Open Gardens Victoria: Three Productive Footscray Gardens Open for a Day in February

Homegrown veggie lovers are in for a Sunday treat, with the chance to visit three inspiring edible gardens opening in Footscray with Open Gardens Victoria on the 12th February 2023.

As lockdowns went into effect across Victoria, many of us sought solace in the garden, taking the opportunity to start a vegetable patch. Growing our own food provided increased self-sufficiency during difficult times and offered a way to exercise and connect with nature too.

If your productive patch needs some inspiration, these three gardens will provide the opportunity to learn from experienced ‘small space’ produce gardeners and gain insights into the many aspects and challenges of food growing and production in the urban environment.

First stop, Francisco and Michael’s Food Garden in West Footscray—a busy urban edible garden where every space has been maximised to creatively grow a huge variety of vegetables, including asparagus, tomatoes, eggplant, celery, kale, and golden chard; and fruits, such as elderberries, pears, apples, apricots, passionfruit, and peaches.

The owners have planted over 29 trees and currently grow 17 different vegetables alongside 19 herbs, medicinal flowers and many ornamental flowers, all contained in just 250 sqm of growing space.

“With an east-facing garden, we established our raised vegetable beds in the larger front yard to avoid the afternoon sun in the backyard. This attracted interest from our older neighbours, many of whom are immigrants from countries such as Italy, Greece, Poland, and Vietnam. Through necessity, they had grown their own food too and recognised something familiar and right in what we were doing,” says Francisco.

Less than 5 minutes away, you’ll find Marcus and Jen’s Productive Garden. The couple share a passion for cooking so it seemed a natural progression to start growing their own produce to enhance the food created in their home kitchen. Two bountiful passionfruit vines provide privacy and create a lush backdrop to a long garden bed growing varieties of zucchini and eggplant along with citrus trees. Two wicking beds made from IBCs contain tomatoes, radishes, and a variety of bush and climbing beans.

“By the side of the house, there are trees creating a shaded, damp area—a great spot for our newest project: growing Shiitake and Lion’s Mane mushrooms on prepared logs,” says Jen.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing about this garden is that the owners have transformed it into a productive garden in just one year. It’s still early days, but Marcus and Jen are well on their way to creating an edible food forest that makes the most of their small space.

The final stop is David’s Productive Garden, just 5 minutes further east. This small inner-city block is positively heaving with more than 50 fruiting trees, shrubs, and vines, producing an incredible array of food for his household on a modest 300 sqm area.

David has made the most of vertical spaces, used dwarf varieties of fruit trees, used informal and formal espaliering, and personally grafted multiple plants to make this much productivity possible.

A wonderful opportunity to check out unusual varieties including white sapotes, cherimoya, wampee, cold-hardy papayas, and guavas.

All three productive gardens are located on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people. Open Gardens Victoria wish to acknowledge the Traditional custodians and we pay respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging.

ADDRESSES:

• Francisco and Michael’s Food Garden: 2 Hope Street, West Footscray VIC 3012
• Marcus and Jen’s Productive Garden: 52 Dudley Street, Footscray VIC 3011
• David’s Productive Garden: 16 Central Avenue, Footscray VIC 3011

OPEN:

• Sunday 12 February (one day only), 10am – 4.30pm

TICKETS:

• Adults $8, Students $5, under 18 free (per garden)
• Or visit all three gardens on same day for $20
• Francisco and Michael’s Food Garden – Tickets at the gate or via Trybooking
• Marcus and Jen’s Productive Garden – Tickets at the gate or via Trybooking
• David’s Productive Garden- Tickets at the gate or via Trybooking

For more information about open gardens and events, visit: opengardensvictoria.org.au