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Tasmanian Community Gardening NetworkNewsletter No. 3 December 2005

he Tasmanian Community Gardening Network held its first Statewide gathering on Saturday the 19th November 2005.

bout 45 Community Gardeners from all around the State gathered at the Ravenswood Community Garden to share in anformative, practical and fun day. Workshops offered participants the opportunity to learn about different aspects of communityardening from local and interstate presenters, as well as share their experiences with others.

anels of presenters described different models of community gardens, how to establish a community garden and their learningsong the way.anel members included:

Tamara Johnston from Ravenswood Community Garden

Keith Williams from Punchbowl Community GardenCameron McKinnon from TAFE Horticulture in Hobart

Ann Rayner from Ulverstone Community GardenSandy Tiffin from Deloraine Community Garden

David Stephen from Creek Road Community Garden

here was plenty of time for networking and sharing experiences. A number of organisations and groups also put up displaysbout their gardens and related topics.

orag Gambles from the Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network gave an inspiring presentation during the lunchour. Morags presentation demonstrated different models of community gardens in many countries around the world.

uring the afternoon, participants were treated to an array of local expertise covering the following topics:School gardens and enterprise learning

Group processes

Creating no-dig gardens and garden designGetting the soil right

orkshop facilitators included: Denise Delphin, Tamara Johnston, Leigh Tesch, Cameron McKinnon, Sandy Tiffin, Marieke vanjke and David Stephen.

he open forum at the end of the day attracted numerous comments, suggestions and enthusiasm for the continuation of theetwork and future gatherings of this nature. Turn the page for some of the ideas that came up on the day.

If you have a story toshare with the

TasmanianCommunityGardening

Network, Contact Us!

Send your story to:

Eat Well Tasmania

GPO Box 1624HOBART TAS 7001

Email:mherzfeld@cancertas.org.au

Telephone:(03) 6233 2923

Fax:(03) 6233 2123

You can send yourarticle at any time.Pictures are always

appreciated too.

We wish

you a very

Merry

Christmas &

Happy New Year!

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Regular workshopson current issues of

importance

Advocacy

Outreach

Big Noisy Events

Map of TassieGardens

Signage Recycled artwork,useful junk

Marketing

Green Gym & physical

activity in the garden :weeding, turning compost

heaps, harvesting

Open days -Promote all sizes and types

of gardens & produce

Communitygreen harvest &

Coops

Composting -sourcingmaterials

Food regulations - do we needcommercial kitchens in

Below are some of the ideas, suggestions and comments that came out of the open forum and discussions at theTasmanian Community Gardening Network Workshop in November 2005

Develop broadernetwork

Sponsorship &Funding

Compost tumblers withacrobats spinning them

Worm tractors

Create a public meeting spaceand invite speakers and

musicians (eg string quartet,Irish band)

Incorporate gardenswith nursing students

for their study

Edible street trees, eg inBarcelona

(www.bcn.es/agenda21/crbs)

Create a large jobs board inyour garden which

everyone can see, add &prioritise with a ranking

system

During meetings,integrate food sharing,meals and talking aboutlife in general to allow

people to really connect

Set up induction procedurefor new people at the

garden eg pack up tools atthe end of a job or day

Nominatesomeone for

people to go to ifany problems or

grievance

Develop a TassieCommunity Gardens

website

Take advantage of volunteers and workingbee potential with the new Green Gymprogram from Conservation Volunteers

Australia being trialed in Westbury

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Food Safety in the Gardenne of the issues that came up at the Tasmanian Community Gardening Networkorkshop in November was to do with food safety requirements in community gardens.

ood Safety Standardshave been developed to ensure that food sold in Australia is safe and suitable to eat. The Standards applyfood businesses, which are defined as any business or activity that involves the handling of any type of food for sale, or the salefood in Australia. This includes activities undertaken for charitable or community reasons, as well as commercial ventures and

nce-only' projects that involve the handling and sale of food. However, charity and community groups, temporary events andome-based businesses are exempt from some of the requirements in the Standards. Further information about the Standards isvailable at the following website: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodsafetystandardsaustraliaonly

the case of community gardens, if people are picking produce that they have grown on their plot and want to prepare it foremselves and their friends, this is no different to having a picnic or BBQ in the park. Basic food safety principles should be

pplied (visit the above website for further information) but complying with the Food Safety Standardsshouldn't be necessary inis situation. Advice from the Department of Health & Human Services on this issue is that if the food grown in community

ardens is not for sale, it is really a private matter.

