WOULD YOU love to fill your fridge with organic, fresh-picked produce, but scared off by the cost?

Volunteer for a soon-to-be-opened community garden in Kelvin Grove, and you’ll have premium quality fruit and vegetables that will cost nothing but your time and a modest yearly membership fee.

**GRAND OPENING - Sunday 30th October, everyone welcome**

The Kelvin Grove Community Garden will hold an official opening on October 30, kicking off at 10am and continuing until 2pm.
Brisbane City Councillor David Hinchcliffe is a dedicated supporter of the project and will be there to officially open the garden and Indigenous Elder Joe Kirk will conduct a smoking ceremony.
Students from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will be attending, and discussing food and nutrition.
Labour State Member for Brisbane Central Grace Grace will also attend.
Organisers will also sizzle up a barbecue for all who attend on the day.
Everyone is welcome to this family-friendly day, which will also feature a range of children’s activities.

 The garden’s opening is the culmination of almost two years of hard work by a dedicated team of volunteers.
“We came up with the idea for the garden in November, 2009, and got our permit to start the garden in September 2010,” garden President Helen Stait said.  “We began construction on the weekend before Easter, but we were slowed down by rain for a couple of months after that.”
A team of volunteers terraced the sloping garden site with sleepers, before planting the first harvest.
The garden is already yielding a bumper crop of tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes, onions, beans, corn, salad greens, beetroot, herbs, Asian greens, radishes, carrots and edible flowers. Compost and organic fertiliser are used to feed the garden, which is 100 per cent organic.
It is grown under a system of companion planting which is dictated by phases of the moon. “The new moon is the time to plant root vegetables, planting continues while the moon is waxing, and planting does not happen while the moon is waning,” Helen said.
“We will wait and see if this makes any difference!”

The garden is equipped with a well-stocked shed that was also built by volunteers and a worm farm is expected to be installed soon.
The garden shed is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Work in the garden earns volunteers a share in the harvest.
“We have about 130 members on the volunteers’ list, many of whom also work full-time,” Helen said.
To get involved, come along anytime, or attend one of the garden’s regular working bees. Planning for stage two of the garden is now underway, and organisers envisage it will feature a native garden, bush tucker area and some fruit trees.
“When completed, the garden will promote and foster the diversity of the Kelvin Grove Community,” fundraising and events coordinator Liesl Filippi said.

This next stage will require ‘all hands on deck’ from an active team of volunteers.
For more details about the garden come along to the opening on 30th October or, visit http://www.communify.org.au/theexchange/.
Annual membership to the garden costs $20 per family or $10 per individual.

Caption: David Hinchliffe, Rashid Omarjee, Kevin ,David, Mal Mason, Magaret Garde, David Brownsey, Helen Stait

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Contacts:
Helen Stait 0427 599 106
Liesl Filippi 0437 361 398