+ Is Pocket City Farms a community garden?

While we are created for the community, by the community, we are not a ‘community garden’ in the traditional sense. Pocket City Farms is a fully operational organic market garden, managed by our farm and community manager, from which produce is sold, available through our pay-what-you-can honesty stall, and donated. We seek to connect community to local and fair food, regenerative agriculture, and the power of these in taking action on climate change, through education programs and community programs and involvement.

We are here for community and so while you may not be able to ‘have your own plot’ as you might in other community gardens, this farm is still for you and there are always ways to be involved, we’d suggest starting with our community volunteer sessions.

+ What farming methods do you use?

We farm using organic and regenerative principles. In our growing practices, we aim for the restoration of our soil and the garden ecosystem, and to have a positive contribution to our local and global environment. The pillar of our food production practices is ‘fair food’ - food that is fair for the people who grow it, who eat it, and the environment it is grown in.

What does this mean in practice?

• Minimising the amount that we till our soil.
• Keeping our soil covered to look after our soil ecosystem, either with living plants or with mulch.
• Using cover crops (or green manure crops) for soil nutrition, rather than synthetic fertilisers.
• Avoiding monocultures, embracing diversity.
• Working towards turning food waste from the restaurant into worm castings for soil health and crop nutrition.
• Using zero herbicides and fungicides.
• Prioritising natural insect control methods; e.g. companion planting, providing refuges for insect predators.
• Very rarely using insecticides, and using only natural and organically approved ones when we do.
• Using only organic-approved soil amendments.
• Re-using local waste streams for mulch, such as coffee chaff and sacks from local roasters and woodchip from local arborists.
• Growing our own seedlings.
• Saving seeds from our crops and prioritising heirloom vegetable varieties.
• Focusing on crop rotation to minimise soil pests and manage nutrition.
• Growing seasonal, climatically-appropriate foods; working with nature, rather than against it.

We do not have a tractor, so all of our farming is done by hand. We have a variety of hand tools that we use for soil preparation, weeding, and transplanting. Seeding is either done by hand or by using our Jang seeder. Almost everything that we do on the farm, we do with our many wonderful community volunteers, or with businesses or school children who come to visit us.

+ What do you grow?

We are constantly adjusting the crops that we grow, depending on what the season ahead is looking like, what our community is requesting, what has sold well, and what has grown well.

Because we are growing in a small space, when deciding what to grow we have to consider carefully how long each crop is in the ground for, how difficult it is to grow and harvest, and what the final sale price for that crop will be. For example, we choose not to grow potatoes, because they take a long time to mature, take up a relatively large space, and have a low final sale price.

We try to only grow what will grow well in our local climate and in the current season. Some of these things are also interesting or heirloom crop varieties that aren’t typically available at the grocery store.

Some things we grow lots of are;

• Leafy greens (eg, amaranth, kale, broccoli leaf, sweet potato leaf, mustard greens, endives, chicory)
• Alliums (eg, spring onions, purple shallots)
• Salad greens (eg, our salad mix, or occasionally whole lettuce heads)
• Root vegetables (eg, beetroot, radishes, baby carrots, purple carrots, salad turnips, ginger, turmeric, jerusalem artichokes)
• Starchy vegetables (eg, eggplant, broccolini, kohlrabi)
• Other fruiting ‘vegetables’ (e.g. chilli, tomatoes)
• Annual herbs (e.g. basil and coriander)
• Flowers (including lots of edible flowers)

We also have many perennial plants that provide additional crops for us, such as rosemary, thyme, and makrut lime.

As well as the market garden, we maintain a food forest full of largely perennial food crops which is available for members of the community to forage from for free. Some of the crops in our food forest include lemons, limes, strawberry guavas, figs, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, finger limes, okinawa spinach, parsley, nasturtium, bay leaf, and many more!

+ Where does your produce go? Can I buy your produce?

All our produce is grown locally on site using organic principles. We sell to local restaurants and cafes, and direct to the public. It is available for purchase by the public through three different methods.

Custom Vegetable Boxes
Select your favourite vegetables from our seasonal range and have them harvested to order for you! Shop our seasonal selection here. Place your order online before 5pm each Wednesday for collection on Thursday 12.30pm-1.30pm, Friday 12.30pm-1.30pm, or Saturday 8.30am-9.30am.

Camperdown Organic Buyers Group (set vegetable boxes)
Our produce is combined with certified organic wholesale produce to create a varied and great value box of fruits of vegetables. Order a box here. Order your box online before 5pm on Wednesdays, and join us at Pocket City Farms at 5.30pm on Thursdays to divide up the abundant produce and take it home. The divvy is a great chance to meet your local veg-loving community and exchange recipes.

