Get involved and grow with your community
A community garden is a great place to meet new people and learn about plants and food. It’s very rewarding to tend and grow the food, and then harvest it to give to those in need. You can even make delicious, fresh meals for your own family.
Community gardens bring people of all ages, cultures, and abilities together. They help people to access fresh, affordable and culturally appropriate food.
Find a local community garden
We can also help you start your own community garden, through an application process.
How to start a community garden
Community grants to support community gardens
Grants are available for community gardens.
Find out more on our community grants page.
Closing a community garden that is on council land
Complete a request form online to close an existing community garden on council land or on a paper form provided by us.
The form will be reviewed by our internal stakeholder group.
If actions are needed to restore the property to its original condition, the internal stakeholder group will outline the conditions in writing and it send to the applicant for follow up.
The stakeholder group will send community garden contacts written correspondence about the outcome.
Apply to close a community garden
Tips for a successful community garden
Location
Community gardens need to be accessible for all residents, including seniors and people with a disability.
Successful gardens are easily accessible to the community on foot, by bike or public transport and are located close to other facilities including toilets, shade, storage, and seating.
The Horticultural Therapy Association of Victoria's Resources page has further information about creating an accessible garden for people with a disability.
Resourcing
Community gardens can be costly to set up and all community groups should aim to be financially independent to help ensure the long term sustainability of the garden.
Funding can be sourced from grants, donations, fundraisers or partnerships with businesses and health care providers.
Operation and governance
While there is no right or wrong way to manage a community garden, community gardens are most successful when the rights and responsibilities of all members are clear and developed together.
Community groups should agree on a set of guidelines that outline how the garden will function including:
- purpose
- plot and produce ownership
- growing practices
- how the group will make decisions.
All group members should try to make the community garden an inclusive and welcoming place to visit.
Our team can provide advice and guidance around establishing good governance processes. For help, call 03 9217 2170 or email AgeingWell@whittlesea.vic.gov.au.
Promoting your community garden
Promoting your garden is a great way to attract new members and let the community know what you are doing.
We will support successful applicants to construct and install a sign for the garden.
You can also add your community garden to our online Community Directory and the Community Gardens interactive map.