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| 2 January 2006 |
| Community Garden |
| This week on English Bites we are visiting a range of different gardens. Today's garden is a community garden - a space in the middle of a city where people can get a small plot of land to grow things on. |
MELISSA KING: Just a block from the hustle and bustle of St Kilda's Ackland Street in Melbourne is this amazing oasis. Now this is Veg Out Community Garden, and it's an organic, chemical free vegie patch run by members of the local community. There are over 140 plots here, where members, families and friends can all enjoy getting their hands dirty. When you're wandering through here one of the first things that strikes you is how incredibly inviting this space is. The gardens are quirky and eclectic and filled with personality, just like the people who've created them. But take a look at this; this is a really standout plot for me, and it's been created by a very passionate gardener called Lenny Pastro. Hi, Lenny. LENNY PASTRO: Hi, how are you? MELISSA KING: I'm good. How are you going? LENNY PASTRO: Good, thanks. MELISSA KING: These are monstrous spring onions. LENNY PASTRO: Yes, I'm pretty good with spring onions. I don't know why, but I usually do pretty good with the spring onions, yes. MELISSA KING: This looks like a pretty decent crop of eggplant, too. LENNY PASTRO: Yes, they're not bad at all. But they need a lot of hot weather. We've been getting a bit of hot weather, but last night the wind was knocking a bit about a bit. MELISSA KING: It looks like there is a fair bit of fruit still coming on them with all flowers, too. LENNY PASTRO: What do you think about that? MELISSA KING: Pretty firm, nice fruit. LENNY PASTRO: Yes. MELISSA KING: People are often drawn here because they don't have the space at home to get their hands in the earth. It's also a great way to meet like-minded gardeners. MAN 1: Do reckon that will keep growing? MAN 2: I think it should. I think it's germinated. BETTY FEVOLA: If we had another stake, we could tie up that. MELISSA KING: Betty has lived in St Kilda all her life and shares a patch with friend Margot. Are you surprised at what you can fit into a small space? BETTY FEVOLA: Absolutely, absolutely. Six feet we've got. I've had brushcetta every night and I haven't bought a tomato for weeks. It's just fabulous. We've got capsicum and Lebanese cucumbers coming up now, and silver beet, and heaps of lettuce. We just pick the leaves as we need it. It's beautiful. Just dig around the capsicum and I'll prune some of the sweet basil. MELISSA KING: What does this place mean to you? BETTY FEVOLA: It means that I get the exercise of walking, a bit of a social life with the other gardeners, and the pleasure of growing your own food. MELISSA KING: The one thing that's really highlighted here is how appealing gardening is to people of all ages. In fact, one of the most popular spots is the animal farm, filled with chooks, ducks and plenty of manure for the garden. A place like this really emphasises just how much gardening brings people together, whether it be through the sharing of produce, good gardening tips, or just good fun. As backyards are shrinking, places like this are holding greater value, and if Veg Out is anything to go by, then they're also building vibrant, rich communities, all spurred on by a love of gardening. |
story notes |
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hustle and bustle Hustle and bustle is noise and activity. There’s lots of noise, people and activity on Ackland Street.  St Kilda's Ackland Street in Melbourne Ackland Street is a popular and busy street in St Kilda, a beachside suburb of Melbourne.   oasis An oasis is a quiet, peaceful place. But it’s also a fertile place, a place where plants grow and life thrives. Veg Out Veg is short for vegetable. But the phrase ‘veg out’ is slang. It means to relax and do nothing. It’s often used to talk about watching television Example: I vegged out in front of the telly. So the name of the garden is meant to give the meaning that it’s a place for vegetables, and it’s a place to relax as well. organic Organic means chemical free. There are no poisons or artificial fertilisers used at the community garden. Everything is natural. vegie patch A patch is a small piece of land. Vegie, like veg, is short for vegetable. A vegie patch is a small piece of land for growing vegetables on. spring onions Spring onions are a type of onion with a small bulb and edible leaves.  eggplant This fruit is also known as aubergine  drawn Drawn is the past participle of the irregular verb draw. more information: draw bought Here bought is the past participle of the irregular verb buy. more information: buy silver beet This is also known as chard.  lettuce There are many varieties of this leafy vegetable.  sweet basil A common summer herb.  chooks chickens  produce Notice that the noun produce, meaning things grown in the garden is pronounced differently from the verb produce, which means to grow things. Follow the link and listen to the difference. more information: produce tips help and advice shrinking getting smaller vibrant full of energy and excitement spurred on Spurred on is a phrasal verb that means to be encouraged.
Example: He was spurred on by his success. |