Kai Gardens
What to plant now
Planting calendar
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
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.
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 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.
Our Mission
Creating 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 Achieve its goals?
- 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
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!
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.
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.