Growing with the community

Anne Spencer works in her plot at the Rocks Community Farm.

GROWING vegetables in a public park might seem a bit unusual but a group of south-west Brisbane residents are doing exactly that at Rocks Riverside Park.

The park, located at Seventeen Mile Rocks, is home to the Rocks Community Farm, a community garden operated by local volunteers interested in sustainability in food growing.

Project co-ordinator, Ed Parker, said it was primarily for sustainable food and produce, and there were also flowers for companion planting.

Mr Parker said there were 40 plots within the garden, many with produce such as eggplant, basil, chilli, mustard seeds and luffa growing, as well as a herb garden.

There’s also a children’s plot of land where children can potter around with their own pots and spades while their parents work on their plots.

“We have a wide age range, between 20 year olds and 80 year olds. Plus the children and grandchildren,” Mr Parker said.

The Rocks Community Farm was created nearly three years ago after Mr Parker was asked by the then local Councillor, Felicity Farmer, to kick it off.

“About two dozen (people) came along to the first meeting,” he said.

And the few months between April and June 2007, were all it took for the farm to become established.

“At least 50 per cent of the people (still involved) are founding members, but we constantly get a bit of turnover,” Mr Parker said.

“It gives people the opportunity of sharing ideas and is a great community building exercise.

Mr Parker said new members were welcome to come along to the working bees held each fortnight, but there was normally a waiting list for the plots of land.

• For more information about the Rocks Community Farm, visit http://sustainablejamboree.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=48.