ood Safety Standardsare relevant if the food that is prepared is for sale. What does sell mean? Sell means:) barter, offer or attempt to sell, or) receive for sale, or) have in possession for sale, or

) display for sale, or) cause or permit to be sold or offered for sale, or) send, forward or deliver for sale, or) dispose of by any method for valuable consideration, or) dispose of to an agent for sale on consignment, or provide under a contract of service, or

) supply food as a meal or part of a meal to an employee, in accordance with a term of an award governing the employment ofe employee or a term of the employee' s contract of service, for consumption by the employee at the employee' s place of work,

) dispose of by way of raffle, lottery or other game of chance, or offer as a prize or reward, or

m) give away for the purpose of advertisement or in furtherance of trade or business, or

) supply food under a contract (whether or not theontract is made with the consumer of the food),gether with accommodation, service or entertainment,consideration of an inclusive charge for the foodpplied and the accommodation, service or

ntertainment, or) supply food (whether or not for consideration) in the

ourse of providing services to patients or inmates inublic institutions, where 'public institution' means 'publicstitution' as defined in the Act, if it is soefined; or) sell for the purpose of resale. (Standard 3.1.1)

or further information visit:tp://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/services/view.php?id=781

emember: Food safety is important but it shouldnt stopou from preparing, cooking and enjoying thatelicious garden produce!

Australian Community Gardens Network Listserverhe purpose of the Australian Community Gardens Network listserver is to enable direct communications among community

ardeners as well as those interested in the activity. The types of information that the listserver provides includes the posting of:dates and details about events such as workshops, courses, conferences, meetings and the like

questions and answers to problems and enquiries

news about community gardening and allied activities

discussion about things of interest, issues and ideas to do with community gardening.

or further information and to subscribe visit: http://lists.cat.org.au/cgi-bin/m/listinfo/community-gardens

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his garden is privately owned and also available to all members of the public.hanks to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) it is considered a communityarden.

he garden was designed by Lucy Gregg in 1997 to show examples of the floweringulbs being sold in the adjacent shop. The pattern of the beds is best seen fromallington Mill, the 5 storey stone mill tower, usually open to the public, next door.

or several years community members kept the garden tidy, maintained, extendednd improved and a lease was discussed but never eventuated. Early this year thease idea resurfaced because the property changed hands but was rejected by theew owners, who said, We want to be part of whats happening!

lieu of a lease a MOU has been agreed to involving 4 parties the local Council,e Owners, the Parterre Gardeners and a local incorporated community group whichovides the public liability insurance cover for the project. The purpose of the MOU is

.for the development and use of the Oatlands Parterre Garden, located in Mill Laneatlands, for community use and enjoyment, enhancement of the Oatlands visitorxperience and as an adjunct to the Callington Mill historic site.

uration of the MOU is 2 years. Renewal, subject to review and agreement by all par-es will be for subsequent 2 year periods.

Management Committee has been identified. The public will have access to the gar-en 7 days a week during normal business hours (unless special circumstances exist)The owners will pay normal Council rates and charges. In recognition of the commu-ty benefits provided by the Garden, Council undertakes to grant thearterre Garden Group an annual amount equivalent to the rates and charges paid bye owners, less; The Fire service levy, being a charge collected by the State Fireommission, and Water consumption charges. The Parterre Garden Groupndertakes to spend the above-mentioned funds on maintenance and improvementsthin the garden.

recognition of the primary importance of Callington Mill, the Managementommittee will ensure that the view of Callington Mill from High Street and Mill Lanenot adversely affected by development and plantings within the Garden (for exam-e by excessively high trees).

or more information:ww.mile.org.auILE Inc PO Box 70atlands Tas 7120

$$$$ Funding Opportunities $$$$ss Tilbury, Women's Development Program, Women Tasmaniaepartment of Premier & Cabinet), sends out regular information about fund-g opportunities. To receive these notifications, send an email to Tess atss.Tilbury@dpac.tas.gov.au and ask to be added to the distribution list.

