A community organic garden that once flourished along Oxford St now needs the attention of some dedicated volunteers to help it return to its full glory.

The Oxford St Community Garden, occupying a large section near the intersection with Raymond St, has previously supplied bountiful produce to Timaru residents and South Canterbury's food banks.

While plants and herbs still grow lush in some areas and fruit trees are bursting with blossoms, other plots are now bare or overgrown with the remains of earlier plantings.

Maintaining the large space was a lot of work, said Kate Elsen of Transition Timaru, the group that oversees the garden's care.

That's why they're now seeking people from the community to "adopt" small plots within the garden, so that the workload can be divided among individuals or groups of volunteers.

"We're trying to open it up to more community involvement," Ms Elsen said. "We'll take people with or without experience - we can help teach organic gardening techniques for those who're interested to learn."

The garden was previously tended by volunteers led by Dave Schofield, who spent many hours there doing much of the work himself, she said. He had since moved from Timaru.

The garden is expected to get a major overhaul in two weeks, when students from Aoraki Polytechnic are scheduled to spend a day working there as a school project.

Property owner Derek Ramsay said he was optimistic the students' work would help to put the garden back in full bloom.

Prospective volunteers should contact Kate Elsen of Transition Timaru on 03 688 6064.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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