About Us
The Sydney Edible Garden Trail, is a once a year urban edible garden trail run throughout Metropolitan Sydney, celebrating the many ways that Sydney residents are creating food security, building self-reliance, saving money and the environment, while enjoying the health benefits of homegrown fruit and veg. Our aim is to encourage and inspire growing edible produce in street gardens, home gardens and public spaces across Sydney.
This community event showcases sustainable practices such as mulching for water conservation, recycling and composting to increase soil fertility and reduce landfill, planting to encourage bees, home food production to increase food security, and organic growing techniques to reduce chemical use. Learn about aquaponics, worm farms, wicking beds, banana circles, caring for poultry, companion planting, crop swaps and more.
As a volunteer-run, community not-for-profit event we’re proud that profits go to building and improving school and community edible gardens.
Meet the Current Crew
In early March 2019, Bridget Kennedy, visited the Blue Mountains Edible Garden Trail with a group from Permaculture Sydney North (PSN). Since the demise of the ABC Open Gardens scheme, Bridget had been toying with the idea of creating an annual fundraising opening Garden Trail promoting sustainable living and growing your own food. The inspirational visit to the mountains was all the impetus she needed. Within 24 hours, she’d contacted Susanne Rix, the founder of the Blue Mountains Edible Garden Trail (who was keen to offer her support) and her local permaculture group, who were also excited by the idea. The result, a formidable group of multi-talented women, with decades of combined sustainable gardening experience, who’ve come together to create the non-profit on the ground community-building Sydney Edible Garden Trail.
Bridget Kennedy
The Instigator and Co-founder
Bridget is a contemporary artist , member of Repair Cafe Sydney North and cofounder of The Sydney Library of Things. She's passionate about permaculture and creativity and their role in creating connected and sustainable communities. She's been working on her edible garden for the last couple of decades. It continues to evolve, with an aquaponics system, wicking beds, chooks, a shared verge garden and more.
Nita Lo
Co-founder and PUBLIC OFFICER
Nita used to describe herself as a plant killer and wouldn’t venture beyond succulents. Since completing her introduction to Permaculture course, she feels she is on the right track. Outside of edible gardening, you can find her running around at the Repair Cafe, learning more about permaculture, lifting weights and hanging out with her sausage dog Murphy.
Margaret Mossakowska
Co-founder
Margaret is a Sustainability Educator who shares her sustainable living skills and knowledge running Moss House workshops, designed to teach others to live in a more environmentally friendly way. This led to her involvement with the Permaculture and food bartering communities. Margaret also opens her extensive productive garden to the public.
Carol Skyring
VICE PRESIDENT and Grant Coordinator
Carol has spent a lifetime as an educator – a teacher, trainer and academic. She is an advocate of permaculture and from 2014 to 2020 lived as self-sufficiently and sustainably as possible in rural Queensland. She’s continued her passion for sustainability with studies in a Diploma of Sustainable Living and by giving her time to projects such as her local community garden, the Sydney Edible Garden Trail and as Co-Founder of The Sydney Library of Things.
Cecilia Bird
Committee Member and Garden Host Wrangler
Cecilia likes nothing better than having a chat, making connections and exchanging information. Most of her activities involve the garden trail, permaculture, crop swapping and seed sharing with a focus on inspiring others. Apart from these interests Cecilia loves cycling and water sports, especially scuba diving and sailing. Creative activities include knitting, sewing and learning the ukulele.
Angela Bichler
Committee Member - Treasurer
Angela is a passionate small business accountant running her own practice and an equally passionate gardener in all her spare time. Angela and her family have a small farm in the Hawkesbury where they keep cows, sheep and various poultry as well as maintain a large food forest/orchard and vegetable garden with the goal to become predominately self-sufficient. After 5 years of growing food, she is still refining her gardens’ infrastructure and growing techniques. She is always keen to share her knowledge with other gardeners as well as seeking opportunities to learn herself. Angela is an advocate of organic gardening and regenerative agriculture and has joined the team to help inspire others to grow their own food.
Marguerite Hudson
Committee Member - Secretary
Growing up with grandparents who were passionate home gardeners, Marguerite has a lifelong appreciation of the value to families and communities of sharing home produce and love of fresh food. Following a Cert4 in Permaculture she completed the Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) at SA’s The Food Forest in 2022. She enjoys getting her hands dirty in her suburban Sydney garden which she shares with her family and inquisitive chooks.
Xuan Deng
Committee Member - Social Media coordinator
Xuan is an enthusiastic amateur gardener who is passionate about local action and global change. She loves fresh eggs and wonky veggies. When she gets away from little ones, Xuan loves going to see art and theatre.
Our Key Volunteer Support Teams
2022
Beth – Mailchimp newsletter queen
Carol – Grant co-ordinator
Cecilia – Chief spreadsheet wrangler
Margaret – Website content tweaker
Matthew – Help with tech stuff that we can’t work out and treasurer
Mike – general helper and web stuff
2021
Fiona – Mailchimp newsletter queen
Cecilia – Chief spreadsheet wrangler
Carol – PR and Marketing guru
Matthew – Help with tech stuff that we can’t work out
2020
Cecilia and Fiona – Chief Garden Host Spreadsheet wranglers
Carol – Enthusiastic survey builder and admin helper
Laurie – One of our original cofounders and Crop Swap Sydney Founder