Eat the Streets

Gumbaynggirr Country, Bellingen, NSW, Australia

The Brief

Creating ‘edible streetscapes’ in the heart of the Bellingen town, on the subtropical mid-north coast of NSW, Australia.

Bringing abundance, beauty, and educational community gathering spaces into public street gardens. Planted out with hardy and beautiful perennial food and herb species. Using community spaces to grow free food for all.

The messages are simple – local organic food can be grown almost anywhere – and these are community resources that belong to everyone.

A collaboration between contractors, young people, community groups, local businesses and Bellingen Shire Council.

Challenges

• Small multiple-stakeholder spaces with high intense impact & foot traffic
  
• Ambiguous ownership, responsibilities, and benefits
  
• Balancing aims of child and family friendly, safety, food production, and aesthetics
  
• Shoestring budgets and need for maintenance
  
• Intense summer heat, humidity, rainfall, and drought
•  Compacted depleted acidic soils

Design & Implementation

A long-term project of over 10 years. It’s been a fluxing collaboration between various local groups – community gardens, Transition Towns re-skilling, local businesses, youth education groups, a youth center, the local council, and local businesses. So a large part of this project has been the coming together of people and causes – lots of energy and goodwill.

The first on-ground works included large-scale citrus tree planting along the local sports fields for children to eat. Then projects moved to gardens in and around sympathetic businesses, shops, cafes and the Youth Hub.

Thereafter it’s been about regular visits to ‘Jchoosh-up’ the gardens. (Curious about 'Jchooshing'? Check out our blog post The Power of 'Zhuzing'.) Mulching, pruning, feeding, planting, chatting with people, walking through the gardens, and watching as kids pick and eat things like Finger Limes.

Ideas in Action

• Public & perennial food in the centre of town
• Guerilla gardening
• Perennial food & aesthetics

• Small example gardens with high level community education and engagement
• Youth engagement
• Foraging for all ages
• Gardening for fun

Outcomes

Several oases of public food in town. People love it! When it’s going well, it’s perhaps the most enjoyable project – the sharing of the joy of perennial gardening.

However, it takes way more input than almost anyone realises. Cleaning up after intensive visits from people and keeping the Edible Streetscape gardens productive and attractive.

And these places and projects need defending too. They are often the first places to be sacrificed by landscape ‘upgrades’ - changes of land use and random decisions.

Still totally worth it…

“This is one of the best community projects. It goes to show how the community can make healthy food for free.”

“Everywhere Charlie & his team go it turns green!”

Bellingen Community Collaborators

Eat the Streets

Gumbaynggirr Country, Bellingen, NSW AUS

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