7 November 2011
Mother’s group veggie garden
Women and kids are getting growing, with the new veggie gardens at the Craig Centre in Ashburton! In February 2011BoroondaraCity Council, Parks and Garden’s Department, through the leadership of Tony DePrue helped establish two raised garden plots at Craig Centre playground.
The Craig Family Centre and Inner East Community Health Service have been using the garden plots as an educational space teaching local people about growing fresh vegies and herbs for healthy cooking.
The garden is used by a group of local women who are on a low income and/or socially isolated. This group is run by Inner East Community Health and incorporates art and craft activities as well as healthy cooking classes.
The program has been very successful with women and their children growing a wide variety of organic herbs and vegetables including coriander, celery, English spinach, Asian greens, snow peas and spectacular rainbow chard!
So far the produce has introduced the group to an international array of cuisines and has been used in Mexican tacos, garden salads, Greek spanakopita and Indian Dhal! Look out this summer as the mums plan to goMediterraneanand grow a super crop of tomatoes and basil – a sure plan for pasta!
Craig Family Centre, Kids Sensory Garden
This year students at the Craig Centre began creating a kids sensory garden in the Craig Centre Playground. The students planted a range of indigenous and native plants as well as ferns. The garden was landscaped with winding paths which go through native daisies, paper daises, pink and purple Geraldton Wax, Tufted Bluebells, Gold dust wattle, Woolly Bush, Moonflower and wonderful Hakeas.
The Craig Family Centre would like to extend its appreciation to Tony De Preu from Parks and Gardens for his support in this project. We would also like to thank VINC Victorian Indigenous Nurseries Cooperative and Greenlink Box Hill for donations of indigenous plants. A special thanks as well to Sophie and Dan our social work placement students turn garden gnomes.