Bits & Pieces Australian City Farms and Community GardensNetwork Annual Conference in Adelaide 2006

Monday 6th to Thursday 9th March 2006There are links to various pages from the middle column on the home

page: http://www.communitygarden.org.au

Tasmanian Community GardeningNetwork Working Grouphe Working Group is looking for keen and active communityardening enthusiasts to help drive the activity of theasmanian Community Gardening Network. If you have someme, passion, commitment and are keen to work as part of aam, contact us to get involved.elephone: Eat Well Tasmania on (03) 6233 2923 or email:herzfeld@cancertas.org.au

School Gardening Websites

Gardening Launchpad www.gardeninglaunchpad.com/kids.htmlGreening School Grounds: Creating Habitats for Learninghttp://www.greenteacher.com/gsg.htmlThe Edible Schoolyard www.edibleschoolyard.org

The Case For More High School Gardenshttp://www.cityfarmer.org/highschool77.htmlSchool and Community Cooperative Landcare Projects: Best practice guidewww.affa.gov.au/corporate_docs/publications/pdf/nrm/landcare/school_landcare.pdfSchool and Community Cooperative Landcare Projects: Best practice guidewww.affa.gov.au/corporate_docs/publications/pdf/nrm/landcare/school_landcare.pdf

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TASMANIAN COMMUNITY GARDENING NETWORK WORKSHOP 19 November 2005

NOTES BREAKOUT SESSION WORKSHOP

Group processes, working together, achieving outcomes, staying motivated(Leigh Tesch & Cameron Mckinnon)

eigh Tesch presented a great one hour session on Working in (and with) Groups. We worked through what made a group worknd how groups may sometimes fail to achieve their aims. Participants in the workshop shared real life anecdotes, ideas anduggestions to offer new ways of making groups work even better. The workshop participants then suggested a range of ways toreate and deliver the best experiences for our Community Garden members. Finally the workshop group compiled a list of tasks,

olicies and issues to work on to make our Community Gardens succeed. These items are up for discussion within eachommunity Garden and may also be considered by the Tasmanian Community Garden Network for development.

WHATS GREAT ABOUT A GROUP?he laughing!eing happy!un working together!un to be there!ook forward to happy, smiling faces.eople saying positive things to each other.raise.ellowship.eople contributing to discussions.ecisions easy to makereat! Clear communication.ommunication lots of talking.

Work is actually done not just talked about.armony no arguments.

Work together.elegation of tasks working well.enerous contribution of volunteers and sense ofontribution.

HOW TO GET THE BEST EXPERIENCES FOROUR COMMUNITY GARDEN MEMBERS

Meeting for other reasons than just the community garden have a meal togethereoples Names acknowledge everyone by their name each time you work with themngage/Encourage ideas / communication in meetingsraise for comments / suggestionsourtesy/Conversation more than a Hello- engage in deep conversations

Relationships Develop real friendships through genuine interest and careAcknowledge effort / support / interest shown by participants

reakdown Structure collaborative rosters / white board used for listing job tasks; garden members then self select workasks

Welcoming Committee rostered system to induct new garden members

ASKS / POLICIES TO WORK ON TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY GARDENS SUCCEED

olicies and Procedures for the range of tasks and issues you may experience in your community gardennduction Process develop an induction policythat is simple, explanatory and inclusive

Help for the first time attempting tasks explain the process for the next timereate sense of self help and responsibility

Membership Fee / System / Guidelines - sensible rules forarticipating in your community garden

Rotating meet and greet roster spread the load and re-ponsibility across all members

Dealing with conflict step back- look at the issue- collaborate and support to resolve issue

onflict Policies and Procedures tie them back to the agency that the community gardenis connected to?- incorporated bodies may have policies- training may be needed for coordinators

or further information contact Cameron McKinnon on03) 6233 7576

WHATS DIFFICULT ABOUT MY / A GROUP?Decisions cannot be made locked.Getting people together for working bees.

Always growling and grumbling.Undermining grumbles.Sniping comments.Low attendance.

