By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
TIME to get your hands dirty, Noble Park: the suburb’s first community garden is in its early throes, with three working bees scheduled to dig it into shape at the Noble Park Community Centre next month.
Volunteers are needed to help design, build and maintain the garden, which is planned to be a living, growing social hub.
One task requires skilled builders and handy-people to create planter boxes from about 30 wooden pallets donated by Dandenong Market.
The garden also needs people to advise on irrigation, to create wooden frames to support creeper vines and to teach gardening to children and adults.
Community centre manager Nina Springle said the project already seemed to be bearing fruit.
She has received backing from 23 community groups in two weeks, including South East Water, which donated a 15,000-litre rainwater tank.
Ms Springle said the garden was a way to bring together the suburb’s diverse population to grow, harvest and learn about food.
It was also a chance for the community centre’s 40 user groups to bond over garden beds. Some of its longest-established groups such as the Hungarian and Italian senior citizens groups had never intermingled until recently.
“The community is excited by it. The concept is created by the community and we’ll be asking them what they want to see happen,” Ms Springle said.
The first workshop will create planter boxes and vertical climbing frames on August 17.
On the following Friday, school students will create paintings, plant native trees and make a solar panel water feature.
Finishing touches will be made during a community working bee day on August 25, followed by the opening on August 31.
The opening will feature a barbecue, cooking workshop and garden workshop.
To get involved with the garden, call the NPCC on 9547 5801 or visit nobleparkcommunitycentre.org.au.
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