The Britannia Reserve community food forest is a community managed space containing mainly fruit trees with general plans to expand planting beds to contain a mixture of bush tucker species, other fruit and vegetables. In addition to growing fresh fruit and vegetables for the community, the space is intended as a hub for community outreach and bonding events such as seed swaps, seedling sales and ‘how to’ workshops.
The food forest had two initial plantings in June and July 2023 involving about 20 volunteers. A cohort of volunteers undertakes watering in the hotter/drier months and weeding.
The City of Vincent have been strong supporters of the project donating:
- About 680 square metres of land
- A $2,000 environmental grant which was used to purchase about 30 fruit trees and a water tank
- A colourbond shed
- FOGO compost and a grant to purchase and trial biochar
- Bore water for the water tank
- Mulch
Tools such as wheelbarrows, containers for mixing the compost and biochar, mattocks and shovels etc were provided by the nearby TTV Tools n Things library.
The project has also highlighted the role of FOGO compost and biochar in improving the water holding capacity of the soil and overall soil health. This has enabled the plants to survive a record long dry and hot period from November 2023 to May 2024.
See our project resources page for further reports, guidelines and photos. Email Ian Kininmonth on ian.kininmonth@ttv.org.au for further information.
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/561901026006714