Heard it on the grapevine? Unearth the first Central Coast Edible Garden Trail

woman picking fruit
woman picking fruit
This new and incrEDIBLE local trail will encourage you to grow more food at home and cleverly source produce locally and seasonally
Over one November weekend 35+ green thumbed garden hosts will share years of collective practical knowledge and wisdom in the region's first Central Coast Edible Garden Trail

With more than 35 private garden hosts and their families volunteering their time and opening their gardens to visitors, on 19 and 20 November 2022 the Central Coast will launch its very first Edible Garden Trail. Trail guests are invited to view a broad range of local private and community gardens growing a rainbow of healthy, chemical-free food that is good for you - and good for the planet.

On the edible garden trail you can view a range of fascinating permaculture systems and practices including:

  • Food forests
  • Indigenous foods and cultural practices
  • Small animal systems including deep litter, chook tractors and integrated food forests
  • Water management including swales, rain gardens and ponds
  • No dig raised beds and sheet mulching
  • Keeping bees – Native and European
  • Habitats for wildlife

 

What is an edible garden trail?

At the Central Coast Edible Garden Trail there will be something for everyone from tiny balcony potted gardens to shared street gardens, abundant backyard plots and larger gardens incorporating food forests, wheelchair accessible gardens and gardens incorporating Indigenous foods and cultural practices. Anyone can grow something special, even if it is just some cute potted herbs by a sunny window!

Edible Garden Trail visitors will be encouraged to learn how to:

  • eliminate harmful practices from your garden
  • improve the biodiversity of life above and below the ground in your garden
  • start growing and eating nutrient dense food that is seasonal and as fresh as it gets
  • source their food locally and seasonally

 

The trail includes a take-home 'Local Food Guide' produced especially for the Central Coast Edible Garden Trail. This guide provides a comprehensive list of our Central Coast farmers, co-ops, produce swaps, and roadside stalls who are currently championing organic and regenerative practices, including when and where their products are available. You can sign up to receive a free guide via their mailing list here.

Brought to you by Permaculture Central Coast, the Central Coast Edible Garden Trail showcases permaculture principles in action. Permaculture is centred around the ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share and has been derived from Indigenous knowledge and practices.

How to experience the self-guided trail

The Central Coast Edible Garden Trail is a ticketed self guided annual edible garden trail. Tickets are available now by following the link on their Events page here

Ticket holders will be sent a map and program with garden profiles, addresses and opening days and times two weeks prior to the event. We're all busy bees but please remember to bring your ticket with you on the trail to use for admission to the gardens, as ticketless walk ins will simply not be possible due to the nature of the event.

Backyard garden, close up of plants
Credit: @centralcoastediblegardentrail
farmers hat next to fresh eggs
Credit: Grace Picot
Your green thumbed garden hosts

The garden hosts will be sharing a wealth of wisdom and knowledge gained from collective years of practical experience. There will be a huge variety of gardens including: backyard, acreage, courtyard, verge, community, laneway, wheelchair accessible, enclosed, balcony, market, Indigenous gardens and more.

“I grow all of the seedlings in my nursery and greenhouse & love watching the cycle. In terms of a specific process with planting, I don't have one. I literally just chuck it in wherever & see what I learn from it. Has it flourished? Why? What parts of the plant can be eaten? Is it medicinal? How can I cook/work with it? Can I save the seed. My garden is an ever-evolving part of my mental health, growth & I'm excited to keep the learnings through mother nature & Permaculture.”
- Lorrae from Earth Driven Collective in Empire Bay.

“Our growing style is traditional, no-till, organic market gardening with no chemical sprays or synthetic fertilisers. We grow from seed, companion plant using herbs and have started introducing flowers to encourage beneficial insects. We’ve had a number of challenges including a number of major flood events, damaging hail and drought but you pick yourself back up and keep moving forward learning everyday.”
- Kelly from Little Feet Gourmet – a market garden in Ourimbah


“The object of it [the Gwandalan and Summerland Point Community Garden] is to teach people to feed themselves organically. Including trying to get children interested in food growing. Very little of our community garden is new, most of it is from used items that we have picked up here and there. I designed the garden and structures in it around the sun and shade areas.”
- Barbara, co-creator of the Gwandalan and Summerland Point Community Garden

“We have planted the street verge and welcome anyone passing by to help themselves to herbs and chillies. We feel passionately that verges should be planted and encouraged in every community. Having a veggie patch out the front is very social…walkers always stop for a chat and are interested to know what’s happening in the garden.”
- Charlotte’s Coastal Patch in Copacabana

bowl of fresh leafy greens
Credit: @centralcoastediblegardentrail via Instagram
garden with net over the top
Credit: @centralcoastediblegardentrail
botanical winery
Credit: Firescreek Botanical Winery, Holgate
About the Central Coast Edible Garden Trail

The Central Coast Edible Garden Trail is a project of Permaculture Central Coast and is a ticketed, self-guided weekend event in private and community gardens on the NSW Central Coast.

It celebrates the many ways permaculture gardeners on the Central Coast are creating food security, building personal and community resilience, regenerating soils and converting waste into precious resources - all while enjoying the health benefits of home grown produce and taking meaningful action towards reducing food miles and plastics use.

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