Grow your own garden with Murray Bridge Community Centre

A food security grant will go to the heart of the community to help support locals who want to grow their own produce.

Liana Webster

Apr 19, 2024 — 1 min read

Natalie Vogt and Kurtis Lemley are passionate gardeners at the Community Centre on Beatty Terrace. Photo: Liana Webster.

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Murray Bridge Community Centre has received funding to supply resources for a “How does your garden grow?” program.

This will provide the centre’s community garden with better irrigation, garden bed materials, seedlings and expenses for gardening workshops.

Centre manager Sarah Smith said the program would teach people in the community how to construct, fill, plant and maintain garden beds so they could grow their own produce at home.

The centre aims to hold four workshops to educate and provide the community with resources they can incorporate at home.

“It’s a great kicker for people to learn the basics and fundamentals of growing their own garden at home,” Ms Smith said.

“We’re aiming to get 100 garden beds into the household and backyards of Murray Bridge.”

Another part of the project is improving the irrigation at the community garden on Beatty Terrace.

“We will be installing better irrigation through those garden beds and also purchasing additional fruit trees, so that we can continue to improve what we provide the community day in, day out,” she said.

In total, the state government awarded more than $1 million in food security grants to community organisations which aims to help South Australians struggling to put food on the table.

Human Services Minister Nat Cook said access to sufficient healthy, nutritious food was an issue many South Australians faced.

Funded projects would assist in addressing food insecurity.

The community centre has also been successful in another grant program, which will help replace the outdated blinds around its back verandah and create a comfortable space for community members to enjoy.

The centre had already been lucky enough to get a few upgrades lately, with kitchen renovations well underway and Reclink Australia donating a defibrillator earlier this year.