We designed our community garden with the vision to be more self- sufficient in food production and to further connect students to nature. The garden is now a proud feature at our school and enhances the camp program, which is heavily focused around sustainability.
The design process took into account a number of factors. One of which was incorporating a teaching space that would allow students to get hands on, practical experience in gardening and the knowledge behind it.
The site was originally an open grassed area between an existing building and a car park. Choosing this as our site was an opportunity to add value to an underutilised area. It was important to us to use a range of different bed materials to demonstrate versatility and use of recycled and second hand products. The vertical garden posts, fence and seating timbers are all repurposed wood from the old Somers School Camp Bridge and the plastic garden beds are manufactured from reclaimed soft plastics. The potting shed is clad in tin from an old onsite building and the entrance gate is welded from used gardening tools.
Although, the garden is in its preliminary phase, we have already harvested produce for our kitchen. We look forward to using the garden to its full capacity and enjoying it with our students.
Regards,
S.S.C. Garden Committee