St Luke’s Community Garden
Design Feature
Type of project
Landowner Strategy
State
Western Australia
Location
Urban
St Luke’s Community Garden is situated within the historic precinct of St Luke’s church, rectory, and hall designed and constructed in 1899-1905 by Talbot Hobbs. Originally a tennis court, then a vacant block for nearly 40 years, the garden site has been transformed since 2008 into a productive garden and communal green space initiated and run by community members. Based on the allotment concept in villages and towns across the United Kingdom, it provides space for those wishing to grow vegetables as well as a demonstration site for organic food production and sustainable urban living.
Supporting the community
The project was the initiative of two community mothers seeking to create a productive vegetable garden and communal green space - then rare in Perth. St Luke’s parishioners adopted the project as a community outreach initiative, providing seed funding and access to the land. Grants, donations and in-kind support from local businesses and community members helped to complete the project.
The Community Garden includes 27 raised beds that are allocated to local people to grow a variety of vegetables and flowers for themselves and their family. The rest of the garden has been planted out with a selection of native plants, a small orchard, a communal herb garden and seasonal crops. These sections and a pergola designed to conform to the historic precinct are for all garden members and visitors to enjoy.
The Community Garden includes 27 raised beds that are allocated to local people to grow a variety of vegetables and flowers for themselves and their family. The rest of the garden has been planted out with a selection of native plants, a small orchard, a communal herb garden and seasonal crops. These sections and a pergola designed to conform to the historic precinct are for all garden members and visitors to enjoy.
Garden membership is open to anyone interested, offering various costs and conditions for bed holders, general members and friends. Members share a wealth of knowledge on vegetable growing, companion planting, organic practices, composting, soil improvement and native plants.
Busy bees, informative talks and social events are regularly held in the garden along with occasional workshops for school children featuring activities such as potato planting, vegetable hunts, soil workshops and worm appreciation courses. The garden was also the site of popular Eco fairs run in conjunction with the local council, schools and community groups.
Busy bees, informative talks and social events are regularly held in the garden along with occasional workshops for school children featuring activities such as potato planting, vegetable hunts, soil workshops and worm appreciation courses. The garden was also the site of popular Eco fairs run in conjunction with the local council, schools and community groups.
The garden is managed by a six person volunteer committee elected by members, however all our members are encouraged to participate in the physical management of the garden during Busy Bees that happen at least four times a year. Operation is separate from St Luke's Church but the church administration and parishioners continue to be enormously supportive.
Project team
- Community volunteers initiating the project and providing long-term support
- Glen Sproule, retired head landscaper at the University of Western Australia for 25 years who designed the layout and assisted with the selection and planting of natives plants
- St Luke's church parishioners and Anglican Diocese (land owner)
- Local schools
- Local businesses and service clubs
Project Cost
- Set up - $36,000 (approximately) paid by St Luke’s Parish
- Costs ongoing
Health Value
- Gardening is a physical activity that engages people and gives them a sense of wellbeing and equality [1,2].
- Being outdoors doing active jobs and harvesting and eating fresh vegetables are all positive health dimensions gardening [3,4].
- People have been referred to St Luke’s Community Garden by their GPs and one member, a mental health inpatient, tended her garden with her nurses as part of her rehabilitation program.
Economic value
The garden is a not for profit activity providing economic value to community members and organisations.
- For a small annual fee, member families save money on fresh produce, recreation and gardening education.
- The site provides a low cost venue for social and educational activities of community groups and organisations.
Environmental Value
- The project has transformed a disused grassed area into an eco-friendly productive green space complementary to the Church precinct.
- About 400 tube stock native shrubs were planted around the perimeter of the garden to provide shelter, privacy and to encourage native birds and insect life.
- Garden membership requires that chemicals are not used in the garden and sustainable methods are used in growing crops and pest control.
- Rain water is collected off the neighbouring roof to help service the garden.
- Community engagement activities demonstrate and promote a number of methods of sustainable gardening such as soil conditioning and water conservation.
Social value
- The Community Garden is open to anyone interested in membership. The local community is diverse and membership embraces people at the most affluent and the most challenged ends of society.
- The garden offers regular social contact, shared interests and shared purpose as well as community events and educational opportunities.
- The social value of the Garden has been acknowledged by the Town of Mosman Park Council with a Community Award in 2010 and an Eco Award 2012.
Use value
- Approximately 40 families use the garden via membership, for growing produce, harvesting herbs and general recreation.
- Volunteers and other organisations such as Autism West, and Earth Carers hold regular garden care and sustainability workshops for local schools and community and groups such as the West Coast Garden club have visited in large numbers.
- Part of the annual Eco Fair was held in the garden, providing stalls, entertainment, information and demonstrations to engage local community in sustainable living
- Students from local schools have worked in the garden as part of community service and outdoor education commitments
- Not for profit charity Cana Communities holds yoga classes and a weekly open lunch for homeless people.
- The St Luke’s parish and local schools hold events involving local community such as open air carol singing and ‘long lunches’ for school staff and parents in the shade of the eucalyptus.
References
St Luke’s Community Garden Website
St Luke’s Community Garden Facebook
1. Currie, M. J. B., Lackova, P., & Dinnie, E. (2016). Greenspace matters: exploring links between greenspace, gender and well-being with conservation volunteers. Landscape Research, 41(6), 641-651. doi: 10.1080/01426397.2016.1208813
2. Evans, A., Ranjit, N., Hoelscher, D., Jovanovic, C., Lopez, M., McIntosh, A., . . . Warren, J. (2016). Impact of school-based vegetable garden and physical activity coordinated health interventions on weight status and weight-related behaviors of ethnically diverse, low-income students: Study design and baseline data of the Texas, Grow! Eat! Go! (TGEG) cluster-randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 973. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3453-7
3. Guerlain, M. A., & Campbell, C. (2016). From Sanctuaries to Prefigurative Social Change: Creating Health-Enabling Spaces in East London Community Gardens (Vol. 4).
4. Hawkins, J. L., Mercer, J., Thirlaway, K. J., & Clayton, D. A. (2013). “Doing” gardening and “being” at the allotment site: Exploring the benefits of allotment gardening for stress reduction and healthy aging. Ecopsychology, 5(2), 110-125.
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