Farmer Alana is expanding her reach with her appointment as a Gardening Guru with the Grow it Local program. Grow it Local is an online community helping more Aussies grow, share & eat locally grown food. Grow it Local helps you to easily overcome any challenges or barriers in your patch with 1:1 support and advice from the Gardening Guru experts. 

Project 76

Project 76, the urban farm project fronted by Vic Park legend Farmer Alana, is also growing.

Farmer Alana is committed to further expanding her vegetable garden using organic inputs and permaculture principles in East Vic Park. This small block of land is now known as Project 76. Currently it is home to some very happy hens, a pair of ducks - Goose and Alexander - and a Kenyan hive full of wonderful honey bees.

By utilising traditional no/low till methods, remediating the soil and increasing biodiversity, Alana's aim is to sequester more carbon into the ground. By providing the Vic Park community with a source of fresh, nutrient-dense produce with extremely low food miles, she hopes to encourage ethical consumption and by choosing to farm her front yard, she is showing that we can reconnect with the land even in a suburban setting.

When Project 76 is producing, in a few months time, you will be able to hop on your bike or walk to visit your hyperlocal farmer, to obtain fresh and tasty veggies for the family.

In this way, you will be able to reduce your carbon footprint, enjoy the most local produce, eat seasonally and responsibly, support the local economy and connect with your farmer and neighbours.

A word from Farmer Alana

Hi, I’m Alana! Some people call me Farmer Alana, and you might have also heard of me as FRANK The Artist.

Over the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with being a hyperlocal agent of change in my community, Vic Park. I ran Give a Damn for a while, a grassroots campaign to get rid of single-use plastics, and the Common Ground Garden at the back of (what is today) The Haven.

My dream all along has been to produce fresh veggies for my neighbours – you know, a small Urban Farm. I’ve put a lot of work and dedication into this dream, got a diploma in Sustainable Living and a Permaculture Design Certificate, worked as a gardener and waste educator and, on the side, have been growing a vegetable garden using organic inputs and permaculture principles in East Vic Park.

This small block of land is now known as Project 76. The next step of this project is the conversion of my front yard into 45m² of productive vegetable gardens. This is where you come in. I will be producing more vegetables than my household can consume, so it’s time to ask you, the community, if you are interested in very low-miles produce! 

Be a part of Project 76

Farmer Alana has launched a crowd funding campaign to push this project to the next level. If you would like to play your part in Vic Park's newest urban farm, you can donate now here.

"Through studies and experimentation in several community gardens over the years, I was able to accumulate knowledge to turn a very small plot into a super productive garden. I've saved seeds, acquired implements and explored designs. I've been able to save some funds, but I do need the community's support to be able to get Project 76 off the ground - perhaps I should say IN the ground!

If you're keen on hyperlocal veggies that help reduce our collective footprint, and if you are in a position to contribute, any donation will go a very long way. If not, you can still help by sharing this campaign with friends to help get it rolling!"