Jimboomba Community Garden to celebrate 10th anniversary
Nestled in a side road off Mount Lindesay Highway is an oasis brimming with fruit, vegetables, and friendship.
Entirely run by volunteers, Jimboomba Community Garden will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with special guest Costa Georgiadis joining in the festivities on 21 May. Costa, the celebrity gardener and the beloved host of ABC TV’s Gardening Australia, will be judging the ‘Costa-crow’ competition where contestants will build a scarecrow in his likeness.
The garden, which was founded by Raelee Vearing and Georgie Francis, sprouted when the pair realised how a community garden would benefit the community.
‘The mission was to create a common space for social cohesion, where people could learn about gardening, sustainability and different methods of growing,’ Raelee says.
What started as a patch with a half dozen of bricks and a hose has become a bustling hub with food crops, a fruit orchard, shade shelters and a children’s play area.
Running the garden hasn’t been easy as volunteers have ebbed and flowed, with only 10 or so long-standing regulars besides Raelee and Georgie.
‘I come from a family who has always had a beautiful garden, so I’ve always had an interest in growing food and putting it on your dinner plate,’ Raelee says.
Volunteers grow everything from common vegetables like spinach and lettuce to more exotic varieties like taro and cassava.
At present, the garden is maintained by around 20 volunteers.
These volunteers also run the monthly crop swap, where green-thumbed locals exchange homegrown produce and knowledge after a morning tea.
‘We get about 40 or 50 visitors each time and it’s a real hive of activity because everyone’s talking and sharing ideas,’ Raelee says.
‘Personally, I’ve learned so much from being a part of the garden and learning from others who know more.
‘It’s hard to measure the garden’s community impact but I can see the ripple effect when visitors come back and say they started growing in their own space.’
The Jimboomba community has also grown deeper roots as the garden has flourished.
‘We’ve been through major floods, droughts and even frost, where the entire garden has been decimated,’ Raelee says.
‘We’ve lost equipment and have had to re-plant and feed the soil – it takes a lot to come back from that and the community has joined together to do so multiple times.’
The community will be joining together once again on 21 May for the long-awaited 10th anniversary festivities.
‘The highlight will be having Costa back because he was also here for the grand opening,’ Raelee says.
Besides the ‘Costa-crow’ competition, visitors can also look forward to a barbecue, demonstrations and stalls by local businesses selling fare like coffee, ice cream and vegan pancakes.
‘We want to promote what happens in Jimboomba – it’s not just about the event, it’s about the community and all that we do,’ Raelee says.
For more information, check out the event listing for the Jimboomba Community Garden 10 year anniversary or the official Facebook page. The garden is always in need of new volunteers and can also be booked for events.