A struggle no fun going alone.No talking.Timelines deadlines.Long hours.Unsure of direction of project.Challenges of group dynamics, personalities and effective facilitation.Not enough people.

Arguments.Not great interpersonal conflict / unspoken tension.Resolving differences of opinion.Procrastination all talk and no action.Motivation loses momentum if lack of action / coordination.Running out of time because of too much chat.Baggage from past decisions.

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TASMANIAN COMMUNITY GARDENING NETWORK WORKSHOPWORKSHOP: "GETTING THE SOIL RIGHT"By David Stephen

This session quickly developed into a question and answer hour, so I put my preparedspeech away for another day.

The universal question that everyone asks is, How can we treat green vegetable wastesquickly and easily for conversion into a soil improver (compost)? There is only one com-mercial shredder (petrol or electric) on the market that can handle soft, sappy, wetwastes without clogging up. This Recycler Chipper would be my choice for Creek RoadCommunity Garden because it would minimise the workload which is important due to

the limited voluntary labour available (call 1800 305 452 for free brochure about thisustralian made machine). Remember, a stockpile of green waste quickly turns to a slimy mess if it is not blended with hay, strawsome other brown matter in the compost heap.

Are animal manures the only source of soil/plant foods?No. there are richer sources of nutriment to enhance yields and quality. Canola meal

rom Pet's Domain in Launceston and Hobart), is becoming very popular. In fact, anyulverised grain, including layer mash, is rich in minerals, and can form the basis of aarden slow release fertiliser.elow is my recommended recipe for all gross feeding plants:

Three parts canola mealOne part blood and bone

One part gypsum

One part kelp meal

or more information, contact David Stephen on (03) 6227 8390

School Gardens and Enterprise Learning

ome points from the school garden workshop that werescussed at the Tasmanian Community Gardening Networkorkshop in November 2005 included:Mentoring opportunities

Funding opportunitiesNutrition, health & wellbeing outcomes

Cooking programs with produce from garden

Market stalls - Farmer's markets, local markersThe coming together of different groups with the school

arden - students and communityor further information contact Denise Delphin on (03) 6326506

About this newsletter

This newsletter has been compiled on behalf of the TasmanianCommunity Gardening Network.For further information please contact Eat Well TasmaniaTelephone:(03) 6233 2923

Email:mherzfeld@cancertas.org.aupost: GPO Box 1624 HOBARTTAS 7001fax: (03) 6233 2123

We welcome your comments,suggestions and contributions.

What you thought about the Workshop in November 2005Selected Comments

Overall todays workshop was:ery interesting and useful 93%oderately interesting and useful 7%Was there anything in particular that stood out for you today?

Meeting others from around Tassie

Sharing our stories and experiences. This created enthusiasm and inspira-tion for everyone. It also passed on many practical pieces of advice.Seeing whats working around the world, positive and cooperative and con-structive action that enhances the living space of everyone. Meeting withpeople who have similar values and appreciation of plants and communitywas inspiring and encouraging.Great to meet people with a common goal to help out their communityDiscussion on conflictGroup workshop was very useful many good points raised and goodideas that could be easily implementedPassion of speakersWas there anything in particular about today that you would like to

ange?

To be able to do a longer workshop or more than one would be great.The school gardens and enterprising learning sessionLike to hear some feedback from students and volunteers on how they feelabout their community garden

Food for lunch to be identified as OK for vegetarians

4. Overall did you enjoy todays program?Yes 100%No 05. Do you have any other comments or suggestions for future work-shops or anything else you would like to say?

More focus on how to get local businesses and shops involved in developingsponsorship. Using examples like ceres.org.au in Melbourne to developvalue-adding and sustainable economic opportunities.

Funding sources and writing applications. Fun events/celebrations/artisticevents to plan for.

Maybe a list of good suppliers I hope you can do it every 6 months, it was wonderful!!! Thank you, fabu-

lous day and thanks to all. Would love more workshops throughout the year

A BIG THANKYOU to everyonewho helped organise the

workshop, to those who ranworkshops and participated onthe panels, to all the volunteer

helpers on the day, and toeveryone who came along to

share and learn.

We look forward to doing it allagain in 2006!