Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley councils have launched a My Smart Garden (MSG) website for urban gardeners wanting to grow their own food and make their backyards more sustainable.
Hobsons Bay mayor Sandra Wilson says the MSG initiative has more than 1200 members, and the number is expected to grow because of the new website.
“The feedback about our workshops has been excellent with the average workshop rating at least nine out of 10,” she said.
“Over half the people attending have gone away and planted their own fruit trees.
‘‘And over half have designed their own garden area, while the same proportion is now recycling their food waste and keeping it out of landfill.”
One MSG member, De Chantal Hills, has created a sustainable urban oasis in Yarraville with plants, vegetable gardens, chickens, water tanks and solar panels.
The MSG website has a gardeners’ forum for people to discuss issues or successes with their gardens and share practical advice.
It includes archived notes from three years of MSG workshops, collated by sustainable-gardening and permaculture experts across Melbourne.
Maribyrnong mayor Grant Miles said the program enhanced the community’s food, energy, and water security.
“By working closely together, we have been able to create a program, and now a website, that can help people make a real difference right now in their own backyards,” he said.
View the My Smart Garden website at www.mysmartgarden.org.au
