Ainslie Primary School organic garden celebrates five years

Rebecca Fragnito was nominated but not featured as a Canberra garden hero for our 2014 Food & Wine Annual and now we have met. She was born in Italy but came to Australia with her parents when she was six months old. Rebecca was raised on a small property in Wamboin where she looked after the vegetable garden. She always loved nature and it was a natural progression for her to be working outside with plants.

Rebecca is in her third year of studying for a Certificate III in Horticulture at Bruce CIT and plans to complete a diploma. She thinks gardening helps reduce stress and finds it exciting to eat what you have grown.

Reclink Australia is a charitable organisation whose mission is to enhance the lives of people experiencing disadvantage. As a volunteer for Reclink, Rebecca has been involved in the construction of garden beds at Ainslie Primary School. She has also helped with the installation of raised garden beds for tenants at Bega Flats in Reid, high-density public housing units, where they grow seasonal vegetables and herbs. This gives the nearby residents an opportunity to regularly include fresh produce in their diet. She enjoys giving something back to the community.

Rebecca has also started Mownalisa Garden Maintenance where she works for clients on the north side of Canberra.

Once a week she visits Ainslie Primary School to teach the children how to grow their own vegetables. Up to 30 pupils are in Afters, the after-school care program where Fragnito and her colleague Eliza Hopkins work together using the no-dig layering method in beds where the children planted have strawberry plants and snow pea seedlings.

Libby Bailey is a school parent and garden volunteer. During our visit to Ainslie Primary she was spreading old cow manure from the Pontos farm in Sutton owned by friends of friends. The productive gardens and chicken pens began at the instigation of parents and students five years ago. Funds were raised through activities run by the P&C, such as Down the Garden Path local open gardens and securing an ACT Health Promotion grant to buyequipment and a watering system and to engage the skills of a sustainability project officer for a year.

Libby says people from Reclink Australia have been involved in deciding where to place the garden beds for best plant growth and making benches for garden sinks. Tiny's Shed in Mitchell has donated shelving for pots, tripods for tomatoes, recycled tyres in which to grow rhubarb and umbrellas to protect dwarf citrus trees.

Fences were constructed by Ron Walker who also ensured the hen run was fox-proof and complied with ACT Government regulations. Parents built compost bins and one made garden scarecrows. Bailey says parent involvement has been essential to this project.

In 2013 the school signed up for the ACT Health Fresh Taste Program and they have completed the growing food and healthy food and drinks parts of the program. This has given them access to expert advice such as Gardening 101 and opportunities to purchase equipment from business partners including The Garden at Dickson. The school canteen is open five days a week and has been recognised by Nutrition Australia as a green canteen.

Visit the gardens

On Thursday, March 26, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm an open harvest and planting evening and a chat with an expert from Gardening 101, will be held in Ainslie School sustainable gardens, Donaldson Street, Braddon for keen gardeners in the area and parents from any local schools.

Susan Parsons is a Canberra writer.