What your garden could be saving you today

I had a walk round my local Coles supermarket last night and here is what i found, and the savings that can be made made with your own garden not to mention the satisfaction of growing them is well worth it.

The Vegetables below we are all picking quatities of now:

Green Beans $4.98kg*
Spring Onions $1.98 bunch*
Spinach $3.48 bunch*
Beetroot $4.98 for 5 smaller than a snooker ball, (i picked 3 today almost as big as a softball)
Zucchinis $4.50kg

Fresh "8 Ball" Zucchini

Lettuce $2.48 each*
Lebanese cucumbers $5.98kg*
Herbs $2.48 bunch***
Pak Choy $1.98 for 2*
Garlic $17.98kg*
Fennel $1.28 each*
White onions $4.98kg*
Chillis $13.98kg*
Leeks *
Potatoes

*picked from my garden this week at home and Community Garden plot

Crackn Caulis and Brunch to Lunch

Cauliflowers are just one vegetable growing in profusion at the community gardens, broccoli and spinach are also cranking along with many gardeners benefiting from great crops, the Arty Café in Narellan welcomed an assortment of herbs and spinach this week.

The Herb Garden

Shallots, Cabbages, leeks, fennel, daikon radish, beetroot, carrots, radish, lettuce and celery are also doing well, peas are growing well in a few plots as are broad beans whose flowers did seem to set before the cold snaps hit. Its good to see a wide variety of vegetables growing.

Thanks to The Green Corps folk who have been kind enough to offer up surplus vegetables to the community groups now in residence, namely Wesley Disability Services and Sylvanvale Foundation.
We are also happy to announce that we will partner with the Salvation Army office at Narellan and the Brunch to Lunch crew in supplying vegetables and herbs for their free soup kitchen being run on Friday lunchtime out of the Salvation Army rooms at Exchange Parade, furthermore any seed/seedling donations will be welcomed (these can be left in the noticeboard on site at the gardens) and the guys and girls will grow these on in the small greenhouse on site for use by the groups using the gardens and to be grown on for the free Brunch to Lunch.

I visited the Salvation Army today and shared a bite to eat with Bill Zunick and Capt Lindon Kinder who both welcomed the potential contributions that will come from the gardens and the partnership. While sharing a bowl of hearty soup and magic bread with Bill we discussed the harsh realities facing folk at present and being involved in the retail sector I also witness the effect the present economic climate is having on people. Anyone is welcome at the Salvation Army Church, more info on the Brunch to Lunch can be obtained from Capt Kinder on 46474162, and more info on the gardens can be obtained from Steve on 0467531972.

Did someone say Winter !!

Visiting the Camden Community Garden at the moment one could easily be fooled into thinking it wasn't winter. Talking to a fellow gardener over the weekend we both agreed had we been on an alottment in the UK in the middle of winter all we would be growing is grey hair :).

The benefits of the Community Gardens are many and varied the main benefit being the the social/sense of community aspect for members of the garden and public alike who can use or visit the gardens during daylight hours, certainly pay the gardens a visit and say hello to any gardeners working away, there is the communial benefit whereby the whole community gains from having such a great resource at their back door, and as it develops/grows this will only become more evident.

An added benefit but by no means the driving force in being a part of this is the monetary benefit, in the latter years from the outside the site seemed to be sitting quietly waiting for a new lease of life, that new lease on life has been established by the Town Farm Committee and the Community Gardens Committee, and with the tireless help of its members, volunteers and gardeners blossomed into a valuable council asset, this certainly has been helped along and funded by Human Services through Family and Community Services Community Builders Program and with the support of Camden Council.

Take yourself to the shops for your regular food shop each week and the potential benefit to your hip pocket is also evident, take the following in season vegetables as a rough idea:

• Buk Choy - $1.96 for 3
• Kale - $2.98 for 175g
• Leeks - $2.38 ea
• Shallots - $2.48 a bunch
• Herbs - $2.45 a bunch
• Red Cabbage - $4.98 ea
• Cabbage - $3.98 ea
• Wombok - Chinese Cabbage - $2.98 ea
• Lettuce - $1.98 ea
• Fennel - $1.78 ea
• Parsnips - $9.98 kg
• Swedes - $2.98 kg
• Spinach - $3.98 a bunch
• Pak Choy - $1.96  for 3

While its true the gardens are a valuable resource to the local communtiy and various groups, with the impending infrastructure work to be done over the coming months the gardens should cement themselves as a focal point for many folk and give visitors to the area something to admire and take home thoughts of.

This faciltiy is unique and the historical significance is of major importance, the property is listed on the State Heritage Register and as such careful consideration goes into the developement of the gardens.

Tasks on the horizon include pathwork from Camden Town Farm and through the gardens, construction of raised beds for aged as well as greater disability access, planting of more herbs, weed matting the borders, improvements to the composting, addition of worm farms, an orchard, also on the plans is a covered area for folk to gather and enjoy as well as a nursery/greenhouse to grow/propagate plants for the garden and potentially the community. Its hoped that not only this generation but generations to come will be proud to be associated with this facility and preserving the facility that Miss Llewella Davies left for the Community.

Happy Gardening