Bungam Community Garden, which opened in July on the corner of Englehardt, Creek and Stanley Streets, is blooming.

About 12 families who live nearby work regularly to establish and maintain the vegetable beds. Community members mow the grass and a watering roster helped the garden get through the warmer months.

Others have passed by, seen a need and made a donation, or simply stopped to chat, learn more and make new friends.

As resident Peter Atkins said, “basically, everyone just does their little bit”.

The community garden suggestion evolved out of a park party organised by Albury Council, which then co-ordinated the set-up and initial stages.

Mayor Henk van de Ven said the greatest outcome had been the neighbourhood focus as well as greening up a high profile area.

“The success of this project will encourage and foster other community garden spaces across the city in coming years,” he said.

Donations have included straw, turf, citrus trees, money for topsoil and spontaneous help with a bit of heavy lifting. Border engineer and keen gardener Raymond Bertazzo created a large new bed now filled with recycled soil. The garden has planter boxes, built sections and a perimeter of growth, with pumpkins, peanuts, watermelons, beans and sweet potatoes among the selection. 

Some vegetables did walk, but incidents were rare.

“I think we've been really lucky, everyone said you'd want a high fence,” Mr Atkins said.

Resident Frank Dunk enjoyed meeting people who shared this interest.

“Particularly from different cultures,” he said.

“You learn about how they do their gardening and just the different types of vegetables and herbs and plants that they use, it's just really really interesting.”

“Soya bean, I'd never seen a soya bean, peanuts, I'd never seen them growing.

“Okra, I wouldn't even know what it was.”