Mandurah Community Gardens exists because of the work that our volunteers have put in to make it a place to grow food, to make friends, and to raise awareness in our community about growing our own food in good company. It couldn't keep going without the help of so many volunteers who contribute their time and energy, and share their knowledge.
Like most community assets, this community garden is run as a registered non-profit organisation that requires a team of people that work together on the committee to manage it.
Our garden is like any garden - always planning ahead, making decisions and considering the options to take. And of course, making the most of it means enjoying each other's company and having a great time!

Being a member of a community garden is just like any other community organisation. It is not like being a member of a buying club or a library because it is socially orientated and an activity-based kind of membership. It's value to the member is inherently derived from what members individually put into it. 
For the cost of a very inexpensive membership, Mandurah Community Gardens does provide its members with a place that is resplendent with facilities, cheap leasable and free community plots, fertiliser, seeds, tools, amenities, social events and educational workshops, plus much more — everything a good community garden and every individual member needs to keep growing.
We also extend our invitation to the wider community to attend our events, our workshops, and to visit the gardens when we are open.
If you ask every member who volunteers why they volunteer to help, they will tell you that they get so much more from participating in helping with the garden. They know it truly pays wonderful dividends on what they contribute.
Our members strive to keep the costs of running a garden and the cost of membership down, but the only way to achieve this and keep a community garden is to receive funding and donations from individuals, businesses and government. Still, funding isn't anywhere near enough to run a community garden without the personal effort of our volunteers.

As we have advertised through email, our Bulletin newsletter, on Facebook and on this website, we have roles that urgently need to be filled on the committee. We need volunteers for:

• Secretary 
• Treasurer
• Events Coordinator
• Garden Coordinator

All of these roles are vital for Mandurah Community Gardens to function, and for it to continue to exist. Our committee members are currently pulling together to help with these roles, but it places an unfair burden on each of them to do the extra tasks required for each role above what they already do. Ultimately, it is in the best interests of all our members if every member will give their consideration to this and help us however they can. 
All the roles will have training provided and support from our committee members. The average commitment required for most roles is anywhere for 1-2 hours a week and sometimes a bit more for events or workshops. Committee members are required to attend a committee meeting once a month.

The help from volunteers is how we have got this far, and it's how we will continue to keep going and growing.

If you think you can help your community garden by volunteering your time and skills, please contact Jenny or Cheryl via the form on this website.

When summer is here it comes a few things to be aware of in our community garden...

Blue tongue Lizards and snakes

• Blue tongue lizards live and roam in the garden, so look before diving your hand into any garden areas. Several water bowls have been placed around the garden for their use so please top them up when you see them empty.
• So far no snakes have been sighted but be alert for the possibility, make a noise and keep your eyes open!

Pests and disease in your patch

• Unfortunately we have tomato blight, red spider mite and pottery mildew popping up in a few areas. Remember we are organic so any sprays need to be carefully selected before use. Please check with someone before spraying.
• Tomato blight all infected leaves should be removed, BAGGED, and put in the green landfill bin. Red spider mites have infected our papinos but they also can go for peppers, tomatoes, capsicum, beans, corn and strawberries. Remove all infected leaves BAG and put in the green landfill bin or use a non chemical option if the infestation is in its early stage.
• Powdery Mildew is common to zucchinis and can spread to rockmelon, grapes and cucumber so nipping it in the but is needed early. Spraying leaves with milk in their younger stage is recommended, never water leaves only the soil, remove infected leaves immediately and put them in the green landfill bin.
• CLEAN ALL GARDEN TOOLS USED WITH DILUTED BLEACH, VINEGAR OR METHYLATED SPIRITS IN A BUCKET THAT CAN BE USED BY OTHERS PLEASE OR WITH A RAG SOAKED IN THE CLEANER. We have vinegar under the sink in the garden.

Produce was collected from the Garden before the class so everything was wonderfully fresh. Once all the dishes were cooked, we all had a taste and it was delicious.

