Diamond Valley Library Community Garden

Program/initiative/infrastructure summary: 

One of nine branches at Yarra Plenty Regional Library, the Diamond Valley Library offers a thriving community garden and Garden Maker Space. The Library regularly runs garden events, informative demonstrations, food swaps, and hands-on workshops. The Library has been a member of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation for the past four years. The Foundation’s aim is to help children form positive food habits for life through hands-on gardening sessions and educational activities. Two of Diamond Valley Library’s staff members have attended training through the Foundation to learn the practical skills of running a kitchen garden program. The Library’s programming is coordinated around healthy eating, sustainability and gardening skills, including short-term programs with local schools, kindergartens, and childcare centres. In 2020 the Library began delivering a monthly after-school program to introduce primary school aged children to gardening and cooking. The Library’s first session involved cooking up kale and sweet potato fritters with herb sauce, all using fresh produce from the community garden. The Community Garden Maker Space is the focus of program delivery at the Diamond Valley Library, and the Library has plenty of equipment, such as gardening gear (including child-sized gloves and watering cans), an induction stove, and kitchenware.

To complement the Kitchen Garden programs, the Library also offers Garden Play sessions following Toddler Time sessions, where younger children can play in the garden, water and weed, investigate what’s growing, and taste some produce. The Library’s after-school science club sessions encourage children to learn skills of seed saving and propagation, and the Library’s seed library holds the seeds harvested by the children and those donated by the local community. Recently, the Library has formed a book chat group that focuses on sustainability. Finally, the regular food swaps and community garden sessions mean the space is enjoyed by all ages.

Further information:

Growing Community program at Yarra Plenty Regional Library – https://www.yprl.vic.gov.au/explore/programs/growing-community/ 

Growing Community: Gardens – https://www.yprl.vic.gov.au/blogs/growing-community-gardens/

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation – https://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au

Project Impact/Top tips:

Partner with local council, garden and sustainability experts for the delivery of programs. Engage local schools in kitchen garden workshops.