Two years in the making, the garden is finally set to flourish after the Dalmore Reserve Bandit Gardeners got stuck in at the Allenby Ave site from 9am until midday with the sun out in full force.
The community garden idea came from local residents Kelley Allen and Fred Smith.
Ms Allen first became interested in the area when she walked her dog Faddi on the reserve.
The plot owned by the Dunedin City Council was leased to the group as of April for $270 a year, Mr Smith said. Since then, the gardeners had been preparing the soil for planting.
''It was about developing the reserve, developing tracks down there, putting in more native trees and looking after the birdlife,'' Ms Allen said.
Previously there had been nothing for people to do in the area, she said. However since the garden project started, quite a few kids had come along to help on Saturdays.
''It is something for them to be proud of,'' Ms Allen said.
Plantings yesterday included flowers, herbs and vegetables.
''The idea is that the people that work in the garden are the people that will get the vegetables but obviously there is going to be more than we need and we will distribute it among the elderly and families on the hill,'' Ms Allen said.
The ''labour of love'' had been possible due to the help and goodwill of the wider Dunedin community and business donations.
The project has generated a lot of interest from the local community.
''It is about giving the community something to talk about, to focus on, to congregate around; somewhere to meet and talk,'' Ms Allen said.
-By Fleur Mealing
