ABOUT Canberra City Farm
The Farm is a place to learn in ways that are kind to the earth, to each other and to the next generation. We embrace principles, methods and ethics of regenerative agriculture focusing on practices that improve soil health, increase biodiversity and care for our community. So we make compost, plant for the birds and the bees, and generally act locally while thinking globally. Our learning curve is constant as we explore our interconnectedness with what lives in the soil and how we can be part of Canberra’s regional food system. We share what we learn, either in the classroom or with our hands in the soil.
We grow food, fibre and medicinal plants. We also cultivate our community. Just as we value biodiversity, we value people’s diversity. We recognise that it takes a community to raise an urban farm, but it’s reciprocal. The Farm is also raising a community built on respect and collaboration. We want to have fun so we love innovation and creativity! We welcome gardeners (all levels of experience), cooks, educators, handy-people, first-aiders, bush regenerators, inventors, communicators, media whizzes, fundraisers, designers, artists, advocates, citizen scientists, bird-watchers, nature-lovers, life-lovers.
The Farm is owned and run by volunteers from the Canberra community. Put more formally, we’re an association incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory. We have a constitution, members, a committee, and lots of friends, including like-minded organisations who are part of our hub at the Farm. Our manifesto for the future is laid out in our Strategic Plan.
Whether you’re looking to plant a tiny seed, green up your thumbs, or organise an event, there is something for you at the Farm.
Reach out by simply sending us a message or subscribe to our newsletter.
WHAT YOU CAN FIND ON THE FARM
Propagation Areas
The propagation areas at the Farm include a glasshouse, a shade house, and a shed with a heated bench. Propagation Team volunteers know what to plant and when for the Canberra climate and are always happy to share their tips for perfect germination. Year round the team produces a diverse range of seedlings for the communal gardens and for selling at our events or through the website shop. Seedling sales provide an important source of income for the Farm. Come and plant a seed!
Wicking Beds
Surrounding the LESS (Low-Energy Super Shed), you’ll find several wicking beds perfect for areas with limited space like verandas or courtyards. With their inbuilt water reservoirs these clever garden beds are ideal for the hot and dry Canberra growing season. Steady water means happy plants, and conserving water means a happy planet. We are growing myoga (Japanese ginger), horseradish, tomatoes and flowers but you can grow most herbs and veggies in a wicking bed. Visit the Farm to learn more and see wicking beds in action.
Four-Bed Demonstration Garden
On Monday mornings you can see a happy group of volunteers hard at work in the communal garden. This area is designed to demonstrate just what’s possible to grow in the Canberra climate over all four seasons. With careful planning and over a cycle of four years, we never plant the same family of vegetables in the same place. Crops are rotated as a way to manage pests and diseases and to improve the health of the soil. All organic, fresh produce, friendly faces – now that’s regenerative! The demonstration beds are a great place to start gardening.
Compost
We love turning our garden trash into treasure. All the Farm’s organic waste is transformed on-site and the compost goes back into our soil. The compost area at the Farm includes a row of bays for receiving green waste from the gardens, and with a row of bays where the compost is cooked or still cooking. About four times a year we make a hot pile with garden waste, manure, a microbiological brew, water and air. We love sharing our composting skills and it’s a heap of fun. Watch our events page for compost days.
Biochar
Our biochar retort looks and sounds like a big jet engine. We use it a few times a year to pyrolyze our large prunings, turning them into charcoal which becomes a luxury hotel for microbes and water. We crush the charcoal to the size of a pea then soak it in a microbiological brew for a few days. When we add biochar to the top layer of the soil our job is done and it’s over to the microbes to work their wonders with our soil. Watch the events page for biochar days.
Orchards
The Farm has five beautiful orchards. With over 100 fruit trees, the orchards are great places to sharpen your skills with the secateurs, watch the bees at work, or enjoy the fruits of our labour.
- In the Old Orchard you can meet 100-year-old pear trees planted when the site was a dairy farm. They enjoy the company of old friends, apples, plums, medlars, almonds, mulberries, red currants and gooseberries, all planted relatively close together, all greatly respected for their heritage value.
- The New Orchard dates from the time when there was a school at the site. It’s more structured with trees planted in rows of similar varieties: apples, apricots, plums, cherries and peaches.
The other three orchards were planted by the Canberra City Farm.
- The Espaliered Orchard demonstrates the possibilities of growing fruit in small spaces. The trees are trained to grow flat along a structured wire frame, creating a beautiful living wall for the four-bed demonstration garden.
- The theme of the Circular Orchard is small trees which are a good height for harvesting fruit, easy to net, and possible to grow in backyards.
- We have the best Feijoa Orchard in Canberra. For historic reasons Canberra has an abundance of feijoa trees and expert, Mark O’Connor, has identified and propagated the best. Now with their roots in our soil, the feijoa trees offer fragrance, abundance and the taste of South America in Canberra.
Low-Energy Super Shed
The Low-Energy Super Shed (LESS) is the heart of human habitat at the Farm. It is our education and community space that was built by the Woden SEE Change group and other dedicated volunteers. They transformed a run-down garage into a beautiful energy-efficient super shed built to PassivHaus standards. The LESS features solar passive design with insulation and finishing materials selected for their energy efficiency and sustainability ratings. Recycled materials were used where possible. It remains comfortable year-round with minimal energy use and is often featured in Canberra’s annual Sustainable House Day.
Native Bird Gardens and Frog Bog
Our commitment to regenerative agriculture means listening to birds and frogs. Prickly native bushes provide habitat and in return the birds provide natural pest control as well as great joy. The Farm’s location next to the Jerrabomberra Wetlands means we’re blessed with an abundance of bird species – come and say hello to a superb blue wren. The frog bog provides habitat for our aquatic friends and delight and inspiration to our community.
Vineyard
The vineyard was originally planted by students in the early 2000s when the Farm was a school. We grow mainly Shiraz grapes which are used to produce wine, vinegar and jelly. The vines are cared for by our dedicated Vineyard Team, who prune, manage disease, net and harvest. This ongoing care ensures the vineyard continues to thrive and is a place for hands-on viticultural learning.