Foster parents needed for street seedlings

Green fingered carers with time to spare are needed to help plant 35 punnets of seedlings in three new pop-up community gardens in Surry Hills.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said dozens of edible plants would be planted in sections of concrete pipe on Foster Street.

“To kick-start the project, we need volunteers on January 16 to help plant strawberries, lettuce, spinach, beetroot, parsley, thyme, rosemary and sage,” Moore said.

“The idea is to help people connect with nature and get to know their neighbours – but to get it started, the small shrubs and seedlings need to be sown.”

The Edible Outdoor Rooms project, supported with a $20,000 City of Sydney community grant, was the brainchild of Sam Crawford Architects, which has been based in the area for over a decade.

“Foster Street is our backyard, it’s a wonderful street with great character and home to everything from fashion design houses to IT firms and cafés, but there’s little space to sit, have a chat, drink a coffee or eat a packed lunch,” said Sam Crawford.

“We want to create these edible outdoor rooms on the street as temporary public spaces for people to stop and socialise, pick fresh herbs, water the plants and take in the sunshine.”

Inspired by the City’s laneways revitalisation and cycleway programs, they went looking for lanes with little or no need for vehicular traffic that could be converted – temporarily or periodically – for uses offering them another life.

Community members along Foster Street, including building owners, business owners, workers and residents, have already shown interest in helping to maintain the edible gardens and keep the spaces tidy.

Local chef Hamish Ingham, from Bar H, will run community workshops in February and March on caring for edible plants and how to cook them.

People who want to get involved should contact Wai-Yee Ho at Sam Crawford Architects on 9280 3555 [email protected]