Nurturing sustainable living and healthy lifestyles through food-focused green spaces: the Community Garden at The Old Mushroom Farm- what it is, and how it came to be.
The Old Mushroom Farm Community Garden is a non-profit, food-focused green space. A collective garden focused on food growing, sustainable living, healthy lifestyle, and edible landscaping. The food produced in the garden feeds TOMF staff, as well as the broader TOMF community of locals and visitors.
The Community Garden at The Old Mushroom Farm was established in the Spring of 2020.
Previously used as a truck yard (back in the Mushroom Farming days), the sunny North-facing bank was selected for re-greening.
Terraces were levelled overlooking the valley and dams, and raised beds laid out with repurposed concrete slabs. Garden beds branch off from a central walkway lined with lemon trees. A row of plum trees lines the right hand edge of the garden.
We highly recommend a stroll through the garden during your visit to The Old Mushroom Farm, and encourage snacking along the way. Have you ever tasted a tree tomato? Eating organic food straight from the ground is an experience everyone should have at least once in their lifetime. The garden is a great outdoor activity for kids to learn about and interact with plants.
Our wonderful gardener, Bongiwe (aka Beauty or Gogo) joined our team here at TOMF in May 2022. Her passion for growing things has transformed the garden into one we are truly proud of.
Not only does Gogo have a wealth of knowledge and two green thumbs, but she is also interested in furthering her learning. She is into seed saving, foraging for edible weeds, composting and takes great pride in making the garden beautiful. We are so grateful for all her hard work- it truly shows.
There is plenty to go around! We encourage guests staying in The Old Mushroom Farm accommodation to harvest organic vegetables and fruit from the garden during their stay.
For day visitors, there's an opportunity every Thursday and Friday morning from 9 am to 12 pm to personally gather fresh produce for a nominal fee.
If you'd like to get involved in TOMF Community garden, join us for gardening workshops (keep an eye on TOMF events page), harvest days, rent an allotment or volunteer in the garden.
