Docklands Community Garden

Community gardens are great places to learn how to grow fruit and vegetables from experienced amateurs who are willing to share their skills with newbie's   Well that is what I have heard, because unfortunately, I am not a member of such a group.

We do have the start of a community garden in our town of Melton, which is great and I totally support it, but I haven't gotten fully involved as yet as my spare time is scarcer than hens teeth.

I know lots of people who sing the praises of their regular visits to their local community garden.  They often tell me that it is a learning rich environment and a joy to work in on weekends.

So, to my surprise, I stumbled across a very small community garden a couple of days ago.  As I am still exploring my new work environment during my lunch hour, I had not discovered it before among the high-rise apartment blocks and office towers.  It was like finding a gold nugget in a pile of steaming horse poo!

Firstly there was a meeting place which also had an electric BBQ.  It looks like great for a rest after caring for the garden.

There are a few types of garden bed.  These few are made of recycled hardwood, probably from around the dock area.  On the rear wall there was some kind of vertical garden, but there were no plants in it.

This type of corrugated iron bed is becoming more popular, but I think they are quite expensive.  I don't know if I would place a fruit tree in the middle of it.  Any vegetables that you planted around it would suffer from lack of water.  Still, it is the thought that counts.

Then there were some pine beds, which I don't think were treated.  Lots of marigolds in them but not a lot of veg.

This corrugated iron bed had a small peach tree in it surrounded by mountains of nasturtiums.  It was a very colourful addition to the garden.  I particularly liked the wooden chairs, which were very comfortable.

Olives galore in these four raised beds.  I didn't notice any fruit, but they were healthy.  Maybe next season, as they looked quite young.

Then there was a citrus orchard down the roadside in large round raised beds.  There were no labels to distinguish what type of citrus they were, but I think they were lemons and limes if my trees a home are anything to go by.

In the centre there was this random space, which could have been used a little more effectively.  The seating is nice, but I would have tried to squeeze in a few more beds.

Here is an aerial view of the community garden, hidden away in the middle.  As you can see it is not very big, and lots of room for expansion on the western side.

Overall, I was very impressed that a modern development had considered one of the basic needs of the surrounding residents, which is the desire to grow food.  The garden was well cared for, and blended in with its locale.

I think I will call the number on the sign tomorrow and see if they need a hand during my lunch hour.  Now that would be something to look forward to during the work day.

Does anyone else have a local community garden that they visit or grow food in?  I would love to hear about your experiences.