Curtin University of Technology staff and students have been toiling in the soil preparing for the official launch of their organic vegetable garden.
To be launched on 25 October, the 550 square metre garden near Kurrajong Village on Curtin’s Bentley Campus produces a variety of vegetables including spinach, peas, beans, basil, broccoli, parsley and tomatoes.
Peter Cope, from Curtin Housing Services, helped set up the garden and coordinates all the monthly busy bees and other activities.
“The garden, which was originally vacant scrub land, was established to help foster a sense of community amongst students who are away from home and encourage more fresh food into student diets,” he said.
“Curtin Housing Services provided us with all the essentials to set up the garden such as wheelbarrows, tools, manure, seeds and five well-established fruit trees.
“A number of University faculties provide food scraps from kitchens which make their way into our compost making bins. We also recycle a lot of newspapers for our mulched pathways.”
Mr Cope said staff and students volunteer on weekends to weed, dig, plant and prune.
“In return, the volunteers can take home some of the vegetables. It’s not quite a supermarket, but it does supplement their weekly vegetable needs,” he said.
Mr Cope has also organised student cooking competitions using vegetables from the garden.
