The Garden development Project was founded by St John’s Anglican Church in 2007, and this year is working in conjunction with Highgate Presbyterian Church to run garden training sessions on a block of land behind the Highgate church. It is hoped that this will add another dimension to the excellent work that has already begun.
A copy of the flier that was dropped in the neighborhood. Flier 220908
The aim of the project is to provide the opportunity for people to create their own vegetable gardens.
Benefits.
A good garden provides fresh, good quality, healthy food.
Physical and Mental Wellbeing.
Gardening provides good physical exercise, gets you directly in touch with the environment and can also give a deep sense of satisfaction.
Financial
A garden and compost combined can reduce not only food cost, but also rubbish disposal costs—up to 45% of household rubbish in NZ is able to be composted.
Environmental
Enjoy an active role in environmental and climate change issues. Green waste in landfills creates methane gas and toxic leachate. Composting reduces this problem.
Gardening also reduces dependency on oilused in food production and transportation.
How can I be involved?
Just turn up to the sessions where you can socialize with people who are also gardening, swapping plants etc
Encourage your neighbours to help each other with their gardens (it tends to get addictive!)
Share your gardening knowledge with others (mentor people) through the existing St John’s GDP.
Contact people are:
Steve Dunn 488 5257 email stevelindadunn@gmail.com
Alan Dunbar 467 5198
Alan Edwards 477 2865
Allan Paulin 474 1511
Wyn Barbezat 474 1315
Origins of the garden Development project
Last year St Johns Anglican Church initiated the gardening Development Project (GDP). Taking referrals through Anglican Family care, Presbyterian Support and the Salvation Army a group of volunteers would establish a vegetable garden, donate tools, and provide a gardening mentor for the year. Most of the participating families were struggling with their food budget, many were solo parent families.
The most exciting and humbling outcome of the project was the impact of a group of people giving up a day to help in someone’s yard with no ulterior motive. Participating families mentioned words like hope; one lady saying it had given her new enthusiasm for all sorts of things in her life.
By the end of the first season we had put in 15 gardens. About 9 of them seem to have worked well and continued. Over the summer we learnt a good deal about what worked and what didn’t and are currently planning for the coming season. I imagine we will have a more effective project in terms of the vegetable plots; however, the unpredictable nature of relationships and the messiness of different groups of people coming together to engage community issues will hopefully remain unchanged.
Garden at Maori Hill
The Garden Project has also just branched out in a new direction. In conjunction with Maori Hill Presbyterian Church down the road we have set up a community garden. This will hopefully serve two purposes. Firstly, people are welcome to come and join in the work, and take home a share of the vegetables. But it will also be an educational opportunity. Several days will be promoted throughout the season for people to come and see all the stages of a garden going in from scratch. To give people ideas for starting their own plots a variety of methods will be used and several compost systems set up; weeding, watering, and pest problems discussed, and ultimately eating and celebrating will be enjoyed.
The prospect of the churches combining to be involved in contemporary social issues (global food crisis, localisation, oil price, and a need for social support) in such a practical way is exciting. Once again the word hope comes to mind.
To BECOME A GDP GARDENER.
Contact St John’s Anglican Parish
03 464 0240
st.johns.roslyn@xtra.co.nz
or Steve Dunn stevelindadunn@gmail.com
The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet. - James Oppenheim
A fool looks for dung where the cow never browsed.
