JIMBOOMBA, QUEENSLAND
Beth Cook has future generations in mind when she wanders around parts of the Jimboomba Community Garden. Not just tomorrow’s gardeners, but sustainable fruit and vegetable plants that will be producing food for future generations.
Beth and her team of volunteers, with support from Highways and Byways, have established a seed bank at the community garden in Jimboomba, a town in the Logan district of Queensland. Three large, raised garden beds were established to grow seasonal edible plants that are let go to seed. Seeds are then collected and given away to encourage others to grow their own food. The project kicked off with some information sessions and initial seed swapping that encouraged lots of community participation and seed ‘donations’.
Hundreds of seeds, including, spinach, beans, lettuce, chilli, pumpkin, chives, marigolds, cosmos and sunflowers, have already been saved from the seed saving program and distributed to people at workshops, festivals and other community gatherings.
The seed bank garden, currently lush with edible crops, is part of the wider community garden which has been situated on the Hills International College site for 11 years. There’s dill, coriander, peas, beans and butter beans growing despite the seasonal challenges facing many home gardeners in winter, such as frosts and low rainfall. Beth said volunteers are gearing up to start planting more winter vegetables and edibles including broccoli, parsley and lettuce.
“We have also purchased gardening equipment and identification stamps to keep track of what we harvest and when the seeds need to be used,” Beth said.
Importantly, the plants are given away with planting information and suggestions to ensure people are supported in their gardening endeavours.
“One of the good things about the seed bank is it gives people an understanding of what grows well in this environment. We also want people to think about food supplies and long-term sustainability,” Beth said.
“The seed saving project has opened my eyes to the possibilities of harvesting seeds from the neighbourhood in which you live. Not only are those seeds more adapted to your environment, but they also have more genetic diversity and therefore increased resistance to the diseases that are prevalent in monoculture farming.”
Image top: volunteers at the Jimboomba Community Garden