Willetton Community Garden

Louise Kaestner
Jan 21, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Jan 22, 2025

Source: Screenshot (2025)

Response from Willetton Community Garden

On the 19th of January, 2025 I received a detailed response from the Willetton Community Garden in the City of Canning. They gave a detailed response.

What inspired you? How long have you been running? What was your original source of funding? How much was it?

The origins of the Willetton Community Garden are linked with the kitchen garden at Rostrata Primary School. In 2008 grants to schools in WA were offered by the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and Rostrata PS submitted an application developed by a coalition of parents and staff. The project plan included a joint site on City of Canning land leased by the Department of Education for a school kitchen garden and a community garden. Success in gaining a grant led to the development of the school kitchen garden by Rostrata PS with the support of the Rostrata PS Parents & Citizens group. With the school kitchen garden program in place, the P&C in 2013 turned their attention to the community garden and was successful in obtaining a Community Garden grant ($15,850) from the WA government and a grant from the City of Canning ($4,997) to develop infrastructure at the community garden. In 2015 there was a transition from the Rostrata PS P&C to a separate body, the Willetton Community Garden Association Incorporated. An MOU between the Community Garden and Rostrata Primary School continues with strong links between the organisations.

What are your ongoing costs?

Insurance (Public Liability, Contents)

Maintenance of equipment (solar panels & batteries, bore, pump and reticulation system, trailer, mower, whipper snipper etc)

Portable toilet pump-out

Fertiliser and mulch purchased to complement on-site compost production. Seedlings and plants

How do you fund the garden now? Any grants you recommend?

Applications to WA state government [particularly Community Garden grants through the Dept of Communities and City of Canning Grants programs

Fundraising and donations by members of the garden

Plant sales to community members

Support from Bunnings, Rotary Club of Willetton

What are your two best crops? What are your two worst crops?

Best crops this year (with water more consistent following installation of a bore for reticulation)

spring: tomatoes, zucchini summer: tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, cucumbers

winter: Asian greens, daikon, kohl rabi, kale, spinach

Worst crops: eggplant because the caterpillars got to them first. We are hoping to be a step ahead of the caterpillars this year.

Do you use fertiliser or worms?

BOTH On-site production of compost utilisers vegetable scraps from a local Fruit and Veg shop collected once/week by community garden volunteers + shredded paper collected from local businesses + mulch donated by a local tree lopper + coffee grounds collected from local cafes.

Worm farms on site provide leachate and worm castings for use as fertiliser.

The Willetton Community Garden guidelines specify that any additional fertilisers used on site must be organic.

Do you use any Indigenous crop?

We grow and harvest warrigal greens and have a saltbush with mixed success in drying its leaves. We are planning a workshop to increase our knowledge of the culinary purposes and processes to prepare other Indigenous plants in the garden, eg. sentella, flax lily. Other plants such as Australian climbing bluebell and some native viola (Viola Hederacea) are decorative.

What is one mistake in the garden you wished you’d never made? What is one tip or trick you’ve used that has impacted your success in a positive way?

One year we lost all our apricots to fruit fly. Very disappointing but we learnt our lesson for the next season. Tip: keep up the fruit fly baiting all year round.

Synthesis from Willetton Community Garden

The best thing about this response was the detailed and seasonal information on their best crops. Like the other community gardens, they received funding from their local government and the department of communities.

willettongarden@gmail.com