Community gardening
Fertile Ground members, from left, Claire Webster, Peter Finlayson, Pete Banham, and Rahi. Photo: Sol Morgan.
Who gets overwhelmed with all there is to do in a productive vegetable garden? Does it seem like too much of a chore? Or is it just too lonely toiling away by oneself?
Well, there is an answer: Try gardening with others.
Fertile Ground is one group that has been gardening together for three years. Claire Webster said to a friend, “I want to garden in community.” And that friend talked to another friend. The group now includes myself, Peter Finlayson, Pete Banham, Claire and Rahi. We meet every Thursday morning for two hours at a field out the back of Autumn Farm in Central Takaka. There we grow food together, working a garden of about 500 square metres, producing pretty much all our bulk vegetables: potatoes, yams, carrots, beetroot, parsnip, turnips, Swede, leeks, onions, garlic, cabbages, kale, broad beans, butter beans, drying dwarf beans, sweetcorn, and pumpkins. At the end of each session we divide the harvest: one for each of us and one for the land (Autumn Farm in this case). Over coffee and biscuits we pay any bills from resources bought (equally in five shares), and plan what needs to be done the following week.
The land was in pasture three years ago and had animals grazing on it. We hired a small tractor from Lifestyle Hire in August when the soil was dry enough and used to till off the surface herbage in rows. The following week we formed beds 1.2 metres wide using grubbers and rakes, and started sowing and planting. Grass paths enabled pleasant access, though these were removed for more garden beds (by Phil Langford and his handy tractor) the following year.
Every season (spring/summer and autumn/winter) new plans are drawn up, noting which crops to plant to ensure there’s enough grown and that crops are rotated.
Inputs are kept to a minimum. We grow our own plants and use locally saved seed as much as possible. Some seeds are purchased from Kings Seeds and the garden shop. Manure (horse, mainly) is bought and composted on site with weeds, crop residues, leaf litter, hay cut by hand from the neighbouring field, and grass clippings. Some mineral fertilisers are used: dolomite, rock phosphate and paten kali, as well as liquid seaweed and ash from bonfires. Waratahs/standards have been bought to stake broad beans.
So what are the lessons learnt? Firstly, it’s much more fun and rewarding growing as a team. We all have different skills and qualities and these have enabled us to work well together (and get over any disagreements). It helps to have at least one person confident in gardening (in this case two). For only a little work we get an abundance of produce.
“It’s more efficient when you all turn up,” said Peter Finlayson, “Everything is there, and you do in two hours what a single person might do in eight.”
Starting with good soil helps tremendously. The few weeds, such as Californian thistle, were removed by hand relatively easily. We use mulches (seagrass, cut hay and grass) as much as possible to keep weeds down. Soil health is maintained (and hopefully improved) by using mulches, green crops and compost. We also plan to move into the next field this season and rest some of the beds. Pasture is usually fertile, so we’ll put rested land back into mixed pasture to build fertility for later use.
Having a good water supply is critical in the dry months. This is our biggest limitation, but we make do.
Having a plan is important too. This means we know what work needs to be done in advance so resources can be gathered and crops planted on time.
Probably the most important factor in our success as a group is the commitment to a regular day to garden. Sometimes not everyone can come, but that’s life. They may not get any vegetables that week!
What are the opportunities out there for you? You could form a group that goes around each member’s garden once a week, and which shares the produce from each. A farmer or lifestyle block-owner may have spare land that can be worked as a team, with a share going to the owner? Or a few neighbours could knock down their fences and garden together? An elderly neighbour could offer their land in exchange for food, too? And there’s always the Golden Bay Community Gardens, which has allotments for rent that groups of keen gardeners can utilise.
They’re all ways to grow healthy food, have fun why you’re at it and build skills, both gardening and social.
Come along to the Wholemeal Café on Tuesday 16 August from 10am to 11.30am for a chat about group gardening.
Sol Morgan
