After a South Australian Government election promise turned to construction in late 2014, the Garden opened its gates to pre-school and early-years school groups in April 2015 — the Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden is part of a $1.6 million commitment over four years to help inspire SA’s next generations of kitchen gardeners. Oxigen were awarded the tender to develop the garden after winning a limited competition in 2014.
The Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden includes garden beds abundant with seasonal fruit, vegetables and herbs; pots and trays; structures for climbing plants; fruit trees; compost; worms; working bench spaces; and enclosed areas — including a large basket weave dome — for storytelling and group discussion.
Basket weave dome in progress.
Vegetables grown in the garden help children to have a deeper understanding of food production.
Garden plots have been designed as divided, irregularly shaped beds with sawdust paths flowing through, creating a sense of adventure for the little visitors. The beds facilitate the planting of heirloom seeds, sourced from the Diggers Garden Shop — the purple, yellow, red and white varieties of carrots, for example, allow Little Sprouts to display produce not usually found in the supermarket, and introduce a new way of thinking for kids and visitors.
The Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden is both a serious and important educational experience for children (and adults) and a fun place to be in. It proves once again the value that good design makes and the contribution landscape architects can make (through design) to education and the core principles of community, health and lifestyle that underpin our profession.
