Austinmer couple Sarah and James will open their garden gates for November’s Illawarra Edible Garden Trail, welcoming trail-goers to their shady but productive backyard.
“Gardeners are a pretty good mob, you might go to the native plant nursery at the back of Wollongong University and the Botanic Gardens there, and have a chat with other people who are also interested in gardening. It's like a universal language,” Sarah says.
"You’re chatting to someone about your trees or new ways to make a garden edge and you’re speaking the same language, you believe in the same things. You're sharing stories with people who really believe this is important."
The Illawarra Edible Garden Trail began in 2023 and partners Food Fairness Illawarra and Healthy Cities Australia to foster community spirit and food accessibility. On Saturday and Sunday, November 22 and 23, locals can explore backyard veggie patches, crop swap groups, schools, community gardens and hobby farms and more. This year’s trail will feature gardens from the Northern suburbs all the way through to Shell Cove. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about growing food in a variety of natural environments and terrains across the Illawarra.
"It’s exciting because people will see a range of situations. Different microclimates, different characteristics, shade, different soils, different wind exposures,” Sarah says.
“People can go on the trail and see gardens in their district with similar conditions, and get inspired about what's possible and what we might be able to grow.”
Sarah’s garden grows in a backyard shaded by rainforest trees, making it challenging to grow vegetables, but with the help of her garden manager, Zoe Bell, she has the herbs, fruits and veggies to make salads and chutneys from the comfort of her home. Visitors will see raised beds with herbs and veggies, young citrus trees and native fruit trees, as well as two compost bins and a Flow Hive in the garden.
“I can just go out and grab something healthy for lunch, to add to the cooked chook or whatever, and we’ve always got a fresh salad. With the flow hive, you can just turn the tap and the honey just flows out when it's ready. So I also get to make lovely gifts for people," Sarah says.
“Having Sarah’s honey, having her jams and chutneys with the fruit that you've grown is beautiful, my daughter loves it, and she knows that it comes from bees and she can actually come in and see the flowers that the bees are on, the story of the honey,” Zoe says.
“I've been the recipient of many of those gifts, and it's so beautiful. Sarah makes her own labels for the honey and it’s just a packaged gift. It really is very beautiful.”
Sarah’s garden manager, Zoe, is a horticulturist from Bulli and owns landscaping company Plantlandia. She has been working on the garden for almost six years, providing creative, technical and local know-how.
“I’ve seen the garden transform tremendously over the time I’ve been working here. It looked nothing like this when I first started,” Zoe says.
"Gardening is a conversation… Eventually when you've been gardening for a while, the garden starts to tell you what it wants. So we're listening more to the garden rather than trying to be the benevolent dictator."
Sarah and Zoe aim to grow a canopy of native rainforest trees. With native citrus, Mangosteen, Tamarind, Davidson’s plum, Bolly Gum and Blueberry Ash, Sarah enjoys the relaxing sounds of birds in her garden. Among tall rainforest trees and new growth, the garden includes a mini rainforest walk in one the corner of the yard.
"Every year we have a street Christmas Party here, and the little kids that come in and they love it because they take their shoes off and do cart wheels on the lawn and enjoy the garden. It's just a joy to share," Sarah says.
"You can see from the street that something really beautiful and impressive is happening here. It's not until you come right in and really experience it that you know it’s such a beautiful spot,” Zoe says.
Sarah and Zoe look forward to sharing the garden with trail-goers in November and swapping tips and advice with fellow growers.
“There's a sense of satisfaction in watching something develop over time that you've had a part in, seeing something from its infancy and just watching it grow and develop... it's a really beautiful journey to watch,” Zoe says.
“It's been shown in the literature that gardens are healing. It's actually hard to be in this garden for an hour and not feel better afterwards,” Sarah adds.
This garden will be open to guests on Saturday, November 23 only. For more information about Illawarra Edible Garden Trail, visit the Food Fairness website and email Emily to be notified when tickets go live.