Community gardens

Sharing a community garden can expand your knowledge of gardening, allow you to grow fresh fruit and vegetables, and help keep you fit and active.

Community gardens involve the collective gardening of a single piece of land by a community group. They can be established on privately owned land or on land owned or managed by Council.

Community gardens can be based on a shared model where planting and harvesting is carried out communally, or on an allotment model where individuals are allocated a space within the garden to cultivate produce for their own use, or for sharing and swapping with other gardeners.

Community gardens in Darebin

The City of Darebin has over 9 community gardens and the neighbouring municipalities of Yarra, Merri-bek and Banyule have many more. Each has its own management structure, ways of operating and opening hours. Some community gardens also offer cooking from the garden sessions and communal meals. Contact the individual community garden to find out more about how you can get involved. 

You can also view or download our Sustainable food map(PDF, 7MB) which lists Darebin's many fantastic local food and gardening initiatives, including community gardens, seed libraries, compost hubs, food swaps and farmers markets.

Start your own community garden

You will need to consider some important questions before starting your garden. Is the land suitable and is maintenance possible? How much will it cost to develop and maintain the garden? What management structures will work best?

Our Communal food garden (community garden) assessment guidelines(PDF, 1MB) can assist a community group assess the suitability of a particular site for growing food on a communal basis. The guidelines apply whether the site under consideration is on Council/public land or is privately owned. The guidelines outline the process/steps and responsibilities of both the applicant and Council when assessing a potential site for a community garden.

Groups applying to establish a community garden on Council owned or managed land are required to use the Communal food garden site assessment checklist(PDF, 36KB) to assess the suitability of a potential site.

Planting nature strips

Communal gardening can also take place on nature strips provided our Nature Strip Guidelines are followed. See Nature Strips and Street Trees.

All Nations Kitchen Garden

Council collaborated with members of the Northcote Library Food Garden and the local community to develop an accessible urban food demonstration site. Located in All Nations Park, on Separation Street, Northcote (behind Northcote Plaza and opposite Santa Maria College), the All Nations Kitchen Garden design incorporates permaculture principles and is based on a multilayered garden of fruit trees, edible understory and ground cover.

A passionate group of local residents care for and manage the site in partnership with us. The goal is to sustainably produce local food and to provide opportunities for education and community building.

If you are interested in getting involved, contact the Environment team, or drop by the site on a Sunday when the group are having a working bee.