Volunteers harvest produce at Taree Community Garden working bee

The community rallied to support the garden in July after the committee learned its Wynter Street site had to be cleared to provide construction site access for the Taree Police Station redevelopment.

Businesses and volunteers worked to dismantle garden beds, sheds, relocate plants, pavers, soil and tools to the grounds of Taree PCYC. Over recent months consistent work by volunteers has seen the garden infrastructure rebuilt to resurrect a remarkable community asset.

Recent rain and warm weather has seen plants thrive and last Sunday, October 28, the monthly working bee saw volunteers harvest an abundance of produce. Lettuce, parsley, oregano, peas, zucchini, cucumber, silverbeet, bok choy and kale were some of the vegetables picked for consumption. Produce is given to volunteers in exchange for their work to help maintain the garden and co-ordinator, Bree Katsamangos said the event was enjoyable and productive.

She said volunteers removed weeds from garden beds and added mulch to protect the plants from the increasingly warm weather, finished putting shade cloth on the hot house, did a little whipper snipping of grass and began the process of making weed tea that will be used to fertilise the garden in coming weeks.

The next working bee will begin at 9am on Sunday, November 18. For more information about the garden and its activities visit the Taree Community Garden page on Facebook.

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