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Welcome to the website of the Mahurangi Community Orchard and Garden!
Feel free to browse through the photos, check out recent happenings in the orchard in the "What's up" section, swap recipes and ideas or leave a note for me in the "Swap Space" and find out when the next working bee or special event is happening in the orchard in "Events"
Here's the story:
I have always read with great delight any historical literature pertaining to orcharding on the Mahurangi River. I formed a dream a while ago of one day starting an orchard on the Mahurangi and a friend of mine suggested that I use the one acre of vacant land directly in front of my Mum’s place which is next to the Mahurangi River. I thought this was a pretty sweet idea but didn’t have the slightest clue where to begin. After mulling it over for a while I eventually put together a proposal to the Rodney District Council (who own the land) and sent it off. Much to my surprise they answered very quickly and gave it the green light. This was early in 2009. Since then I have completed a permaculture design course at Rainbow Valley Farm and have discussed my idea extensively with many different people – all of whom think it’s a good one. I have used some of the funds left over from the last community garden to purchase a few fruit trees to get the orchard started. The land that I’m talking about is the one acre section directly upstream of the Old Cement Works in Warkworth. Plans are afoot to create a walkway from Warkworth town centre to the Old Cement Works. Eventually a board walk along the riverbank will be in place but for now there’ll be a low grade track (but easily walkable – think the Lucy Moore Park to Rivendell pathway) that will run in almost a direct line from Warkworth to the Old Cement Works and will go straight through the orchard. In time walkers will be able to walk down an avenue of fruit trees and pick the fresh fruit when it’s ripe! As long as I live here I am committed to seeing that an orchard is maintained on this bit of land. How big it is and how well it works depends on the input of the community. I live almost in the orchard and love to spend time pottering about in it. In this way I am more than happy to do a lot of the day to day maintenance of the Orchard and keep it looking good (This I think was one of the shortfalls of the first community garden in Hexham Street – it was too far away for me (the organiser) to just pop in and keep it looking good. The new orchard is in my permaculture zone 2, so will be visited at least every second day) – I know it’s a bit out of the way for the rest of you, but a nice stroll along the riverbank wouldn’t be too hard! Or maybe a boat trip down the river? I could offer regular Sunday pickups from the Warkworth wharf if there’s enough interest... In my opinion, we’ve got nothing to loose. The land before I started working it was a nice green acre of metre high kikuyu – and from all the council maps I’ve seen it looked set to stay that way. I had quite a job cutting paths and planting trees in it but I got there in the end. It’s a very flat site and is bordered on one side by the Mahurangi river and on the other by the old quarry (now filled with fresh water) so there’s an endless supply of freshwater to make sure our plants are well hydrated (another shortfall of the first community garden) I’ve decided that formal meetings and whatnot are not the way to go. I’m going to suggest having a regular Sunday working bee in the orchard 1 - 4pm (afternoon tea provided)! The orchard headquarters will be our kitchen (situated in a spot with commanding views over the orchard) so even if the weather ain’t great you can always be sure of a cuppa! What is a Community Garden?
A Community Garden is basically any piece of land that is gardened by a group of people. The aim of the Warkworth Community Garden is to involve local people, enabling everyone to have access to an organic garden where they can contribute their time and receive a share of the fruit and vegetables grown. The garden also aims to provide a positive space for the sharing of information and resources around gardening. It is a positive and nurturing place for people to gather. Around the country there has been an increase in community gardens which have been established to meet a number of objectives including; community development, providing nutritious food for those on low incomes and localising food production in the face of peak everything.
What are the benefits?
· Improves the quality of life for people in the garden
· Provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development
· Stimulates Social Interaction
· Encourages Self-Reliance
· Beautifies Neighborhoods
· Produces Nutritious Food
· Reduces Family Food Budgets
· Conserves Resources
· Creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education
· Preserves Green Space
· Creates income opportunities and economic development
· Provides opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections
& heaps more!
So C'mon...
GET INVOLVED!
Just email me, Charlie, cmonty07@yahoo.co.nz or, better still, come to one of the working bee's in the Orchard, Check out the "Events" section for dates.