Sanctuary off busy Church Street has plenty of wheelbarrows
89 Mortimer Street, Mudgee
Author: Jane Munro
If you’d like to learn about innovative, sustainable, water-wise gardening, with minimal chemical use, while getting to know like-minded people, you need look no further than the Mudgee Uniting Church Community Garden. Their mission is to provide opportunities for people to become familiar with a variety of gardening methods and techniques so they can grow fruit and vegetables at home. This peaceful space, sheltered by trees and the high walls of Church Street commercial buildings, is surprisingly quiet. Small birds find sanctuary here too.
Most of the plantings are in thoughtfully-designed raised beds, ideal for people with limited mobility. Several wicking beds, constructed after trials of a variety of designs, have, reduced watering requirements to just 10% of conventional in-ground beds. All tools are provided.
In spring, the garden will be bursting with a multitude of garden vegetables and culinary herbs.
There’s a wonderful variety of fruit trees- well laden citrus varieties, stone fruits, pomegranate, and olives. There are well-established ranks of espaliered apples pears, quinces. There’s a huge grape arbour with berries- raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries- a favourite refuge in hot weather.
Various herbs are scattered throughout, many helping with pest control.
Flowers are permitted- but only edible ones, such as viola, calendula, marigold.
The Community Garden is run by a dedicated team of volunteers, with special thanks to the Uniting Church for their on-going support. It’s open to the public- look for the signs at front of the church.