The Cape community is pioneering minimum 7.5 star energy efficient homes, fitted out with efficient all electric appliances and solar, and rainwater harvesting in every home. This has resulted in plummeting energy bills with many homes reporting annual energy bills less than $500 per annum and a number of residents in credit. All homes have provision for electric vehicle (EV) charging, and the EV revolution is in full swing at The Cape with around 25% of homes ditching petrol bills in favour of electric cars, which is really exciting and places The Cape on track to save over $1 million per annum in energy bills per annum in future. At a time when Australian household budgets are being crunched by rising energy costs, Cape homes allow our residents to eliminate gas bills, petrol bills and achieve tiny electricity bills, which is a really positive combination.
The Cape is also tackling the rising cost of food by designing and building a unique state of the art $2.5 million community farm right in the heart of our community, which is already delivering benefits for our residents. The Cape community farm has been up and running since September last year. We are very pleased with the progress of the farm that is now producing a large volume of fresh produce for residents and members this summer. If you visit The Cape farm you will see an integrated operation including hundreds of square meters of water efficient wicking beds, which are an Australian invention that raise food growing up off the ground, making it easier to grow food, and slash water consumption in food gardens. The Cape farm, designed and built by The Sustainable Landscape Company, features advanced wicking beds which are connected in rows to allow for ease of watering of multiple beds from one point. Each 1 square meter wicking bed can produce over 20 kilograms of fresh vegetables per annum, which is great for nutrition as well as reducing food bills at home.
Our full time farmer Adrian at the Cape Farm – he is employed to help our community grow lots of fresh healthy food
Our community farm now has 65 households who have joined as members and is bursting into production. If you wander through you will see a wide range of vegetables and herbs under production including different tomato varieties, zucchinis, corn, pumpkin, chillies, capsicum, lettuce, silverbeet, beetroot, bok choi, berries, basil, onions, spring onions, beans, snow peas and much more. The wicking beds have a deep soil profile allowing for growing of root vegetables as well, and are replenished with compost created on site in the farm as well as inputs sourced from local farms.
We have a full time skilled farmer and food grower, Adrian, who is a trained horticulturalist and is there to assist you to learn how to grow food in the farm and at home. We are really pleased to see a number of members in the farm who have never attempted to grow food before, who are achieving great results. We are also encouraged to see a lot of residents growing food at home using different approaches.
One of our members shows how much food you can grow in one square metre
The Cape farm also features compost hubs, social spaces, a nursery, shade areas, fruit trees and rainwater harvesting. We are also working to complete our farmhouse and community building at the farm which will complete the farm infrastructure. The farm is run as an independent social enterprise and is not-for-profit.
Well designed urban farms deliver a wide range of benefits, including access to fresh food, reduced food bills, reduced food miles and carbon emissions, exercise, nutrient cycling, food security, friendships, social contact, and creation of beautiful green spaces and urban biodiversity.
More abundant growth at The Cape Farm
Below are a few photos of The Cape Farm in full swing as well as images of household food growing at The Cape. The Cape Farm is open for visitors and tours as part of the Bass Coast Edible Gardens weekend, on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th February 2023 – see more information here. The Cape farm is generally open weekdays 9 – 3 PM but you can reach out to our Cape Farmer to organise a tour on farmer@liveatthecape.com.au
Builders at The Cape have capacity to start building your beautiful sustainable home immediately and our sales center is open Thursdays – Sundays between 12 PM and 4 PM. Feel free to drop in, or make an appointment with Marie at sales@liveatthecape.com.au
Best wishes
The Cape team
|
There are over 360 advanced wicking beds on offer for members
An abundant home farm at The Cape
A healthy crop of corn at The Cape Farm
An aerial render of The Cape Community Farm when complete
Another productive garden bed at The Cape Farm
Our farmer, Adrian, hard at work
Thriving growth at The Cape Farm
|
A quirky resident of The Cape Farm