Kai Gardens
What to plant now...?
Planting calendar
January
February
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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.
Why are we doing this?
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
Is your gardening going so well that you've got lots of surplus? You can pickle and preserve to your heart's content, but you can also give to the community by donating your fresh fruit, veges and herbs to the Sustainability Centre community fridge. Check out our 1-page guide on best practice for donating kai and drop-off locations.
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
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.
