‘Garden to plate’ project handed over to community‘Garden to plate’ project handed over to community

‘Garden to plate’ project handed over to community

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A new garden in St Albans has been handed over to the community to care for and enjoy.

Mairehau Community Garden was designed with the community, led by The Green Lab and Neighbourhood Trust with “a garden to plate” vision driving the design.

Said NHT community development worker Don Benn: “This garden is a place for connection, for building relationships with others in the community, for gaining skills in gardening, in cooking in season, and in preserving and bottling food, when we have excess.”

The garden will feature a polytunnel, covered seating area, raised beds, composting station and pollinator-friendly planting.

Artists Storm and Cara Waiwai also created a mural for the on-site container.

A donation of $10,000 from Hummingbird Coffee was used to help assist with labour costs, buying plants, and installing a mains water supply.

Construction work started in May after the final plan was signed off by the Community Steering Committee and the Neighbourhood Trust in late March this year.

Many volunteers were involved in the building process, with one working bee saw 18m3 of fill moved in less than two hours by a group of 17.

The Green Lab build lead Tom Phillpotts said he did not expect to get the work done so fast.

“The commitment of volunteers to this project has been awesome. Paul, John, Storm, and Bill have been on site almost every week.

“John even hired a digger out of his own pocket at one point to help get things moving quickly.”

The landscape design was carried out in collaboration with stakeholders and Gather Landscape Architecture.

The Green Lab director Khye Hitchcock said the feedback was clear at the outset.

“The community wanted a welcoming space that would provide hands-on learning experiences.

“There are definitely some experienced gardeners in the community who wish to share their skills with others, which is wonderful. The final design reflects this. The polytunnel will allow for year-round activities. We’re hoping lots of  different groups can come and learn about growing kai here.”

The project also received support from a number of community-minded partners, including the city council, Hummingbird Coffee, Richmond Community Garden, and Canterbury Community Gardens Association.

The new garden was handed over to the community at a celebration event on Saturday.

 



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