Shell Cove Community Garden grows friendship too

Shell Cove Community Garden is one of about 700 community gardens boosting health and wellbeing around the country. The president of Shell Cove Community Garden, Trevor Gollan, says gardening is a chance to get out into the fresh air and has introduced him to a local social community he really enjoys.

The gardeners also enjoy regular activities such as dinners, fundraising and trivia nights. Trevor runs a bush-walk once a week, usually around the neighbourhood. People don’t have to know anything about gardening to come along, he says.

The group gathers twice weekly – Wednesday mornings from 9-11am and Saturday afternoons from 2-4pm – but people can come as often or as seldom as they like. Garden beds are raised for easy access. Working bees involves weeding, harvesting, planting and general garden maintenance. Often there’s a cuppa afterwards on Wednesdays and drinks and nibbles on the Saturday.

They grow herbs, salad greens and a few fruit trees. The garden is organic, with no chemicals used on the plants, and a local Waterfront business, Bliss Ice Cream and Gelato, gives the group their used coffee grounds to help with composting.

Membership is $5 a year. Members include retirees but the group welcomes younger people. Their motto is “Take a little not a lot” and Trevor says it would be great if people visited, pulled out a few weeds and got to know the members.

There is a donation box for members of the public who’d like to enjoy the spoils of the garden. Look out for the plant sales held twice a year.

The garden is at the corner of Civic Avenue and Cove Boulevard, Shell Cove. Contact president Trevor Gollan on 0408 230 593 or shellcovegarden@gmail.com