburban backyards into productive places.

The demonstartion home garden shows how to use the space below the clother line productively. The garden is full of ideas for domestic food production.

Links with employment, TAFE, high school, indigenous and community education programs iare building a productive relationship between the community and government sectors at Nortehy Street City Farm in Brisbane.

Story by Dick Copeman. Photos: Russ Grayson - 2001.

Visions of a sustainable future for our cities are starting to take shape at Brisbane’s Northey Street City Farm, a one hectare community permaculture garden on the banks of Breakfast Creek in inner suburban Windsor.

Northey Street’s tradition of participatory Permaculture design continues. A five-year plan for expansion onto an adjoining two hectares and a re-design of the kitchen garden and orchards have involved many farm members and external stakeholders.

The first phase of the expansion, a half-acre ‘Jack Mitchell’ cabinet timber woodlot of eleven rainforest species has been planted, while four new, large mandala gardens now form the revamped and very productive kitchen garden. Twenty or so new fruit trees have been planted.

The kitchen is being upgraded, with a new sink, new cupboard, pergola and stoves.

A (cramped) office has been established on site, computerised bookkeeping systems have been installed and an office administrator is now employed part-time.

Nursery and green waste recycling

A green waste recycling centre has been built and a propagation area, pot-washing area, reconstructed shade house and hardening-off area completed.

Nursery stock has been increased so that the nursery now supplies the farm with all its seedlings and also sells seedlings and permaculture plants to the public and to organic farmers.

Working with unemployed people

The new developments outlined above could not have been completed without the work of the unemployed people attached to the Farm through the Work for the Dole and Community Jobs Plan programs. Their energy and ingenuity have created innovative compost tumblers, organised a very successful winter solstice festival and built new pergolas, gardens and paths as well as doing much of the maintenance work around the Farm.

The employment programs have also provided paid employment for three supervisors and funding for tools, equipment and running costs.

Northey Street City Farm has been committed not only to providing interesting work and a supportive environment for people in these employment programs but also to offering training opportunities through TAFE accredited horticulture courses delivered at the Farm as well as through an urban permaculture skills course.

Food and Nutrition Program

The tradition of cooking a shared lunch from farm produce has been continued and strengthened through a Food and Nutrition project funded by Queensland Health.

Hands-on cooking workshops were held for the Work for the Dole participants on different cuisines including Indian, Mediterranean, bread and pizza, bushtucker, Thai and Torres Strait.

A recipe book is being compiled and the project is being evaluated with the help of Griffith University.

Schools visitors see permaculture in action

Year 11 Geography classes have been coming from a number of Brisbane high schools for practical experience relevant to their course unit on ‘Feeding the World’s People’.

The students see permaculture in action, do some hands-on work on the Farm, and then finish by discussing the place of permaculture in feeding the world’s people in both developing and developed countries.

Workshops and training

In autumn 2001, an urban permaculture course was held over twelve Saturdays and an Organic Gardening course is planned for 2002.

Regular GOLD (Growing Old and Living Dangerously) workshops are held for older people on a range of topics and other regular workshops are planned for 2002.

Centenary of Federation on the heritage track

Men of the Trees coordinated a Centenary of Federation project at Northey Street City Farm.

Members of the community-based organisation built a track and some striking artwork through the rainforest plantings along the creek on the expansion site across the road.

New Projects introduce bushfoods, farmer's market, local food

A six-month bushfoods project involving Aboriginal and Islander people has just been funded. This project aims to involve Aboriginal and Islander people in growing and cooking bushfoods at Northey Street City Farm and to foster appreciation of bushfoods amongst the wider community.

Brisbane City Council has approved a six-month trial of a farmer’s market in the car park adjacent to Northery Street City Farm. Organic and locally grown food will be the main items sold at the market.

A part-time volunteer coordinator position is, hopefully, about to be funded. This will allow all volunteers, and particularly disabled volunteers - a number of whom regularly attend the Farm - to be better catered for and supported.

A new website is being designed and should be up an running soon.

For further information: Northey Street City Farm (07) 3857 8775

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PAGE UPDATED... Thursday, 29 September 2005