Waverley born Grow It Local now a national success story
08 October 2025 | Media Release
A homegrown movement supported by Waverley Council from its inception has become a national success story, boasting some 44,000 members across 25 local government areas.
And to celebrate Grow It Local’s significant milestone, Waverley residents who join the initiative this month will receive free seeds to help kickstart their own homegrown food journeys.
Co-founded by sustainability entrepreneurs Darryl Nichols and Andrew Valder with River Cottage Australia host Paul West, the year-round program offers the resources and guidance to support burgeoning food growers, from patch to plate. Participants enjoy access to monthly live workshops hosted by Mr West and featuring leading educators like ABC gardening guru Costa Georgiadis, seasonal ‘grow-alongs’, an Ask An Expert service, and access to a digital platform and community.
“This is a wonderful program that encourages Australians to take nutrition into their own hands, while promoting sustainable ways of living,” Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said. “I’m proud that Waverley Council has been with Grow it Local from the beginning, providing pivotal backing that helped the movement take root and flourish.”
Across Waverley, 710 residents are now part of the movement, and in addition to growing their own delicious produce, their efforts help collectively avoid 1168kg of CO2 emissions and divert 584kg of food and organic waste from landfill and into compost each year.
Waverley Council’s foundation partner support of the initiative has helped supercharge its mission of helping Australians lead happier, healthier and more delicious lives.
“We now have 44,210 members Australia-wide who collectively have 1.7 million square metres under cultivation,” Mr Nichols said. “Together, they are diverting a massive 58,512kg of food and organic waste from landfill each week while avoiding 117,024 kilos of CO2 emissions.”
On top of the tasty benefits of taking part, Mr West said there were a host of other positive outcomes, with research showing gardening supports mental and physical health.
“There’s also the community connection factor, with Grow It Local encouraging people to come together to share harvests, learn new skills and connect with their neighbours,” he said.
New members who sign up before 21 October can have the Spring Collection of seeds delivered to their door for free, featuring three heirloom varieties – cherry tomatoes, Genova basil and Black Beauty eggplant.
Visit Grow It Local for more details.