Community garden of epic proportions
A group of like-minded volunteers are finding joy in coming together and sharing knowledge to create a magical community garden for all to enjoy.
If you ever find yourself at the Mangawhai Domain on a Friday morning chances are you’ll notice the enthusiastic gardeners of the Mangawhai Community Garden arriving to tend their crops and harvest any produce that is ready. What a hive of activity; volunteers wheeling barrowfuls of mulch to renew paths, weeding and spreading pea straw mulch among other things.
The health of the soil is so important to the volunteers the garden has been kept spray-free, and building compost to enrich the soil is a large part of the workload. The gardeners pick up animal manure and seagrass off site and rely on donations of sawdust and shredded paper. A very kind coffee processor drops off coffee husks and grinds. Crops they grow for composting include comfrey, sugar cane, banana leaves, Mexican sunflowers and lemongrass.
A delicious morning tea is enjoyed by all when the jobs are done. The group is excited for the new season’s crops after a harsh year of pests and high rainfall which flooded the kumara crop. Last season a number of new crops were trialled, including peanuts that grew well. Another new plant that performed well and had very attractive foliage was Caigua, pronounced Kai-wa, which is a small gherkin like fruit traditionally used to reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Open on a Friday morning, the Little SHOP, built by members of the Mangawhai Shed, stocks homemade preserves, seedlings, seeds, colourful popping corn and Can-O- Worms: tiger worms for home worm farms. The income from the shop helps to keep the garden self-funding.
Recycling is also a priority for the gardeners and local firm, Mico Plumbing, donates their wooden packing frames which would otherwise go to landfill. These have been upcycled to create compost bins with help from the Mangawhai Shed members who cut small blocks of wood to use as spacers for airflow. The frames were also used to construct a woodshed for the pizza oven, a welcome addition to the garden bringing local groups together to enjoy good food utilising garden produce.
The social aspect of the garden has been restorative for all involved after the experience of the last few years. Visitors to the garden are encouraged to wander and ask questions. Sustainable Kaipara holds compost workshops at the garden and future teaching sessions are anticipated. The garden will be open for the annual Mangawhai Garden Ramble on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 November with plants and preserves for sale. Concrete garden art by the Faraway Garden will be on display and the Mangawhai Shed will have their wares for sale.
The Mangawhai Community Garden volunteers hope to see you there!