A whole new source of fresh, seasonal produce has come to Eden, and some of our freshest faces are behind it.
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Having kicked off its kitchen garden at the start of term two, Eden Public School recently sold its first harvest to SPROUT café, with kale, lettuce and radishes in abundance.
With the program going from strength to strength, Nethercote Markets organisers Karen Lott and Barbara Greenwood have jumped on board and invested $3000 to ensure its continued success.
“We’re absolutely delighted; it’s a win-win for everyone,” Barbara said.
“The joy of this is that the kids can learn the most current and sustainable ways of planting and growing while doing it themselves and watching it grow.
“They’ll then be able to sell some of it back into the community through the Nethercote Markets or the Grow for Eden program at Sprout, so they’ll see how the food chain works.
“They’ll get paid for that, and they can either spend the money elsewhere or reinvest.
“It becomes more than just a gardening program; it becomes about how it works as a business and how the community gets its food in more ways than one.”
The grant is for $1000 per year, for at least the next three years.
Barbara said the decision to invest in the school’s program was a no-brainer.
“We had this money that we’d inadvertently gathered – profits from the markets,” she said.
“The market is not-for-profit, so we knew that we wanted to use this fund to go back into sustainable growing in one way or another.
“Because I’m moving on to do other work, there naturally came a time where we had to decide how to spend it, and this is a program that’s just so integral to the community.”
The garden, which produces a wide variety of vegetables including peas and kale, which were harvested on Tuesday, is nearing the end of its second phase.
Bournda Environmental Education Centre permaculturalist and sustainability teacher Dan Bakker said the students have been “incredibly enthusiastic”.
“I don’t get a lunch break while I’m here, because I have about six or seven kids come here at recess, and about a dozen at lunch,” he said.
“That’s amazing, and as a teacher, that’s why you’re here.
“We’ve reached the full plant-out phase, and we’ve now got a corner-to-corner lasagne garden.
“The next phase we’re looking at is fully shading out this area and putting in a bit more fencing and a gate to make it a lock-up area.
“We’ll also be putting in mulch along the fence line and using all the green waste the school can throw at it through the worm farm and occasional composting to make it more self-sustaining.”
New volunteers are needed at the Nethercote Seasonal Produce Markets, with one of its organisers stepping aside to take up a new business opportunity.
The market is held every three months at the Nethercote Community Hall, and runs for four hours.
Barbara Greenwood is withdrawing from the market after five years, and fellow organiser Karen Lott is now on the lookout for additional help.
“We’ve always relied on our fantastic local volunteers, but with Barbara and her husband going, we’ll be down two very important cogs in the market,” she said.
“The profits from the markets go into the Nethercote Market Growers’ Fund, which then goes into programs like Grow for Eden and the school’s kitchen garden program.
“Even if people can spare just two hours to help with making tea and coffee or washing up, that would be fantastic.
“If you would like to be paid, we’ll happily pay you.”
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Karen on 6495 7102.