Grow It Local Is Out to Map Sydney’s Urban Gardens

The moment we heard that marine scientists had 'undiscovered' the Pacific isle known as Sandy Island late last year, our trust in cartography was violently undone. Now, any inch of soil we had not personally traversed was suspect. "But if we can't trust Google Maps," we cried, "who can we trust?" It was at this point that we realised something powerful. Something profound. Something relevant to the headline of this article. The art of map-making, for all its shortcomings, shapes our worldviews and communities.

Which is why we're excited to hear about the eco-cartographical vision of Grow It Local. The sustainability gurus (famous for the success of Garage Sale Trail) are teaming up with the folks at City of Sydney to, quite literally, put homegrown produce on the map. Throughout the month of April, they are inviting growers across Sydney to jump onto the Grow It Local website and register a garden space on Australia's first crowdsourced e-atlas of urban farms.

The campaign is all about harvesting the Sydney community that has grown around the explosion of local food production across the world. "With a lot of people getting involved in growing food, there's a little bit of a barrier in 'I couldn't do that, I don't know what I'm doing'" says Grow It Local co-founder Andrew Valder. "One of the things that creating the Grow It Local community does is welcome someone who doesn't feel confident about what they're doing to give it a crack."

Fresh food lovers can update their patch with pictures and share growing tips with green gardeners. Plus, Grow It Local members will be invited to attend exclusive foodie events where local produce will be shared through intimate meals like this one. Seven hundred and fifteen gardens have already been registered on the website (with over 50 of those in the City of Sydney area), covering a total cultivation area of 6890 square metres, and the Grow It Local gang anticipate that Sydney's CBD will increase its involvement tenfold.

But what does this mean for your average urban gardener? Beyond giving people easy access to their closest urban farms, Redfern resident Kevin Bathman says that this mapping project could give Sydney growers the sense of community that they've been craving for years.

"Most times, you need to know that you're not alone in this," stresses Kevin, "[because] that's what I thought for the longest time, "Am I the only gardening nerd? ... When you see more and more of your neighbours getting involved, it is the fastest way to start a 'real food' movement."

Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore is an ongoing advocate for the transformation of balconies, courtyards and windowsills into flourishing green spaces. "Most food travels huge distances to reach our dinner plates. Growing your own simply makes sense and means you can enjoy healthy food and save money," she said in a press release.

For Andrew, the whole enterprise can be enjoyed for simpler reasons. "Growing your own food, no matter how big or small, is a big step toward sustainable living," he remarks, "[but] the serious stuff aside, it's fun and makes you feel good."

Hero image: Rooftop garden at Signature Apartments, Redfern. Image courtesy of Signature Pallets. Second image: Courtesy of Richard Payne Photography and City of Sydney