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.

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!
​
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

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.

​

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!

Starting in November and continuing in December on successive Tuesdays, the air will be filled with beautiful sound as vocal coach Sarah Morrison from Musical Kite String holds singing workshops at Mandurah Community Gardens.

Cost is $10 per session to attend and participate. Make a booking by phoning 0449 795 574

When:
Tuesday 29 November - 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Tuesday 6th Dec - 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Tuesday 13th Dec - 1:30pm to 2:30pm

As Sarah says, "Singing is great for the soul, it boosts mental health and confidence". So why not get involved and share with others in the moment?

No experience is necessary to attend, and everyone is welcome to come down and learn how to express themselves. It's a joyful tonic for the soul.

If this is you, or you know someone that would love to come along and try, please pass this on.

Mandurah Community Gardens is delighted to host the last Gatherers and Growers Event on Saturday 22nd October 2022.

You, as a member of Mandurah Community Gardens, are welcome to attend and join in on the discussion, hear from great speakers and enjoy some yummy food. Please plan to join in, please register via the link below in this email, as numbers are limited. It is the last in a series of events that have been held across the metro and regional community gardens in W.A.  This is a great opportunity for volunteers who are passionate about gardening focused on edible plants, community and good health, to come together, share their experience, learn new things and learn about the challenges we face for our environment, our food resources and our mental and physical health.

Event Summary

Title:           Garden Appeal.  Gathering and Growing in Kambarang
Date:           22 October
Day/ time :   Saturday 10am- 3pm
Host:            Mandurah Community Garden
Address:       Coodanup Drive (Next to Coodanup College), Mandurah
Cost:             $5, registrations via Trybooking

Community gardens are a great way to make a difference on all of these fronts in our community so it has been really beneficial to upskill and network at these events.

Join in on discussions about new ways that Community Gardens can become financially viable.  We may not solve all the world’s issues but we think you’ll leave with plenty of new ideas to work on.  It’s going to be a lot of fun!

• Helping us to do this will be Costa Georgiadis who will join us virtually to share his thoughts on the importance to the community of viable community gardens, and some great examples that he’s seen from around Australia.
• Mandurah Community Gardens President Jenny Boivin will set the scene for the day with an overview of MCG.
• We will be joined by special guest presenters including Waterwise Program Manager Winsome MacLaurin, and Dr Vicky Solah – Chair of Food Science and Nutrition at Murdoch University.
• As a group we will talk about how their presentations are relevant to community gardens and how potential partners see our collective value proposition. We can ask them how they would benefit from tapping into the power of community gardens? We can talk about who other partners may be?

Peg Davies’ Famous Morning Tea will be served from 9.45am (ready for a 10am start) and lunch will include pizza from the MCG wood-fired oven!

Registration is via Trybooking.  Updates are available through the Gathering and Growing facebook page.

For more information please contact Gathering Organiser Paul Bodlovich.

Mandurah Community Gardens has been picked for this year's Community Raffle project which is run by our local Halls Head Community Bank who have continued to be great supporters of the gardens over the years.
​
This fantastic opportunity allows MCG to raise money  through the sales of raffle tickets with wonderful prizes provided by Bendigo Bank.

Tickets are only $5 each and available to purchase from Mandurah Community Gardens during open hours or by asking any Mandurah Community Gardens member who is participating in selling tickets.

Read the Terms & Conditions here

The Garden was fortunate to receive a Wishing Well Grant of $1550.06 from the Mandurah Rotary Club. ​This Grant was for Seed Raising, Seedling Shelter and Seed Drying.

How It Helps Continue The Garden Cycle
Using seed raising mix and seeds to start the process, garden members will plant the resulting seedlings into raised beds (which are accessible to volunteers of all abilities). These are then mulched with CCC, watered and fed.

With the shade cloth structures to provide relief from the hot and drying summer heat, the plants thrive, and when the time is right, the crops are harvested, which will then provide healthy, organic food for our members and the local community. Some crops will be dried and some will go to seed with the seeds being dried on the purpose-built drying frames - so nothing is wasted. Then the cycle starts over again... 

Now we will be able to complete the full circle of growing vegetables, herbs and edible flowers at Mandurah Community Gardens.

We used the funds for:

• Potting mix and mulch for seeds and seedlings
• New shade cloth for shade house roof as previous mesh was too dense and didn’t allow enough light in for seedlings to thrive
• Materials to construct shade structures on raised garden beds to protect from harsh summer heat as no shade from trees etc
• Materials to make drying racks so we could dry our seeds for future use and also dry herbs.

Proposed improvements to be done: a BIG THANKS to Mandurah Rotary Districts with their donation of the Rotary Wishing Well Grant to Mandurah Community Gardens.

​Thanks to our members and volunteers for their help and hard work, and thanks also to Ron and Terry for building and installing the frames.

Of course, our thanks to Mandurah Rotary Club was also shared on our Pinterest profile and our Facebook page.

Thank you Thank you Thank you
posted on Facebook to celebrate National Volunteers Week