Crowdfunded Rooftop Garden Coming to Redfern’s 107 Projects

A fully mobile food forest, urban-produced honey, raised beds packed with organic veggies, worm farms and vertical gardens are just some of the plans in store for a brand new rooftop garden, currently in progress above 107 Projects. The artist-run space is already one of Sydney's favourite community gathering spots. Now it's set to become a greener and leafier one with permaculture gurus Milkwood "dead set on creating a super urban permaculture garden that will be an amazing community resource" and currently crowdfunding through Pozible.

The team is hard at work, laying down bricks, shifting soil and setting up irrigation systems. A bunch of local organisations have had input, including Fresh Landscape Design, Free Range Food Gardens, Meanwhile Outside, Urban Growers, Select Water Tanks and Atlantis.

With three days to go, the 107 Rooftop Garden Pozible campaign has exceeded its target of $5000. With 80 supporters pledging over a total $7,000, a stretch goal is on the horizon. Creating a garden from scratch — especially on a rooftop — is no cheapie, so mustering as many pennies as possible is the order of the day.

"We’re really excited about it," says director Nick Ritar. "When we first started we were overcome with enthusiasm, but we weren’t thinking so much about the costs ... We have lots of volunteers, but we also need professional labour to help with installation and the more expensive bits and pieces."

But crowdfunding isn’t just about the money. It's also about spreading awareness and encouraging interaction. "We want people to be introduced to the space," Ritar continues. "[The Pozible campaign] is as much about raising funds as it is about raising awareness and giving people ownership. We want the community to be involved ... The more people who contribute, the better we can make it.”

Once the flowers are a-blooming and the bees are a-buzzing, the garden will provide a place for all manner of green-thumbed activity, including providing free cuttings and veggie seedlings for the Redfern community. “It will allow Milkwood and 107 to run a whole bunch of accessible programmes about sustainability," says Ritar. "There’ll be public talks and workshops and a consistent schedule of free and low-cost events. It’s such a central location ... and being that little bit removed [on the rooftop], it’s a bit like a secret garden."

Contribute to the 107 Rooftop Garden via their Pozible page. $40 will fund a shiitake log, the perfect nurturing spot for organic mushies, while $1200 funds a giant woven willow shade arch, to shelter gardeners from sunburn.

Images courtesy of Milkwood Permaculture.