Our Honesty Stall
Each week we stock our honesty stall, located on the street verge at 31A Mallet St, Camperdown. If you can afford to purchase the produce, please pay using the QR code on the front of the stall or pay at the Container Café. If you cannot afford to purchase the produce, please take what you need.

If you are a restaurant or business interested in using us as a supplier please contact us at info@pocketcityfarms.com.au

+ Is the soil safe to grow in?

Yes. Ensuring our produce is chemical and contaminant free from what we put on it, to the soil its grown in is incredibly important to us! We are conscious of the risks of heavy metals in soils, and the site went through very vigorous testing, including testing of the soil, down to depths of 1.5 metres, and growing and testing produce. All of our testing has shown that the soil and depths we grow in are clean and safe for consumption.

+ Where is the farm located? How do I get there?

We are located at 31A Mallett St, Camperdown. Close to Newtown and Parramatta Road.

TRAIN + 15 minute walk // Catch a train to Newtown station and walk straight down Australia Street. Cross through Camperdown Park and you will reach Camperdown Commons.

BUS // Buses run frequently from Central Station to the Bridge Road school bus stop on Parramatta Rd. Bus routes include: 413, 436, 438, 439, 440, 480, 483 + M10

PARKING // Parking on local streets is regularly monitored and are 2 hour limits. There’s also a Secure Carpark on Grose St that can be utilised.

+ When are you open?

You can reliably find us on the farm 8am - 10am Thursday mornings and 8am - 10am Saturday mornings (our community volunteering sessions). We also offer farm tours on the first Saturday of the month excluding January. Outside of these times we are often on the farm and in the office on weekdays, however we are a small team with flexible working arrangements so if you are hoping to catch us it's best to line up a time by email us at info@pocketcityfarms.com.au

We are co-located with Camperdown Commons who run the restaurant on site and their hours vary to ours. Any time they are open you are welcome to wander the site, enjoy the gardens and view the farm from the fence lines. See their website for opening hours.

+ What is the restaurant on-site?

The restaurant is run by our site partners Camperdown Commons. They have indoor and outdoor dining spaces, community spaces for hire and can host your functions and events. View their menus here.

+ When is the restaurant open?

Camperdown Commons’ most up-to-date opening hours are listed on their website.

+ When or how can I visit? How can I get involved?

Some of the great ways you can get involved with the farm are through our regular community volunteer sessions, our seasonal working bees, as a chicken carer, by bringing a school group for an excursion, your work team or organisation for a team retreat, by joining us for one of our events or farm tours, or by shopping online and picking up produce, or joining in the Camperdown Organic Buyers Group.

During Camperdown Commons’ general opening hours you are also welcome anytime on-site for a coffee by the farm or a wander around the fenced market garden and the rest of the site and gardens.

+ Can I pop by for a chat, to ask a few questions, or advice on my garden?

Being a small team we can't manage individual visits or time fielding questions in the midst of our long list of daily tasks, but we have regular community volunteering sessions where you can come and get some hands-on experience and ask questions of our team, or join one of our farm tours each month which are perfect for question time, for which we have a sliding scale for ticket prices, including a free option.

+ Can I book my school group in for a visit?

Absolutely! We have many years of experience educating school children on the farm, and it’s one of our favourite things to do. You can find all the information on school excursions on our website.

+ Can I book my work team/group/organisation in for a visit?

Yes! Our Team Retreats are very popular for all kinds of groups and can be tailored to suit your group. You can find all the information on team retreats on our website.

+ What impact do the Team Retreats have?

Pocket City Farms empowers communities through education to improve the natural environment, tackle food insecurity and take action on climate change.

We do this by educating communities, schools and businesses to think more sustainably and to take action on climate change, sharing our knowledge of regenerative agriculture, waste reduction, permaculture and water saving techniques.

Pocket City Farms is a registered charity with DGR status and we operate as a social enterprise, this means we rely predominantly on trade to fund our programs.

By participating our Team Retreats program not only is your team providing valuable hands on volunteering out on the farm, but the fees associated with this program are used to directly fund:

• Our weekly community volunteering sessions
• Our monthly community volunteering sessions and community meal
• Our education program for schools
• Our farm incubator program; which trains new farmers for a year in everything they need to know to run their own urban farm in the future.
• Allow us to stock our honesty stall, providing fresh, local, chemical free food to our local community on a pay what you can afford system (many cannot afford anything and that is fine too!)

It’s also helping us work on the bigger picture - We want to see urban farms like ours everywhere and help others fast track their journey with what we have learned through trial, error and hard work. We are working to create a toolkit to do just this.

