Tag Archive for 'Melbourne'

How To Make The World A Better Place: #88 Rent Yourself a Plot and Grow Stuff

Hey SuperForesters.

The weekend before last, I took a one-hour plane ride  to Melbourne (from Sydney) and, like everyone else who visits, fell utterly in love. There’s so much to see and hear, and I’ve never encountered a more vibrant, lively city. While walking around St Kilda, I happened upon Veg Out community gardens.

compostFabulous, colourful, wonderful compost!

plot
A plot at Veg Out costs about AU$150 a year to lease.

greensOrganic, chemical-free greens!

philosophy1The philosophy. Note the final line “Gardening is an act of faith in the future”.
How wonderfully articulated is that?

I suppose what’s so magical about Veg Out is that it’s a place where friends, families and community groups can share seedlings, gardening tips and life stories. Even as a visitor, I felt such a great and positive energy there. This modest community garden reinforces what we’re hoping to achieve with SuperForest; to encourage everyone to work together, on little projects and giant ones. It also reminds us that growing our own food makes us more confident, self-sufficient, and wonderful human beings.

There’s a great article here about Lenny Pastro (below) who has held a plot at Veg Out for the last nine years.

lennyPhoto: Melanie Dove

Lenny says, “I always worked hard, so what am I going to do now? Sit in my flat and watch the television? I’d rather be out here in the garden, there’s always someone to talk to, something to do, I love it.”

Life’s a garden … dig it.
April