Community Gardens

There is an existing local community garden, which allows residents to get involved at Mamre House, Orchard Hills – Mamre has community garden space for people to volunteer or have their own plot, as well as a farm space for refugees.

Or check out community gardens adjoining Penrith:

• Thornton Community Garden, Penrith – Coordinated by Thorton Community Group Inc, the garden works with local community service organisations as well as the general community.
• Western Sydney Home Produce Swaps, Penrith – This is a facebook page for local gardeners to connect with each other, swap produce as well as hints and tips on growing veggies. Please note it is private facebook page so you’ll need to answer a couple of questions to be added to the group.
• The Secret Garden and Nursery, Richmond – The garden offers programs for people with disabilities and mental health issues. The general community can volunteer or have their own garden patch.
• Hawkesbury Earthcare Centre, Richmond – The Centre focuses on broad sustainability and permaculture principles. They have a demonstration building and garden, as well as offer a range of activities and workshops.
• Blacktown has several community gardens where fresh organic food is grown.
• A local gardening organisation may also be of interest to you:
• Permaculture Sydney West Inc. – PSW provide support in applying the principles of permaculture to urban homes, schools and community gardens. The Group offers information evenings, garden blitzes, seed saving, workshops and community garden support.
• Penrith City Garden Club – The Club provides a range of activities, catering for members’ interests, in all aspects of gardening. Activities include engaging speakers on a variety of topics on their club nights, visiting other gardens of interest and social activities.

You could also get involved in your local Bushcare group to meet more people in your neighbourhood and help protect our local environment.

If you are a hard-working and committed gardening group, you may decide to start up your own project on Council owned or managed land.

Penrith Council has developed a Community Gardens Policy and Guidelines to assist community groups plan, design and establish community gardens.

Contact the Sustainability Team at Council to discuss your ideas. To be successful, community gardens require substantial community involvement in planning, decision-making, garden management, day-to-day activities and maintenance.

Gardening groups that would like to start up a community garden on non-Council owned or managed land are encouraged to contact Council.

Proposals need to be discussed during planning, as requirements can vary significantly depending on the location and zoning of the subject land. We will help you through the process, so you can understand requirements early.

Starting a community garden requires funding in order to pay for physical items such as garden tools and plants, as well as public liability insurance and incorporation. Information on how to obtain funding for your community garden group can be found on Council’s Grants page.

There is a wealth of information available on community gardens. Some great sites for helpful information can be found at:

• The Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network which is an informal, community-based organisation linking people interested in community gardening around Australia.
• The South Australian Community Garden Resource Kit which contains great information on starting up a community garden with advice from experienced community gardeners as well as research in community development, project management and sustainable gardening.

Or check out what other countries are doing such as:

• The American Community Gardening Association whose mission is to build community by increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada.
• The Canadian City Farmer whose website is a collection of stories about their work at City Farmer in Vancouver, Canada and about urban farmers from around the world. They teach people how to grow food in the city, compost their waste and take care of their home landscape in an environmentally responsible way.
• Or the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens in the United Kingdom supports, represents and promotes community-managed farms and gardens across the UK.

Penrith Council has developed a Community Gardens Policy and Guidelines to assist community groups plan, design and establish community gardens.

Find out more by contacting Council’s Sustainability Team on 4732 7983 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..