Macleod Organic Community Garden
How the Macleod Organic Community Garden began
In 2015, Sustainable Macleod acquired 2 disused tennis courts at the back of Macleod College and set about transforming the En Tous Cas surface, which contained not an ounce of nutrient, into the flourishing, fertile garden it is today. The project was named the Macleod Organic Community Garden.
How the garden works
Macleod Organic Community Garden is gardened communally, growing a wide range of vegetables, berries, orchard fruit and herbs. There are no individual plots. The garden is overseen by a management group of 11 people but essentially everyone who comes to the garden is involved in planning, gardening, growing seedlings, other projects and setting the direction of the garden. Members are encouraged to pursue their own interests at the garden. Some may want to garden, others involve themselves in construction or solar projects or teaching workshops or various growing trials. At the end of each session, produce from the garden is divided between those people who have worked in the garden that day.
What goes on at the garden
The community garden hosts at least 2 workshops a month which are free to members ($15 to non members). It also holds numerous social events including potluck dinners, pizza nights, afternoon teas and the Sustainable Macleod Christmas and New Year parties.
Members of Macleod Organic Community Garden have in the last 5 years built a shelter, a commercial pizza oven, 2 polytunnels, 12 wicking beds, and a 6 bay compost system, as well as many raised garden beds. Members have installed 20 x 1000 litre water tanks, an off grid solar system, a weather station and 2 shipping container secure storage units, one of which houses the reference library and tool lending library.
During the Coronavirus pandemic, Sustainable Macleod has supplied BANSIC with hundreds of kilos of fruit and vegetables from the community garden plus seedlings, and masks made by members, for distribution to those doing it tough in the Banyule community
Membership of Sustainable Macleod which includes membership of the garden is $25 for a calendar year. Non members are always welcome to visit the garden as are children.
Latest gardening tips from our blog
Growing great tomatoes
Top hints for growing tomatoes Plant tomatoes deeply - at least half way up their stems. (You can leave the lower leaves on or twist them off.) Deep planting anchors the plant; the buried stem will put out roots, taking up more water and nutrients and producing more...
Growing spectacular eggplants and capsicums
Top hints for growing eggplants and capsicum Use Dipel (an organic bacterium available from nurseries) to prevent caterpillar poo trails in the fruit. Always keep soil moist. Stake plants to support brittle stems and keep fruit off the ground and pest free. Position...
Growing cucurbits – cucumber, zucchini and pumpkin
Position Plant in September in punnets, or from October to December outside. Choose a site with full sun and shelter from wind. Soil Preparation Plant cucurbits as seed or seedlings on mounds of compost with a base of well rotted animal manure. The manure should be...
Emergency Vegie Patch – Planting
Emergency Vegie Patch – Harvesting
Become a Member
Become a member and get access to the Macleod Organic Community Garden, our tool library and our seed library. We welcome all members of the community and have regular events and workshops to enjoy.