We recently visited the Wayside Chapel’s Rooftop Garden in Kings Cross. With views across the parklands and the CBD, the 200 square metre garden is filled with over 50 different varieties of organic fruit, herbs and vegetables. It has rainwater tanks, solar panels, worm farms, a compost system and bee-hives. The gardens have a strong focus on Indigenous plants, native saltbush, lemon myrtle and others. There is also a succulent garden so people who don’t yet have much garden confidence or experience can propagate, share, take a pot plant home or wherever they are going after the garden.
The wonderfully knowledgeable Jon Kingston gave us a tour of the garden. Jon studied horticultural science (B.Hort Sci) at UWS Hawkesbury and has worked in garden design, bush regeneration, vegetable gardens, horticulture retail and production for 15 years. He has worked on garden projects across Sydney including the James Street Community Garden in Redfern, He specialises in ecological design, organic food production systems, and bush land restoration. Email: garden@thewaysidechapel.com

The Succulent Garden, a first step of gardening.

Mustard Greens escape pots.

Flowers attract insects.

 

Seed library: for this season, categories are Vegetables, Flowers, Herbs, Leafy greens.

Seed balls made with builder’s clay and seasonal culinary herbs.

Label design for Wayside Chapel seeds.

Large pots overflowing with strawberries and leafy greens.

Healthy worm farms are tended collectively.

 

Love Over Hate.