About Grow Parkhurst
Grow Parkhurst is a growing urban community initiative, based at the Parkhurst Recreation Centre in Region B. We grow and nurture a community food and herb garden. The garden has several semi- permanent brick planters and eight temporary compost bins. At present we rely on the sale of products from the garden to maintain the site. We are looking for materials, tools, sponsorship, and volunteers to assist us with our community initiative. As Grow Parkhurst becomes more established, we envisage more collaboration will emerge through partnerships such as this, extending our networks and knowledge sharing capacity. If you would like to get involved, please read on, and contact me with an expression of interest.
What we do
We grow food and herbs for free for the community.
The main garden is situated at the Parkhurst Recreation Centre. Incredible Edible was established 7 years ago by Tracey Cooper and a group of ambitious residents. Since then, it has grown from being a relatively temporary garden site to a more established, food, herb, and medicinal plant garden, including brick planters, drip irrigation and compost-making facilities. Incredible Edible has established a relationship with Parkhurst Recreation Centre management over time and makes use of a disused tennis court as storage and product development space, as well as substantial space for compost bins.
With a fresh cohort of volunteers joining in 2023, a new brand and name has been decided on, namely: Grow Parkhurst.
Grow Parkhurst, pays tribute to the original Incredible Edible logo/communication, as well as integrating our ambitions to grow with Parkhurst as it changes and adapts into the future.
We want to grow nutritious plants for the people of Parkhurst and create safe spaces that encourage the personal growth and wellbeing through therapeutic practices like gardening, educational workshops, storytelling; and creative expression, encouraging the evolution of green sites across the neighbourhood, rooting community collaboration through gardening and knowledge sharing practices.
What we’d like to do
We’d like to expand and plant food in a variety of other places around Parkhurst:
– Other unused patches of ground in public spaces
– Outside businesses
– On people’s pavements
Who eats the food?
Anyone. The volunteers who contribute their time and labour are welcome to the food, as well as people in the community who are hungry and may not be able to afford, healthy, fresh food.
Who are we?
Volunteers. Most live in Parkhurst, some are honorary residents. Some plant, weed and water; some build boxes to plant vegetables in, others work on getting donations. Everyone can help in some way. We want to see the amount of food being grown in the neighbourhood increase as more and more people get involved and start their own gardens in their homes and on their pavements.
Where did this idea start?
A group of volunteers in a small British town called Todmorton started the Incredible Edible movement. It’s now spread around the world, with people starting their own community gardens in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and now South Africa.
Digging deeper
There’s a great Ted Talk by one of the co-founders of the Incredible Edible movement, Pam Warhurst: How We Can Eat Our Landscapes (www.ted.com/talks/pam_warhurst_how_we_can_eat_our_landscapes).
One of the points that she makes is that food is a common language that cuts across all cultures and differences. We should recognise the power of small actions: through small actions, we can build a better and kinder future – and that really is incredible.
More information
Please email growparkhurst.garden@gmail.com for more information and to express your interest. You can also download information pack here to find out more.
Grow Parkhurst 