Kai Gardens
Growing community
What to plant now…?
We have our own microclimate here on Waiheke, so the planting season can differ slightly to the rest of Aotearoa. That’s why WRT has a ‘What to plant now’ video diary with Chardy Parkes – WRT’s Kai Gardens coordinator. Tune in and find out how to prepare your own kai garden and gain lots of useful tips and advice.
Planting calendar
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Seasonal seedlings for sale
Kai Gardens is a community-led initiative run through WRT to increase food resilience on our motu by growing seedlings and then selling them to the community and community gardens to keep the project sustainable. You can purchase seedlings at the Waiheke Sustainability Centre through our ecostore.
Chardy Parkes, a long-time name in the community garden and food resilience space on Waiheke, is helping to coordinate these efforts.
Volunteers are supported with free workshops and resources for how to germinate and grow the Kai Gardens seedlings – knowledge you can then share with your whānau and friends as well. You are also given seedlings as a koha to acknowledge your mahi.
Want to get involved in tending to the Sustainability Centre’s Kai Gardens, or have some materials or skills that you would like to donate? Get in touch or fill out our volunteering form here.
Why are we doing this?
To create a hub to increase food resilience on Waiheke at a household and community level as a local response to global food insecurity.
Values
- Promoting evidence-based gardening practices
- Sharing knowledge openly for the benefit of all – e Tuku iho
- Responsibility for the long term health and sustainability of Waiheke’s local environment
How will Kai Gardens do this?
- Enhance local knowledge through workshops, online videos, demonstration gardens, public displays and other resources to suit a variety of ages and knowledge bases.
- Supply the Kai Conscious Café with fresh produce and herbs for seasoning.
- Promote gardening as a fun, healthy recreational activity.
- Conduct small-scale trials to determine the most productive and sustainable gardening practices.
- Identify and encourage the growing of crops that are suitable for Waiheke conditions.
- Manage a seed bank of plant varieties suitable for Waiheke
Related resources
Donate your surplus produce
There’s lots happening in the food resilience space on Waiheke. Download our PDF which summarises opportunities to get involved in your area, including contact information, social media links and locations. You’ll find some of our projects on the list, as well as many more!
Kai Conscious Café
Visit the Sustainability Centre on a Friday and join the shared lunch prepared by our Kai Conscious cooks using rescued food from stores and eateries across Waiheke. Donate what you think it is worth, or what you are able, and contribute to reducing food waste and food poverty in our community.
Waiheke Food Map
We have mapped out Waiheke’s community gardens, food hubs and public foraging spots on an interactive map. Check out what the typical fruiting seasons are so that you know when to harvest, and make sure to think of others when foraging. If you’re planting on your berm or know of another foraging spot, add it to the map.
Food resilience initiatives
There’s lots happening in the food resilience space on Waiheke. Download our PDF which summarises opportunities to get involved in your area, including contact information, social media links and locations. You’ll find some of our projects on the list, as well as many more!
Get composting
We can help you get you started at home with workshops, support and composting products including Bokashi systems and worm farms. We even sell our own compost and crushed shells for the garden. If you’re a business looking to manage food scraps and compostables sustainably, we want to hear from you too. Visit the Sustainability Centre for supplies or get in touch.
Love Food Hate Waste
Food waste is a massive problem in Aotearoa. Not only is wasting food costing us money, it is also bad for the environment. Love Food Hate Waste has tips, resources and recipes to help you reduce your food waste and save money. It also runs awareness campaigns, promotes food lovin’ events and more, so check out how you can take further steps to eliminate food from landfill.