March 2022

Matteo was recently our 50th inducted volunteer at the Garden! He’s a local school student, so we had a chat with him to see what he’s been up to since his induction and what he thinks for other people (especially people in school) who are thinking of joining the garden!

What brought you to Taringa Community Garden?

I was originally drawn to the TCG because of my need to do community service and the garden seemed the perfect choice due to my love of hands-on work and the convenient location.

What activities have you been involved with at the garden?

So far, I have helped with filling and moving wheelbarrows of wood chips from behind the shed to the compost bins to mix in with the biodegradable waste that is dropped off by the community, as well as shovelling and sorting finished compost into bags that support the garden by providing us with some fundraising and the community with their repurposed bio waste for them to use in their own gardens. The biggest job I have undertaken so far, however, is to engrave every tool in the shed with “TCG” in order to make them easily identifiable. I already spent an hour and a half on this task but still have barely made a dent!

What are the 3 key things you are hoping to achieve whilst volunteering at the garden?

Three things I would like to achieve in my time volunteering at the garden are: 1.) To finish engraving every tool in the shed, 2.) Help fill up more bags of compost every time I volunteer, and 3.) Undertake a large project, perhaps some fundraising to build some more plant beds or to build another compost box in order to increase the gardens capacity to produce compost for the community.

Would you recommend coming to the garden to other students at your school?

I would definitely recommend and encourage other students at my school to volunteer at the TCG, as the garden is a great way to support their community service requirements and it is also a great way to support your community.