A collaboration between Cobargo Community Garden and a number of community groups will see bushfire-affected participants able to create their own small veggie patch.
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The pilot project is called 10x10 due to the fact that 10 households, largely from the Cobargo District, have been able to sign up for the project and they will each be given the materials to create a 10m2 garden space.
Project manager Monica Considine said that with the help of Bega Valley Shire Council staff, around half of the positions were given directly local bushfire affected households whose gardens may not have been tended to since the Black Summer bushfires.
The rest of the places for the workshop were filled in under 15 minutes when publicity for the course went live over email and social media last week.
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Starting from September 7 at 10am, there will be one hour workshops for the participants held over ten weeks.
The workshops will focus on weekly step by step instructions on what to sow, transplant, water, feed, net, weed or harvest over those ten weeks.
The hope is that some of the workshops will be able to be held in person, but at the moment with regional areas still facing stay-at-home orders until September 10, the workshops will be held over Zoom.
Workshops will be run by local market garden grower, Thea Constantardis, and the key idea of mentorship and group learning is to de-risk the process for a first time grower so they experience success and feel good about being in the garden.
For the experienced grower, the goal of participating in the workshops will be to maximise yield and variety.
Those involved with organising the pilot project are hoping that it will reduce isolation and establish connectivity around a shared interest, as well as building on the Cobargo District's existing knowledge of vegetable growing.
Through implementing the project, they are hoping to learn how to better kickstart local knowledge transfer and hope to reduce weekly food bills, food waste and promote fresher regional food.
Cobargo Community Garden are hoping that they will be able to test if a workshop like this can be successful and replicated in the future through a self-funded model.
The community groups, many of which have representatives on the ground in the Cobargo District, who have decided to pitch in on the pilot project include:
- The Cobargo Community Garden will provide 10m2 of wicking bed at the site as a demonstration area for the workshop broadcasts. Members will be providing one on one support to participants.
- The Triangle Tool Library will help participants work towards 10m2 of growing space in their gardens. Whether that be a raised bed, wicking bed or just in the ground.
- The St Vincent de Paul Society will provide bathtubs and plumbing infrastructure and assist with installation.
- The Red Cross will contribute towards soil and gravel required for the bathtubs.
- Anglicare Australia will provide catering in the case that the sessions are held in person if COVID-19 restrictions ease.
- The Salvation Army will fund the lead gardening mentor for a total of 20 hours.
- The Eden Community Access Centre will fund project management and provide Zoom tech support.
- Bega Valley and Cobargo Seed Savers will provide seeds and seedlings and seedling mix.