5. Good Organic Gardening - September-October 2016 AvxHome.in

Urban Food Street | AMAZING GARDEN
Flowers for wildlife and bees
producing honey
The abundance of
a pawpaw tree
Spicy chilli — you only need one —
and (below) cool as a cucumber
Galangal — a future cash crop
Duncan explains, “The integration
between private and public space creates a
habitat for wildlife and people which is both
safe and pleasurable.”
Co-operative yield
Permaculture principles are evident at Urban
Food Street. The raised garden beds are
created by digging out the lawn and stockpiling
the soil, which is covered with lawn clippings
and allowed to sweat out. Over time, the
grasses and weeds turn into nutritious compost.
Once the soil is ready for use, it’s mixed with
grass-fed horse and cow manure, blood and
bone and dolomite. The beds are dressed
with barley straw. Compost is produced in
12 Aerobins so strategically placed on the
streets that one would barely know they are
there. The neighbourhood deposits kitchen and
garden scraps into these bins.
Last year, Urban Food Street produced
900kg of bananas and 300 cabbages. There
are at least 20 fruit species of differing
varieties. The impressive Banana Street hosts
four different banana varieties, bought under
licence, which is required by law in Queensland.
There are 46 olive trees in total for future olive
oil production. Recently, the neighbourhood
children planted over 50 blueberry bushes.
Plants are sourced from reputable suppliers
and bought in bulk to maximise efficiency and
save costs. The neighbourhood holds street
eventswhere they sell their produce including
honey, raising funds to finance the purchase of
plants, hay, manure and other resources.
The reason Urban Food Street is such
a success is perhaps because the people
are all about action. “We convert ideas into
actions, quickly, without the conventional
formal structures,” says Duncan. There is no
organisational structure, no rules or ownership.
It’s an organic process where people simply
understand the collective benefit of sharing.
It all hinges on a couple of simple rules: you
only take what you need for your next meal and
there is no pressure on anyone to do anything,
making it easy for people to contribute to this
socially sustainable style of suburban living.
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