Samford Local Growers Public Offering Part Deux

I have been a part of the Samford Local Growers since the first meeting at the Old Catholic Church back in the middle of 2008. It has been a great experience meeting other like-minded people who are interested in growing fresh organic local food in their backyards. The information shared has allowed me to garden that bit more effectively in the new-to-me climate of South-East Queensland. As well, the local knowledge in the group has been invaluable.

The group generally gets together every couple of weeks. Our meetings are at members properties and involve selling and/or swapping food-related produce, plants, and seeds. We also have morning tea and tour around the host's garden. There is lots of discussion around gardening and how certain plants perform. I have obtained quite a number of plants through attending these meetings and it is great sharing knowledge.

The group recently decided to provide our home grown organic produce to the wider public in the Samford Valley. Our first public offering was at John Scott Park on the 11th of July. Our second offering was at the Samford Valley Markets on the 8th of August. Both public offerings went very well, and our second one certainly had twice the produce available as compared to the first. The reception from the public was very good with many of the local growers (including me) selling out of most of the produce. The majority of the produce was picked fresh that morning, which is something that is simply not possible in the retail shops.

Our plans are to continue selling at the Samford Valley Markets, held on the second Saturday of every month. And who knows, we might even increase the frequency of our offerings in the future.