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Community Gardens and Gardening Programs

Community gardens are spaces where local residents can grow food, relax, learn new things and make new friends. They also raise awareness of waste management, water conservation practices, local biodiversity, energy efficiency and nutritional health.

Our gardens offer the unique opportunity for residents to grow their own fruit and vegetables and enjoy the benefits of harvesting in a city environment.

Expand the list below to view details and locations of community gardens.

  • Carss Park Community Garden

    The Carss Park Community Garden has been developed by local volunteers. The garden includes a multi-function straw bale shed, four shared garden beds, 20 individual garden beds, four raised mobility garden beds, a frog pond, herb spiral, a variety of orchard trees and rain water tanks.

    The shed is used for community meetings and workshops, as well as a space for storing tools and other items used by the community gardeners.

    If you are interested in getting involved and becoming a member of the Carss Park Community Garden, please complete the Carrs Park Community Garden Application Form. Completed membership forms need to be paid for and processed at one of Council's Service Centres.

    Download Carrs Park Community Garden Application Form

    Note: Due to high demand, applications to join the Carss Park Community Garden are limited to Georges River Council residents only.

  • Hurstville Community Garden

    The Hurstville Community Garden features a communal area and more than 30 plots.

    These plots are allocated to residents using a ballot system and the project site is managed by the Hurstville Community Garden Association.

    For more information, please contact hurstvilleCGA@gmail.com.

 

Grow It Local

Grow It Local is an online food growing community that helps community members grow, share and eat locally grown produce.

It's all about building more sustainable, resilient communities and reducing our impact on the environment.

You can learn to grow, connect and share with other backyard, balcony, community garden and window-sill gardeners.Cartoon image of a girl and an older man sitting by a healthy vegetable garden with worms and a sun in the background

What can I do at Grow it Local?

  • GROW: Get inspired by seeing who’s growing locally and what's under cultivation.

  • LEARN: Join free monthly gardening workshops or subscribe to the Seed Service. Get the skills to grow healthy organic food, no matter your level of experience.

  • SHARE: Connect with local growers to share knowledge, expertise, produce, recipes and more.

  • EAT: Attend local food experiences that celebrate local produce, growers, chefs and like-minded businesses.

Put your patch on the map by following these easy steps

  1. Sign up by visiting the Grow it Local Registration page. You will need an email address and must create a password.

  2. Go to Dashboards (top right hand side of screen).

  3. Click on My Listing (left hand side).

  4. ​​Create your Patch Profile - use the drop down list to fill out information about you, your patch and find out how it all works.

 

Verge Garden Program

If you are unable to join a community garden, you may be interested in Councils Verge Garden Program which enables residents to plant and garden on the street verge (nature strip).
 

The Verge Garden Program enables residents and business owners to plant and garden on the street verge, also commonly known as the “nature strip”. This is the area of public land located between a property boundary and the road kerb.

To participate in the Program, your verge garden must comply with the Verge Garden Program Guidelines.

You must also register with Council only once you have created your verge garden. 

For more information about the program, please see the following.

Registration

You can start a verge garden in the Georges River Council local government area once you have read the Verge Garden Program Guidelines (the Guidelines).

As the person registered, you are responsible for maintaining your verge garden and ensuring that it will comply with the Guidelines. Registration is free. 

To register in the the Program, please complete and submit the form below.

Verge Garden Program Registration 

 

Frequently Asked Questions: Verge Garden Program

  • Who can participate in the Verge Garden Program?

    Any resident or business owner (both tenants and owners) can participate in the Verge Garden Program if they can comply with the Verge Garden Program Guidelines.

    Your property will need to be adjacent to a suitable verge area. Many verge areas are not large enough to accommodate both planting and the required open space for pedestrians and road access that is required under the Guidelines.

    Read the Guidelines in the hyperlink above (particularly section 4) to understand whether your verge area is large enough to host a garden that complies with the Guidelines. 

  • Where can I locate a verge garden?

    You can create a verge garden on a verge area that is:

    • Directly adjacent to your property, such as in-front, behind or next to your residence.

