Community digs in for garden

A small group of residents is feeling confident that it can get a community garden up and growing in Ōrewa, with confirmation last week that they have found a potential site.

The idea of a community garden came from Lynsey Ellis, who has lived in Ōrewa for five years.

Lynsey has studied environmental sustainability and permaculture. She is also a keen gardener – her section is bursting with homegrown produce.

She says a community garden not only provides a place where people can grow their own food. 

“Community gardens are good for health and wellbeing and also reduce food waste – if you grow it yourself, you are less likely to waste it,” she says.

“It’s also about sharing knowledge and encouraging people to grow their own at home,” she says. “The more people that do that, the more resilient the community becomes.”

She says the garden will be an example of organic growing and sustainability, using permaculture principles. It will also provide a place for likeminded people to get together.

“I want to connect the community, so we can all have a chat and a cup of tea and an excuse to talk about gardening. It will be a great way after lockdown to bring the community together.”

Details regarding the likely site are under wraps until it is finalised, but all being well, Lynsey hopes they will be able to have the first working bees next month to set up the garden.

More info: the Sustainable Ōrewa Facebook page.