Hannah Morrice, 26, lives in a seven-bedroom Fitzroy share house. She’s always wanted her own veggie patch. First a student with an irregular routine and now a full-time researcher at Melbourne University, Morrice has been a perpetual renter. Moving from house to house, this good intention always ended up in the too-hard basket. Until now. Morrice is one of 15 growers taking part in the first 3000 Acres urban food-growing initiative. A car-park at the south end of Smith Street, a site that will eventually be used for an up-market apartment block is, for the moment, home to raised-bed gardening plots for local residents. 3000 Acres is a not-for-profit organisation that unites people who want to grow food with empty, under-utilised land around Melbourne, reconnecting inner-city dwellers with food production and helping them make the most of their city. The organisation started in October of 2013 with a grant from VicHealth. The first planting, and the launch of its website, was in February 2014.

“In Fitzroy there are so many people in the same block, but you’re all very isolated because of the way cities work,” says Morrice, who grew up in Canberra and noticed how insular life in Melbourne can be when she moved for university. “I realised I didn’t know who my community was. And I had no real desire to, to be honest. This has helped me understand who my neighbours are, and see the diversity.” Morrice, who shares the responsibilities of watering and checking on the plot with her household and another friend who lives nearby, says she regularly cooks with what they grow, using only what she needs and wasting much less as a result. “Knowing how long it takes to get veggies growing has been eye opening,” she says. “Some of what we planted has gone really well, some hasn’t. It makes you think of vegetables as more precious.” Hannah Schwartz is the executive officer at 3000 Acres and has a background in urban planning and community development. As we sit in the autumn sunshine at the front of the tiny but cosy Place Holder cafe – which shares the site with the 3000 Acres car-park garden and Slopes gallery – she says that even if you’re lucky enough to have your own space at home, she believes communal gardening is better. “You share skills and information with people who know what they’re doing. And that’s part of community building. Growing food is hard.”