    • Directly adjacent to your neighbours’ residence, but only with their permission.  

    See section 2 of the Verge Garden Program Guidelines for more information.

  • What do I need to do before starting a verge garden?

    1. Read the Verge Garden Program Guidelines and understand whether you can create a verge garden that will comply with the Guidelines.

    2. Do your own research about verge gardening, for example, consulting resources like Council’s “Tips for Creating a Successful Verge Garden” amongst other resources such as Gardening Australia and Greening Australia.

    3. Carefully plan your verge garden before planting to ensure you maximise the potential of your verge area.

    4. Register your proposed verge garden with Council before you start planting. To register, please complete and submit the form below.

      Register for the Verge Garden Program

  • When can I start creating a verge garden?

    You can start creating a verge garden as soon as you have submitted your registration.

    Council does not issue permits, so once you have registered successfully, you can simply start creating your verge garden.

  • What can I plant as part of my verge garden?

    You can plant any species except:

    • Plants with sharp edges (such as spikes or thorns).

    • Toxic or poisonous plants.

    • Priority and environmental weeds as reported by the NSW Government WeedWise webpage.

    • Plants which drop excessive fruit.

    • Tree species.

    You can plant edible plants, such as vegetables and herbs, but only in locations which do not have a high probability of acid sulphate soil risk as reported by the NSW Government - SEED map.

    You can also undertake soil testing using an “at-home soil test kit” to check soil quality before planting edible plants.

  • Can I create a verge garden on a paved verge?

    You can create a verge garden on a paved or grassed verge. Unlike grass verges, if your verge is paved, you will:

    • Be limited to using planter boxes, pot plants and/or other above-ground garden beds.

    • Need to ensure that you can provide at least 3 metres of open space across the verge area (compared with 1.5 metres in the case of grassed verges) for pedestrian access (see section 4 of the Verge Garden Program Guidelines for more information).

  • Can I use planter boxes or pot plants in my verge garden?

    You can have planter boxes or pot plants as part of your verge garden (on either a paved or grass verge).

    These must be a minimum of 0.2 metres high to ensure they are seen by pedestrians.

  • Do I need to maintain my verge garden after it has been created?

    Once you register and establish a verge garden, you are responsible for ensuring that your verge garden is maintained in accordance with the Verge Garden Program Guidelines.

  • Can I create and maintain a verge garden with other people?

    Groups of people, such as neighbours, can create and maintain a verge garden together. Under this arrangement:

    • The verge garden must be adjacent to the residence of at least one participating resident.

    • The participating resident who registers the verge garden is ultimately responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the verge garden.

  • What happens if my verge garden does not comply with the Verge Garden Guidelines?

    If your verge garden does not comply with the Verge Garden Program Guidelines, Council may direct you to make your verge garden compliant.

    If your verge garden poses an immediate and unacceptable risk to the safety of others, or your verge garden continues to remain non-compliant after receiving a Council direction, Council may remove your verge garden.

  • Who pays for my verge garden?

    If you would like to create a verge garden, you will be responsible for funding its creation and maintenance.

  • What happens if I want to stop verge gardening?

    If you want to stop verge gardening after having already created a verge garden, you will need to restore the verge to its original condition. If unknown, this can usually be assumed to be a level lawn (i.e. turf) verge unless the verge is paved.

  • What happens if I have moved into a residence with a verge garden?

    If you have moved into a residence with an adjacent verge garden, you should contact Council to find out whether the verge garden is registered to your address or another nearby address.

    If the verge garden is registered to your address or otherwise unregistered and you wish to keep the verge garden at its location, you will:

    • Need to register the verge garden to ensure the contact details attached to the verge garden are up to date.

    • Assume responsibility for ensuring the verge garden complies with the Verge Garden Program Guidelines.

    If you do not wish to keep the verge garden, you will need to restore the verge to its original condition. If unknown, this can usually be assumed to be a level lawn (i.e. turf) verge unless the verge is paved.


 

Compost and worm farming

Local residents are also eligible to receive a discount compost bin by joining the compost revolution.


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