Edible village project bearing fruit

The Maungatūroto Edible Village project continues to inspire, with an upcoming pruning workshop giving people the chance to build their skills while helping shape a broader vision for community food resilience.

After a well-attended first workshop at Centennial Hall, project founder Josie Gritten is once again hosting experienced gardener, permaculture designer, consultant and pruner Judy Keats for another workshop.

The session, held at Gritten’s home, includes a garden tour of her property and will give participants the chance to learn how to prune fruit trees in a more established orchard setting.

“We have a four-year-old orchard, so people will be able to see how to prune slightly older trees,” Gritten says. “We have a variety of different species, so Judy can show us how it is done and talk us through the theory. People can then challenge their own skills on the trees.”

From working bees to weekly Grow and Grow meet-ups that bring together children and caregivers for a fun morning of gardening, workshops are the latest step in the Maungatūroto Edible Village Project.

Gritten first developed the idea of a community food forest while living in North Wales, where she discovered the joy and sense of community in sharing resources with neighbours, and later established community gardens and orchard spaces. Since returning to New Zealand, she and her husband have been working to bring a similar model to Maungatūroto.

The project first took root through fruit tree planting at View Street playground before expanding to an orchard at Centennial Hall. With those areas now more established, Gritten continues to focus on the project’s long-term vision.

“The Edible Village project isn’t just one enclosed space,” Gritten says. “I want people to have the ability to walk down the street and pick and munch on an apple or a plum that they have picked from a tree. Ideally, I want an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables for everyone and accessible to anyone.”

Last year, the project secured funding that allowed the group to expand its work and explore new ideas, including workshops and documenting the project with the help of professional and amateur photographers and videographers, creating an archive of its process and progress to share with other communities looking to create their own food forests.

Gritten says one of the most rewarding parts of the project has been seeing the response from the community.

“I love watching the ripples of it,” she says. “I love that other communities are now saying, ‘Oh, what is it you’re doing? We want to do it as well.’”

She says a message she received after the Centennial Hall orchard was planted captured exactly what the project is about.

“After we planted the orchard at Centennial Hall, someone messaged me and said, ‘Every time I walk my dog past the orchard, I get such a sense of pride and joy.’ That is what it is all about, community coming together and feeling pride in what we are doing.”

The project already includes citrus trees to help supply the local foodbank, planter boxes outside Kaipara Kids, and plans for more fruit trees and gardens on land behind Farm Source and near Otamatea High School.

The pruning workshop will be held from 2pm to 4pm on July 19 on Doctors Hill Road, Maungatūroto. The workshop will include a potluck lunch and garden tour. Gritten says absolute beginners are welcome, as well as more experienced gardeners wanting a refresher. People can book a place by emailing josiegritten@gmail.com.