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A new food sharing initiative has taken off on the Hibiscus Coast, with almost 200 members joining in just two days.
Jessica Noble started the Hibiscus Coast Neighbourhood Garden page on Facebook and says it has proved so popular because the time is ripe.
“With prices of groceries going up so much, I thought it was a great time to get this started,” Jessica says.
With a background in nutrition, she is also concerned about the amount of chemicals on store-bought produce.
“When we had our son, it makes you think even more about what’s in our food.”
The private Facebook page is used in a similar way to Marketplace, to share garden produce or things such as vegetable seedlings with others in the local area. No money is exchanged, and pick up is arranged to respect people’s privacy – such as meeting at a collection point, or at workplaces.
Members are also invited to share gardening knowledge and photos to keep each other motivated.
Jessica has found ways to grow edible plants on her small section in Red Beach, making space for a compost bin, veggie pod and a hydroponics vegetable growing system.
“You grow what you can in your garden, then, once you have more than enough for yourself and your family, you post what’s available,” Jessica says. “If members are growing on, say, 1sqm each, together that’s a 200sqm garden!”
Jessica says this is a process that would have happened naturally in her great grandparents’ day.
“Now with our nine-to-five lives, we are not as connected with our communities,” she says. “But it is a way to get some of that back, and help each other out. I hope it inspires people to grow – and share – more.”
