Leila's Rental Garden Farm
Sunday 21 March, 2021
Two sessions:
10.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
11.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Ticket prices $15
*Tickets must be booked and pre-paid online via TryBooking
Click here to book your tickets.
Attendance will be welcomed with Covid-19 protocols observed.
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We're excited again to be partnering with 3000acres to present this series of small, guided tours through some very lush and abundant inner city productive gardens. Tickets must be booked in advance through Trybooking and spaces are limited.
Leila’s garden is situated on a quarter acre rental property in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Entirely lawn three years ago, except for a huge fig tree, the backyard has been transformed into an edible haven. There are over 50 types of edible plants, including fruits, berries, teas, bush foods and edible weeds, as well as a range of ornamentals. The garden provides the household of four with around 80 per cent of its vegetables year-round, and at times an excess of produce is given away or traded for fruit. Fast-growing fruit trees have been selected to provide a harvest quickly.
Methods and design are inspired by agroecological and permaculture principles. The gardens were (and are still being) established using chickens in a portable house, rotated to provide weed control, and carpet to smother kikuyu grass and other problem weeds. The chickens also recycle food scraps and provide manure and eggs. Carpet strips and a living border of barrier plants prevent the kikuyu lawn from entering the garden. Trees and trellises are positioned to provide summer shade. Where practical, crop rotation and companion planting are practiced; physical labour and external inputs minimised; and biomass production maximised. The style is a mix of ‘messy’ and organised. Plants are encouraged to self-sow and collected seeds are scattered randomly, while other crops are planted in rows.
The garden was established on a tight budget, with most plants propagated from seed, cuttings or divisions. The infrastructure is mostly up-cycled from salvaged or on-site materials. The garden is watered with DIY grey water from the laundry and bathroom, rainwater harvested from the shed roof, and a drip irrigation system from the mains. The garden also includes children play spaces, a makeshift greenhouse, a nursery/propagation area, a pond and nature strip garden.
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