SPRING has officially arrived and with it a growing interest in community gardens in the Redlands.
The Redlands Coast Salad Bowl has been set up as an association and is looking at garden site options at Redland Bay and Mount Cotton.
They have more than 400 likes on their Facebook page (facebook.com/RedlandsCoastSaladBowl) and 40 signed up members.
In the Thornlands and Victoria Point area, the Bayside Community Garden project started from a seed planted on Facebook to a sturdy 200 member group (facebook.com/groups/BaysideCommunityGarden) within a week.
Project president Paul Morley said councillors and officers had explained requirements and legalities of taking on a parcel of council land for community use.
Redland City Council partners with the local community gardens by providing land for the gardens, providing information and grants to help fund and support the gardens, and advising interested people or groups in identifying new sites and building capacity for new gardens.
While Brisbane has about 30 community gardens and farms, there are five community gardens in Redlands.
These include gardens on Oaklands Street at Alexandra Hills, Esplanade, Karragarra Island and Pioneer Park on Lamb Island, as well as Kennedys Farm on Russell Island.
Mr Morley said the Bayside group was discussing site options before putting in a formal application.
“I'm by no means the green thumb of our group and my experience, while once having an allotment in the United Kingdom, now mainly consists of growing chillies and herbs in my backyard,” Mr Morley said.
“Fortunately we have a great selection of members who do have the right credentials and who I intend to learn a lot from.
“Some have formal training and others have built businesses based on skills ranging from propagation and organic growing, through to nursery staff and permaculture designers with an innovative compost equipment inventor thrown in.”
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Mr Morley said the group hoped to work with individuals, families, schools, aged care facilities and disability groups.
“We also hope to donate food to groups such as Oz Harvest and Meals on Wheels who may even be able to take on their own plots if desired,” he said.
“We still have a fair way to go before we are peeling our first spuds but we're all looking forward to it.”
Oakland Street Community Garden at Alexandra Hills was established in 2005, the first on council land.
For information on Oakland Street garden, phone Glenda on 0414 735 417.