A community garden is a single piece of land gardened by a group of people. The garden may consist of individual plots (sometimes called allotments) and/or areas that are gardened communally.
Many WIC members are interested in participating in community gardens, or at least finding out more. Such gardens provide an opportunity to share gardening knowledge and work in a sociable environment. It often leads to sharing seeds, produce and recipes - made all the more exciting when so many different ethnicities with our traditional plants and cuisines are working together!
We are most likely to maintain involvement in a community garden if it is close to where we live. There are a number of community gardens with membership open to the general public already in existence in Hamilton and many would welcome more members. There are also a number of groups considering starting community gardens in the area.
So that you can find out about the gardens already running that you may want to join and also to learn from their experiences, we are organising a Waikato Community Garden Network Meeting on the afternoon of Thursday 22 September in Frankton, Hamilton. More details will follow - watch this discussion page...
Some of the groups that joined WIC have their own land, and we are working one by one to help them develop their gardens. The first is in Tokoroa.
Most WIC members live in the Nawton area of Hamilton, where there is no existing community garden. The Salvation Army in nearby Grandview (where some of our Grow Your Own Vegetables From Seed workshops were held) was thinking about starting a community garden when we approached them about their land: we are now looking to work together on a joint community garden project - watch this space!
Photo: Katherine Hay of the Waikato Environment Centre talking about community gardens at our first WIC meeting. (Jovi, HMS)
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public meeting on the Food Bill in Hamilton
Many of us are wondering if the Food Bill will impact on the way we operate as community groups running events that sell food, or as community gardens that sell excess produce or preserves to raise funds, etc. There is a public meeting on the Food Bill in Hamilton on Wednesday May 16th at 7pm at the Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood St, Hamilton. Steffan Browning MP is the guest speaker at the meeting. For more information contact angela.mcleod@parliament.govt.nz
Grandview Community Garden
Grow your own garlic –preparing the ground
When: Thursday May 17th from 10am to 11am
What. We will show you how to prepare the ground for planting garlic. There is plenty of space for new members to join and start a garden.
Where: Look for the WIC sign opposite 183 Grandview Rd and walk through the gate.
Clare and Tim WIC Community Garden Mentors ph 021 0387623 021 2243109
WIC has helped a group of Tongan families called Fakatau Ki Monu find some land that they can garden together. Planning is underway for them to garden at the Te Ara Hou site (where they are pictured).
Thanks goes to Anna Cox of Te Ara Hou for responding to our request for land and working with the village to get permission.
The group is looking forward to starting digging and trying some winter crops.
Peas are thriving at Grandview Community Garden
The peas which were sown at the Community Garden on Neighbours Day, March 24th, have set pods which are now filling up with juicy green peas. Peas are a good winter crop beacuse they tolerate cold weather, and enrich the soil with their nitrogen fixing roots.
WIC Advisory Group visits Grandview Community Garden
The WIC Advisory Group had its monthly meeting at Grandview Community Garden last week - a chance to see the awesome progress being made.
Here Tim (WIC Community Garden Mentor) explains how to make comfrey liquid fertiliser to Papa (Pacific Island representative) and Teresa (Aere Ki Mua Project Manager).
Comfrey grows wild on the site. It is an excellent source of potassium - a mineral that helps plants to set fruit.
Garlic planting and working bee at Grandview Community Garden
When: Saturday June 16th 2pm to 5pm
Garlic planting: we will show you how to plant your garlic. New gardeners welcome too :)
Working bee: Grandview Community Garden needs your help! Can you join us and help with some of these jobs in the garden?
Where: Look for the WIC sign opposite 183 Grandview Rd and walk through the gate.
Clare and Tim WIC Community Garden Mentors ph 021 0387623 021 2243109
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