A “perfect” garlic harvest and a windfall of $8186 reveals Taree Community Garden is thriving.
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Volunteers dug about 50 kilograms of garlic from beds on November 27 and two days later horticultural consultant Darren Harrison and Flourish Australia representative Kirsten Olsen stood in MidCoast Council’s administration office in Taree to collect a cheque from the Stronger Communities Grants Program.
The milestone moments hint at the strengths of the team behind the garden and an increasing awareness by the three tiers of government of its importance to community development. Two federal government Work for the Dole projects delivered hard infrastructure to the site in Wynter Street and the MidCoast Council allocation of State government funds will now enable the installation of irrigation, the purchase of a rotary tiller and creation of Taree Community Garden signage.
Seedlings planted during the recent garlic harvest will need frequent watering and Darren says the irrigation system will be critical to their survival during hot Spring and Summer days.
“It is not always hands-on-deck at the gardens and watering is a big issue. The timed and integrated irrigation system will let us set it up ahead of time so our volunteers can have a break from watering.”
The recently harvested garlic is now curing for about a month but Darren is already planning a bigger crop in 2017 and the new rotary tiller will be used to increase the number of beds and decrease the amount of hard graft required of volunteers.
He says he is proud of the first harvest and the community of people who have contributed to its growth.
“The crop is brilliant, there is no disease and it has exceeded expectations in size and quality – the quality is perfect.”
He is one step closer to achieving his personal goal of Taree Community Garden becoming “famous for growing incredibly tasteful garlic.”