A big thank you to the the ladies for sharing their cultural dishes with us, we all thoroughly enjoyed the morning. 

These workshops and events that have been running from 2021 until this one in October 2023 would not have been possible without the very kind and generous support of the City of Mandurah. 
The members and committee of Mandurah Community Gardens thank you!

On Friday 17th February, The Hon. David Templeman MLA, a long time supporter and patron of Mandurah Community Gardens, provided a fantastic morning tea for members at Mandurah Community Gardens to celebrate getting a $15,000 grant from Lotterywest.

David, a keen gardener himself with a particular fondness for growing veggies from heirloom (heritage) seeds, kindly paid for the catering from Miss Maud's in Mandurah which was comprised of a delicious selection of their famous club sandwiches and cakes!

David is as excited as all of us to see how the gardens will benefit with the extension of the covered patio area, and the installation of a new kitchen in the common room (the big shed), to built this year.

A big thank you to Lotterywest for helping us with a grant, and to David for providing the occasion to celebrate!

​The event was covered in the local news by The Mandurah Mail and The Coastal Times in print and on their websites.
*Click on the images below to view the articles on their websites

Reduce waste and recycle!

​Mandurah Community Gardens is a partner in the Containers For Change initiative and we have collection bins on site for depositing your containers for recycling.

The containers are regularly collected from the gardens and are taken to a refund point. The payment we receive is then credited to our Scheme ID number.

If you would like to make a donation to Mandurah Community Gardens, please drop your containers off on our open days into our Container For Change bins.

You can drop off your containers in person to a refund collection point and then make a donation to MCG simply by quoting our Scheme ID Member No. C10271362. 

​The value of your deposits will be donated to Mandurah Community Gardens - THANK YOU, you will be supporting a much valued asset to our community!

MCG is a not for profit community organisation and we will use these funds to cover costs of water and electricity used in the garden, ongoing maintenance in the garden and to provide resources for use in the garden.

​Check out the Containers For Change website's Container Eligibility page for more details and a handy barcode search tool to see if a container is eligible for a refund. Click here to go to the page

It's official - Mandurah Community Gardens’ 10th anniversary year celebrations have come to an end.

To finish off celebrating our 10th year, we have completed the installation of a water feature, sponsored by Fraser's Landing, as a permanent reminder of our volunteers and supporters who help to sustain our community garden - an achievement we can all be proud of!
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A huge THANKYOU to Michelle and the team at Fraser's Landing for all your support over the years, and for being such a great community partner!

Frasers Landing posted about this on their Facebook Page

West Australian waste educator Peg Davies is holding a workshop at Mandurah Community Gardens on Saturday 10th December 2022. Peg has been educating schools, organisations and local government for over 13 years, with her waste education programs winning many awards. To learn more about what Peg offers, go to her Lessen With Peg: Rethink Waste website www.lessenwithpeg.com

The workshop is in 2 parts, covering:

Composting Made Easy
Making compost can be a smelly or sometimes depressing experience - no more bad smells, rats or flies. You will never need to buy soil or conditioner again.

We were recently given the exciting news that our grant application with Lotterywest was successful!

After nearly two years in the planning, we are now able to move ahead with our planned upgrades. These include extending our under cover area by three metres and extension to the side of the roof so that our workshops can comfortably accommodate more people. We will also be adding clear café blinds to keep out the wind and rain during winter so that the area is more weatherproof.

Another project on the list - we will also be installing a new kitchen! This will give our members and visitors more working space, and a healthier environment for food preparation. The new cupboard space will also provide much needed extra storage in the shed.

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We anticipate the work to commence in March 2023 and that it should not be too disruptive, but we will keep you informed along the way so you know what’s happening in our beautiful garden.

Early next year we hope to have a small gathering at the garden to celebrate this wonderful grant from Lotterywest - we will publish more details closer to the event.

Again, we deeply thank Lotterywest for this wonderful grant that will extend the value that Mandurah Community Gardens provides to our community.

Expect updates as work progresses - stay tuned!