The volunteers are members of the Horticultural Society of Canberra and the garden was established in 2010. I was greeted at the regular Wednesday morning working bee by Adrian Roffey who works in the vegetable beds. The current highlight is towering Jerusalem artichokes topped with golden sunflowers. One plant can yield 5 kilograms of tubers for the kitchen.

Supersweet white and yellow corn was picked recently and a sweet potato crop yielded 23kg.

Italian sprouting broccoli has just been sown near Quickfeast cauliflowers, thin-skinned Lebanese cucumbers and tiny cucamelons, perpetual spinach and silver beet, Early Nantes carrots and Savoy King cabbages while leeks and land cress have been sown from save seeds.

Honeybee yellow and red cherry tomatoes are still on the vines, also grown from seed. There is an asparagus bed, yacon plant and herbs - Vietnamese mint, oregano, three varieties of thyme, red sorrel, basil and dill. I was given a leaf of stevia to taste and it was so ultra sweet it had to be followed by a leaf of sage.

Adrian and his wife Anissa Roffey also grow vegetables at home and his garlic, brown onions and green, bell-shaped capsicums were all first prize winners at the Horticultural Society Autumn show on March 6 and 7.

Opposite the vegetable beds is a large raised bed of dahlias in full bloom with a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes. Members of the Dahlia Society of NSW and ACT plant seedling dahlias for growers and report on the quality of plants.

Brian Hodgson oversees daffodil beds used by Daffodil Association members to grow new varieties which are sold at the Horticultural Society show in Spring. Each plant is labelled using a cow tag, an idea of member Graham Davis.

Brian is also the berries man - there are tayberries, loganberries, thornless blackberries, marionberries, purple, red and golden raspberries. He offered tastings as we wandered around.

Richard Buker is in change of the four large compost bays which produces an enviable end product. He uses the Berkeley method of hot composting developed at the University of California. Richard has given me the "compost recipe" published in Australian House & Garden, 2019. He also grows vegetables and has shared a favourite recipe for Jerusalem artichokes (below) from Rosie Birkett in BBC Good Food Middle East.

Heather MacGregor tends the ornamentals gardens which are filled with roses including the intense red Apache, perennial tree peonies and salvias, iris, lavender, kangaroo paws and a Clematis armandii walk. The Society holds rose and fruit pruning demonstrations in July using the heritage apple, pear and persimmon trees relocated from the Society's Weston garden in 2010.

There's also "Spicezee", a nectarine cross with a plum.

Morning tea is the time to chat about plants. Heather MacGregor brought breakfast muffins rich and moist with oats, eggs, blueberries, apples, There were dahlia flowers, vegetables and huge Beurre Bosc pears. At the working bee on the last Saturday of the month, a large harvest of beetroot was shared.

Richard Buker has his own recipe for roasting beetroot. Preheat oven to 200C. Wrap each medium-sized beetroot bulb, ends trimmed, in foil, place on baking tray and bake for 45 minutes until tender when pierced with a skewer. When cool, wear rubber gloves to peel the beetroot. Cut into 2cm pieces. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese, crushed walnut kernels, caramelised balsamic vinegar and chopped lemon thyme.

Bruce Demonstration Garden, corner of Battye and Purdie Street, Bruce will be open from 10am to 4pm on March 27 and 28. Entry $10. Bookings required: opengardenscanberra.org.au

Ingredients

800g Jerusalem artichokes

1 garlic bulb, cut down the middle

1 tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped

3 tbsp rapeseed oil (Richard uses olive oil)

pinch ground mace (or nutmeg)

20g butter

2 tsp lemon juice

Method

Heat oven to 180C. Soak artichokes in cold water for 20 minutes to loosen dirt, then scrub them with a scourer to remove grit. Halve the small ones and quarter the bigger ones. Place in a roasting tin with split garlic bulb and rosemary. Coat everything with the oil and season. Roast for 45 minutes until tender inside and crispy outside. To finish, squeeze the softened garlic cloves from their skins and toss with the roasted artichokes and mace, butter and lemon juice.