Borrowed Ground Growers

Borrowed Ground is a market garden run by partners in life and business, Alex and Eliza. Alex has a background in Horticulture and Eliza is a trained primary school teacher with a background in community development and events. They both have a deep passion for growing food, soil health and food sovereignty. The name was chosen literally because of their land lease agreement but most importantly as an acknowledgement that any ground they cultivate is stolen land and will always belong to Aboriginal People.

After interning at Old Mill Road BioFarm in 2016, the pair ventured off to run their own vegetable enterprise for two years on a diversified flower farm south-west of Sydney and sold to restaurants in the city. They then embarked on an 18 month travel stint where they worked on farms in Canada + Chile to gain more of an understanding about farming practices in differing climates. They now rent a 4-acre block of land on the river flats of Moruya off Kirsti + Fraser of Old Mill Rd and cultivate 1.5 acres of said ground, growing seasonal vegetables using organic and regenerative practices. Other than the market stall each Tuesday, Borrowed Ground runs a weekly vegetable box scheme which feeds 40 families from Narooma - Long Beach. They also supply the local green grocer Southlands and Milton Farm Shop. Alex and Eliza have big ideas for what’s to come, with the hope of holding events and education programs for children on the farm too.

 “There’s something addictive about nurturing a seed until it reaches the market, with all the nitty gritty processes in between. We’ve chosen this occupation to earn a living and build a successful and sustainable business. We also want to inspire future generations to see that small-scale farming isn’t just a business, but a profitable, stimulating and dynamic career path and lifestyle. We feel really lucky to have been able to kick-start our business in a region where so much hard work and advocacy for local food economies has been achieved. It’s such a supportive and strong foundation for two young and determined farmers like ourselves."