A vision of bringing bees to the city: Melbourne City Rooftop Honey

We all need bees right? They pollinate our plants for us and we appreciate their honey.

Worldwide, bees are facing a whole host of problems including overuse of pesticides, parasites like the Varroa destructor mite, habitat loss, monocultures and so on. This recent article in The Age explains some of what Australia is facing and Wikipedia has a good explanation of issues leading to pollinator decline.

Well, there's some excitement around an interesting enterprise in Melbourne that's working to bring bees back into the city.

Merri Corner Community Garden - Harvest Hoedown! Sunday 27th March 2011

Come one, come all to celebrate the first season’s harvest with a Harvest Hoedown at the Merri Corner Community Garden! 

Winter kitchen garden workshop, BBQ (vego and carnivore), live music, garden tours and Harvest Hoedown games for the young and young-at-heart.

Sunday 27 March from 11am til 4pm @ The MCCG - 194 Donald Street, Brunswick East

Reworking your nature strip.....

Have you (like me) ever eyed off the nature strip as another productive growing space?

Are you fed up with mowing that green bit out the front that doesn't belong to you?

Tired of filling up your green waste bin with someone else's grass?

Why not do something about it?

This piece from Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network tackles every angle in a balanced way and gives you the best chance of keeping your efforts in tact. It's well worth a read.

A Café Culture of Community (from Transition Brunswick)

 Great post on the Transition Brunswick site:

"A cosy little café Kitchen Kultcha on Glenlyon Road in Brunswick is doing something extra special. Head chef Daniel buys local for his kitchen. Not just ‘market garden’ local, but produce from home gardens in the neighbourhood!" 

(read more here...)

I heard a while back about backyard growers who were selling their produce to grocers in Glenroy/Fawkner.

Do you know of any local businesses that support local, residential agriculture?
Add a comment to this post if you do.

Grow-a-row, Share-a-row Community Cook-up

Join the Coburg Kitchen Garden for a Home-Grown Edibles Swap with a twist. Tomatoes turned into preserves and a tasty lunch to boot!

Bring in your ripe tomatoes and bottle them beside other volunteers in the new Community Kitchen space. Stay and enjoy a pasta lunch with other local growers. Take home jars of organic tomatoes (weigh in/ weigh out) and/or donate a share to families in-need.

When: Saturday March 5th, 10am until 2pm (ish)
Who: All welcome!
Cost: By-donation to cover cost of jars and lunch.
Where: Coburg Kitchen Garden, 512 Sydney Rd, Coburg (corner of Bell St.)

CERES Harvest Fete (and Dinner) Saturday 19th March 2011

Harvest Fete 2011
Saturday 19 March 9am-2pm

All around the CERES Site

"Celebrate our Autumn Harvest with a Country Style Fete and help launch our I HEART CERES Fundraising Campaign.

Food and Wine Festival Food Swap: March 12th

City Square Edible Garden 2010

Last year for a few days, the city square in central Melbourne was transformed into a fantastic productive edible garden thanks to Diggers Club.

It was amazing, no kidding. Did you see it?

Well, they're at it again this year as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival between 4th - 19th March 2011.

Of particular note to Morelanders is the food swap involving the Coburg Kitchen Garden and other community groups on Saturday 12th from 11am. Swappers from around Melbourne will combine efforts to share the way of swapping. Help spread the word and bring your excess!