Murdoch University Community Garden

Louise Kaestner
Jan 21, 2025
3 min read

Source: Screenshot (2025)

Response from Murdoch University Community Garden

On the 17th of January, 2025, I received a response from the Murdoch University Community Garden located in the City of Melville. This garden is the only university campus community garden in the state of Western Australia that I am aware of. They run it as a Guild club and that is how they source their funding. Running a club is no easy task. At Curtin, you need at least 10 founders including hard-working, dedicated individuals willing to operate as a committee which includes a President, Secretary and Treasurer, minimum. I've been a president. It's difficult. Should the community garden at Curtin follow this path, I'd be willing to be a gardener-in-chief. The other problem is, you need new students every year to take up the posts of leadership.

Laura Pember says:

It's a very large site with wicking beds, in-ground beds, raised beds, an orchard, large pond, developing bush tucker garden, and bushland surrounding the site. Please be aware that we share the gardens with wildlife, including snakes, so wearing closed-in shoes and long pants is recommended.

What inspired you?

While many of us have been at the Murdoch Community Garden for several years now, our garden was established decades ago and the founders aren't available at this time to comment. Many of our members are inspired by being a part of a community working together to build something sustainable and rewarding. As most members are students, we often don't have the space at home to grow our own food so the MCG provides a place where we can come together and practice sustainable, pesticide-free, herbicide-free food growing.

How long have you been running?

The garden was re-established in 2013 but the physical space has been around longer. We're not certain how long the space has been around.

What was your original source of funding?

unable to answer

How much was it?

unable to answer

What are your ongoing costs?

weekly dinners for our members

new seeds

replacing broken equipment

safety products like sunscreen, mosquito repellent,

How do you fund the garden now?

Murdoch Guild and revenue from our market stalls

Any grants you recommend?

University Guild grants as an affiliated club/society

community grants like the council you operate in

What are your two best crops?

tomatoes, potatoes

What are your two worst crops?

Do you use fertiliser or worms?

composted fertiliser made from the garden's green waste, members' household food waste, and brown materials like small branches, leaves, and cardboard

worms are a huge part of our composting system but we don't have a specific worm farm. The worms are plentiful in our compost, as are many other critters that help us break down materials into beautiful healthy soil

Do you use any Indigenous crop?

warragal greens, multiple others in our small bush tucker garden

What is one tip or trick you’ve used that has impacted your success in a positive way?

consistent weekly Busy Bee sessions with free dinners for our members as an incentive

collecting and using our own seeds from previous crops

What is one mistake in the garden you wished you’d never made?

not getting into the habit of labelling newly planted seedlings

Synthesis from Murdoch University Community Garden

The Murdoch University Community Garden is a garden that was re-established after falling into disuse. They didn't explain how it had been run previously. As with other community gardens, they found grants through their local council. Unlike other community gardens, they accessed grants through their university through the Guild. Also, their community garden resembles a food forest using the environment and creating an ecosystem. Something interesting which Laura mentioned is that the space provides a need for students who want to garden who may otherwise not have the opportunity. This would make for a unique selling point.

murdochcommunitygardeninc@gmail.com