Last Sunday we swapped on the 107 Rooftop, an inspiring rooftop permaculture garden in the middle of Redfern. Some people walked with their bounty from just up the road, while others travelled from Bexley, Arncliffe, Blacktown, Maroubra, Denstone and Naremburn.
Heather from Milkwood Permaculture spoke about the systems in place and the establishment of the garden, including how all supplies were ferried to the rooftop by hand, in less than 3 hours – quite a feat of engineering and team work!
As we swapped we were surrounded by a clever combination of grow systems including an aquaponics setup, willows for shade and buffer, vertical gardens, a shed, various raised beds, compost facilities and native bees. The tables were crammed full of produce but on this post Mardi-Gras morning we were particularly lucky to have a bucketful of mangoes picked fresh from an Earlwood backyard, homemade miso and sweet baby bananas turn up.
Pilar from The Green Living Centre also taught a free workshop on poison-free pest control and at the end of the event all leftovers were donated to The Food Pantry who distributed it to others in need. The drizzly weather didn’t stop anyone and it was a great morning all round.
Some of the swaps that took place on the day included:
Yarrow
Eschalotts
Kalahari kicker melon hot sauce made from a previously swapped Jam Melon
Mangoes
Tomatoes
Bananas
Cinnamon scrolls
Homemade miso
Bees wax
Artichoke
Seeds galore
Glass gem corn
Purslane
Coffee grounds for composting
Eggs
Lemongrass
Lemon verbena
Herb bunches of all sorts and sizs
Edible flowers
Limes from the 107 garden (their first harvest)
Kombucha starters
Cotton seeds
Sauerkraut
Pumpkin leaves
Brahmi memory herb
Watercress
Want to join us at our next swap? See here for details or join the group to swap anytime.
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