New retic system to protect community garden

Dalyellyup Community Garden’s precious produce is now protected from water outages after being awarded more than $2000 in funding to install an upgraded reticulation system.

The sponsorship from Dalyellup Estate allowed the not-for-profit organisation to purchase a new pump and sprinkler system which uses water collected in rainwater tanks, rather than relying on Tuart Forest Primary School’s system.

Dalyellup Community Garden president Tony Geraty said the upgrade would prevent a repeat of the 2016-17 summer season “disaster”.

“We lost most of our produce when the pump at Tuart Forest Primary School failed and left the school and our garden quite literally high and dry,” he said.

“We now have greater independence and have more control to water on a needs basis, for example after a new planting.

“The system is much more environmentally sustainable too, as it draws from our abundant rain water storage tanks making us 90 per cent independent of the scheme water,” he said.

Mr Geraty said the organisation was always looking for members to help tend to the garden, with more information available atfacebook.com/dalyellupcommunitygarden.