Food Forest Ashburton Group

16/04/2026

Come and join us!

We need more volunteers.

When: Sunday morning - 19 April, 2026

Meeting between 10am and 12 noon at the picnic tables at Glenburn Park.

Map location is in comments below.

Bring your friends...many hands make light work.

The more the merrier!

25/03/2026

What a difference two people have made....growing a (native) forest from scratch.

Some become grey nomads, others learn a language or some other skill. After retirement, this couple took on creating a native forest. But, as John and Annette were to find out, there is "no textbook".

07/02/2026

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

The Food Forest has had an upgrade.

Many of the established trees still remain and a new playground has been built.

We will be meeting on the trail just near the Food Forest on Clean Up Australia Day.

Save the date for Sunday 1 March!

Join us for 10 minutes or 2 hours.

Every piece of trash collected will help clean yOUR environment.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

04/07/2024

Scroll back and you'll see many posts warning people about the excessive use of glyphosate in our community.

It all started because Council were spraying it at the Food Forest, over ten years ago.

People are slowly waking up but more needs to be done.

Thank you to Zara D'Cotta AKA Oh my goodness for starting this change.org petition.

You might have seen a recent episode of Four Corners, The Monsanto Papers. It exposed the tactics that global chemical corporation Monsanto use to protect its billion-dollar business and its product, the w**d killer, Roundup, and its primary ingredient, glyphosate.

In 2015 glyphosate was classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) because of its strong association with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is also on a list of known carcinogens in the state of California.

In August 2018, a US jury ordered Monsanto to pay Dewayne Johnson – a man dying of cancer - $289 million because it’s Roundup w**d killer contributed to his disease. Nine thousand people in America are now suing Monsanto with claims that Roundup contributed to their cancer. Glyphosate has been found by IARC to linger in water, air and food long after it has been sprayed.

Here in Australia, there are around 500 products containing glyphosate registered for use in Australia including Roundup, the most commonly used w**d killer in Australia and used by local councils around Australia. This means that children, other people, and their pets who visit parks and gardens around Australia are exposed to this probable carcinogen.

Currently, there are no regulations or checks in place and there is no way for the Australian public to know if their local council is using it according to label directions, nor how it is used or if it is present in the food we buy.

Belgium, Malta, The Netherlands and Argentina have banned or restricted the use of glyphosate. In Argentina, 30,000 doctors demanded the prohibition of glyphosate because it is associated with cancer, birth defects, skin diseases, respiratory illnesses and neurological disease. In November 2017 Emmanuel Macron announced France will issue an outright ban within the next three years.

Australia must now join growing international action to ban or restrict the use of glyphosate. Zara is calling on the Federal Government to develop a consistent set of national guidelines, restrictions and regulations on how glyphosate is used until a viable alternative is found. Can you help send a message to Canberra?

The need to protect the Australian public from associated health risks is urgent. Australians deserve peace of mind that measures are being taken to ensure the areas in which our pets and children play are safe.

It’s time to get serious about addressing the causes of cancer. The Australian Government must act immediately and restrict the use of glyphosate in public spaces in Australia.

It only takes a few moments to sign.

Moira 🙏

https://www.change.org/p/greg-hunt-mp-restrict-the-use-of-glyphosate-in-public-spaces-in-australia?signed=true&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3cYspTkK2r7RUlhEnRqZ3ksyXEmbcGjZI7Z84RzMs8f2xV0LxPrnGTfiw_aem_7MMT_Yt1g6F0ssNwRApucw

Restrict the use of glyphosate in public spaces in Australia

03/04/2024

Have your say on the draft design for a new playground at Winton Road Reserve in Ashburton, by 5 pm Tuesday 30 April.

03/04/2024

Food Forest / Winton Road playground renewal
details…

Have your say on the draft design for a new playground at Winton Road Reserve in Ashburton, by 5 pm Tuesday 30 April.

14/12/2023

The deadline to have your say about what happens to the Food Forest in Ashburton is 15 December at 5pm.

Please have your say, click here for more info:

https://engage.boroondara.vic.gov.au/winton-road-reserve-playground-renewal #:~:text=About%20the%20renewal,now%20and%20into%20the%20future.

07/05/2023

To think yOUR Councils spray this 'w**d' with glyphosate. 🤦‍♀️

Wait.... WHAAAAAT??!! This is so cool!
I had no idea! 😮🌼👇
Thank you, Terri Oneida
🌼💛 “Hello, I'm a dandelion.
A lot of people call me a w**d but I'm a friend and come to help you!
When you see me, remember that I'm the ONLY one who wants and can grow in that particular spot. Because:
Either the soil is too compact / hard / stomped and I want to loosen it for you with my roots.
Or there is too little calcium in the soil - don't worry, I will replenish that for you with the dying of my leaves.
Or the soil is too acidic. But I will also improve that for you if you give me the chance.
Or a mixture of the above reasons, of course. 😊
I'm here because your soil needs my help so best you let me grow without disturbing me! When everything is fixed, I will disappear again, I promise!
Are you trying to remove me prematurely with my root? However meticulous you are, I will return 2x as strong! Just until your soil is improved.
You can even tell by my growth at which stage my help is at. If my leaves are flat on the ground then I'm far from ready but if they all reach up then I'm already a long way on my way.
Something completely different is that I am 1 of the first bloomers in spring so I will announce spring / summer for you.
During the day when it's hot, I open my flowers but in the evening when it cools off I close them again quickly. In fact, if it's not hot enough during the day I won't open them at all!
My flowers are the first food for insects after hibernation and unlike most other plants, I have pollen AND nectar, not merely one OR the other! And I am generous with them! 🤪😉
My flowers are even delicious for you people by the way, did you know? I used to be called ′′honey (or gold) of the poor′′ because my flowers are so sweet in e.g. jam, sauce or salad! The internet is full of recipes - check them out. Personally, I love soaking the blooms in a bowl of water so the insects inside them will float out, then set the blooms out on a paper towel, dip them in an egg batter, roll them in a mixture of 2 parts meal/1 part plain flour that is mixed with a dash of salt and black pepper. Then fry in skillet with canola oil til golden. …YUM
But wait until the end of May or later before you start picking and even then, don't pick everything yet! The biodiversity and bees will be very grateful!”
More about dandelion : https://wp.me/p6ye8B-1I1

02/05/2023

The Dark History of American Lawns (but relevant in parts of Australia too)…

Here are some concrete things you can do right now:

1. Put away the pesticides and fertilisers

2. Leave the leaves

3. Consider rewinding your lawn

4. Consider growing native plants

Small, achievable things that can make a difference 🙏🏼

The cost of America’s lawn obsession. And what you can do to fix it.🌱 Check out VEGO Garden, my favorite garden beds: https://glnk.io/zl9l4/true-food-tv🙏 S...