Volunteers needed to revitalise community garden growing fresh fruit and vegetables for Ricky's Place and Community Pantry

Sapphire Community Projects members have decided to utilise a brilliant community garden space that was built around 10 years ago when Ricky's Place was first started up by church parish volunteers.

The gardens fell into disrepair when Ricky's Place was halted at the start of COVID to protect its volunteers.

Although other community organisations such as Tulgeen have used the space since, in more recent times it has fallen to the wayside.

Sharon Cornthwaite, who works as head chef for Ricky's Place, has spearheaded the project but said due to her other commitments with the pantry and the community kitchen was looking for someone else to take over with the garden's management.

She said once the garden was re-established it would be used to grow items such as fresh lettuce, herbs, zucchinis, cucumbers, and tomatoes that would be served to diners at Ricky's Place.

READ ALSO: Ricky's Place community kitchen reopened by Sapphire Community Projects

"What I want for the kitchen is to be able to go out to the garden, pick the lettuces, herbs, zucchinis for that lunch," she said.

"Also at some stage if we do get enough tomatoes we're going to do a community passata making day."

Some of the produce would also be going directly to people in need accessing the community pantry.

"The need for fresh fruit and vegetables has quadrupled at the pantry, we can never get enough. We're selling out of things really quickly throughout the week," she said.

The community garden already has facilities such as a shed with equipment, garden beds, compost heap, toilet and handwashing system, and worm farm.

Ms Cornthwaite and her husband Tim have started maintaining the grounds by weeding, mowing, whipper snipping, as well as pruning and mulching citrus trees that were overrun.

"What we don't have at the moment is labour," she said.

A meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, November 17 at 2pm at the church, with Ms Cornthwaite wanting to get an initial 20 volunteers involved.

Volunteers assisting in the garden would also be able to access a share in the bounty fruit and vegetables grown in the garden.

READ ALSO: Sapphire Community Pantry celebrates 5th year of feeding the Bega Valley community's most vulnerable

The meeting would allow the group to understand people's volunteering capacities, their availabilities or skillsets and a create a timetable.

"We will be talking about what people think we should grow, if they've got any enthusiasms.

"I want to ask people what they want to do, I'm not telling them."

Ms Cornthwaite has been an avid gardener herself, with a successful garden and worm farm she has had going for the last 20 years.

She said loved the powerful gardening properties of manure and compost and would try and ensure the garden was as organic as possible.

READ ALSO: Spiral Gallery Bega launches latest exhibition of vibrant works by artists living with disability

"I am known as the 'poo queen'. I have been known to screech to a halt on country roads if people were offering cow poo, horse poo, camel poo, sheep poo," she said.

Ms Cornthwaite said while she was happy to contribute her knowledge and skills, she wanted to find someone else to coordinate planting efforts and help volunteers with their duties.

The community garden would also be seeking donations from local nurseries of seedlings.

Members from the Bega Valley seed bank had already volunteered to grow seedlings from their collection of heirloom seeds to be planted next year.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Bookmark www.begadistrictnews.com.au

Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular headlines newsletters

Follow us on Twitter: @Bega_News

Follow us on Instagram: @begadistrictnews