Harvest Celebration
Gardeners, volunteers, supporters and guests gathered last Friday at Grandview Community Garden to celebrate the achievements of the Waikato International Community Gardening Project.
Guest speakers Martin Gallagher (Waikato District Health Board) and Terry Chapman (K'aute Pasifika Trust) unveiled the new Grandview Community Garden sign.
After a delicious harvest meal there was time to catch up with others, tour the community garden and reflect on the achievements of the WIC project since 2011.
Grandview Community Garden provided a large dish of kumara served with chopped parsley for the celebration. It was planted at the WIC Kumara Growing Workshop on October 27th 
Other home grown dishes included:
Corn on the cob
Taro cooked in coconut cream
Stuffed zuccini
Sushi
Vegetable relish
Noodles and spinach
Sliced beetroot
A rainbow of healthy salads
Watermelon and banana melon
Cabbage, pak choi, broccoli, spinach and silverbeet
The nights are cooler now, but the soil is still warm. Have you planted your winter greens? These vegetables need a warm soil to get growing, so that when the cold days arrive, they are already a good size. Green vegetables could be expensive this winter, because of the drought, so it is worth growing them.
Before you plant and sow, make room!:
- Pull up tomato plants and pick off green tomatoes, they will ripen in the fruit bowl
- Cut corn and sunflower plants off at soil level and leave the roots in the ground. The dead roots enrich the soil as they rot away. Just plant or sow between the stumps
- Cut back herb plants (thyme and sage) by one third
- Gently lift ripening pumpkins out of the way and plant around them
- Pull up and shake seeds of lettuce, parsley, rocket - free plants!
- Loosen the soil with a fork and water well - notice how it is still dry underneath
- Make a compost heap with everything you pulled out and trimmed off
Grow leeks and spring onions
It is not difficult to grow spring onions and leeks. Leeks are like mild onions, and are great for cooking soups, stews and pies in winter. Leeks and spring onions like soil which is not too rich, but fine and moist. Read more here
Is your pumpkin ready to harvest?
The hard skinned keeping pumpkins are ready to pick when the whole plant has died, and the stalk is brown. Leave the pumpkin in the sun to harden the skin, and store in an airy place away from rats and mice. Eat the smallest, most immature pumpkins first, as they do not keep well.
This week at Grandview Community Garden
Monday March 25th 1.30pm to 3pm, Wednesday March 27th 5.30pm to 7pm and Saturday March 30th 2.30 to 4pm
Time to sow carrots, spinach,broccoli, leeks, silverbeet, lettuce, cabbage, spring onions, kale and beetroot. There is space for new gardeners to start. Community Garden Mentors are there to help you with your garden. All welcome.
Please park on Grandview Road and walk in the gate opposite 183 Grandview Rd. Bus route number 8 (Frankton) .Call us if you have any questions Clare and Tim ph 021 0387623 WIC Community Garden Mentors
Events:
Rhode Street School Kai Festival Thursday 28th March.
'Kai, entertainment and activities galore will be a great start to your Easter break and way to spend a Thursday evening. Come be a part of the 6th annual Rhode Street School Kai Festival. The list of delicious kai includes Healthy Pork Bone Boil Up, Chop Suey, Burritos and Real Fruit Slushy.'
Free After School Programme Explore Nature through Art
For ages 7 - 12
Fridays 3 - 4pm, from the 5th April to 10th May
with artist and Enviro-facilitator Adrienne Grant
at Te Whare o te Ata Community House, 60a Sare Cres
855 7804 or tewhareoteata@fairfield.org.nz
Registrations essential by 1 April. Limited places
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