Meanwhile, your team spends an enriching day hands-deep in the soil on a farm in the city, strengthening their connections and team and work satisfaction.

+ Can I bring my food scraps to you to compost?

Although we'd love to be able to, we have enough already with trying to process all the farm and restaurant green waste on site so unfortunately we can't take anymore!

If you are asking on behalf of a business you could try Compost Connect or for residential scale try Share Waste. You can also contact your local council to find out if they have a FOGO service.

We'd love you to join our Saturday morning volunteer session and learn how to make your own compost at home too!

+ Can I run my workshop/yoga class/other event at the farm?

We are co-located with Camperdown Commons who rent out space for hire. See their website for opening hours. If you have an event you would like to run in collaboration with Pocket City Farms please get in touch info@pocketcityfarms.com.au

+ Can I host my birthday/wedding/other event at the farm?

You can contact Camperdown Commons for all space hire enquiries for weddings, birthdays and other celebrations, or get in touch with us at info@pocketcityfarms.com.au for any requests for working together on sustainability, food or other related events.

We also love working with people to add a meaningful farm presence to events. You could request to include some of our produce in your menu, purchase wedding favours or bombonieres such a plant or small bouquets of herbs, photography and filming on the farm and add-ons to events such as farm tours, volunteering and workshops. Please get in touch info@pocketcityfarms.com.au

+ Can I take photos or videos at the farm?

We happily welcome you taking photos for your personal use or to share non-commerically on social media (and always appreciate you tagging us too on Instagram and Facebook!). For any commercial, wedding or professional photography and filming on-site, please refer to our photography and filming rates on our website, and get in touch with us at info@pocketcityfarms.com.au for any enquiries.

+ Do you offer fruit picking?

No, sorry we don’t have seasonal fruit picking available as we grow very limited fruit. We do however have our food forest on the Mallett St footpath full of largely perennial food crops which is available for members of the community to forage from for free. Some of the crops in our food forest include lemons, limes, strawberry guavas, figs, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, finger limes, okinawa spinach, parsley, nasturtium, bay leaf, and many more!

+ Can I help with, or visit, the chickens at the farm?

The chickens are cared for via our Chicken Carers program. Hen Solo, Pecky and Joy love getting visits from our Chicken Carers twice a day. We generally ask that volunteers come before 8am and after 6pm. Volunteers check on the chooks, make sure they have water and that their food is filled up and check for eggs. Eggs are on a finders keepers rule! The group communicates using a WhatsApp group. If you are interested in being a Chicken Carer please email chris@pocketcityfarms.com.au who can arrange for you to come to one of our quarterly inductions and advise of any free shifts available.

+ What is Pocket City Farms - how did it come about? How can I find out more?

Pocket City Farms is a grassroots DGR registered charity, founded in 2012 by Emma Bowen, Michael Zagoridis and Karen Erdos who came together with the aim of growing food in urban Sydney. After a few years establishing the organisation, bringing together a board of directors and seeking funding and a location, we opened our first farm in Sydney’s inner west, on the former Camperdown Bowling Club. You can read more about our story of the early years of operations on our website media page.

+ Why farm in the city?

With 90% of Australians living in cities, urban farms have a huge role to play in improving food security, connection to and reverence for food production, urban greening, regenerating local soils, community connection, encouraging young farmers into an otherwise ageing industry, mental health outcomes, and improving biodiversity, air quality and climate in our cities. The strength lies in numbers, the more urban farms we can create in our cities, the more these benefits come to fruition.

+ Who is the farm owned and managed by?

Pocket City Farms and our community and education operations, is owned and managed by Pocket City Farms, on land that we license from our partners on the project. The Camperdown farm site was created in collaboration with Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL who are the head lease holders for Camperdown Commons with Inner West Council.

+ Do you have any jobs available?

Our team is small, but we do occasionally have positions available for paid roles, unpaid internships and volunteer board members. When we do, you can find them advertised on our jobs page on our website, and we also share vacancies on our Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn pages. You are always welcome to join one of our regular volunteer sessions if you like to get some experience in working on the farm.

+ I want to start something like Pocket City Farms and I need help, can you provide this?

We are currently working on a growth strategy for Pocket City Farms to increase our impact and put the "s" in Pocket City Farms. In doing this we want to start a new site and document all our learning in what we are calling our "Farm in A Box". There's plenty of work still to be done but if you are interested in finding out more please get in touch with our CEO jacqui@pocketcityfarms.com.au

+ Are there more farms around besides the one in Camperdown?

Not yet, but we are working on it! If you know of a great urban space that should be a farm, send us an email info@pocketcityfarms.com.au