What's Happening in the Gardens?

 

LIVING CAMPUS - LUNCHTIME GARDENING SESSIONS

Spring is here – let’s get planting!!

Regular gardening sessions will run for the rest of the year:

Every Monday of term, 12.00 to 2.00 pm

Meet at B Block

We’ll be sowing carrots, beetroot, onions and peas, and planting crops to attract beneficial insects.

This is an opportunity to harvest and take home LivingCampus produce; this week coriander.

Bring:

·      gloves

·      sturdy waterproof footwear

·      sunhat / sunblock

Tools provided.

What better way to enjoy lovely spring weather than to be out amongst the flowers!

Come along for a few minutes or as long as you can spare, as often as you like.  All assistance welcome.

See you there,

Michelle and Living Campus team.

 

Makaana Courtyard and Kitchen Gardens

Two organic edible gardens will be developed for use by the School of Hospitality. These are an upper level container garden in the TECHnique Restaurant Courtyard (Makaana Courtyard), and a lower level formal Kitchen Garden adjacent to the courtyard, which will incorporate a hangi pit, wheelchair access and seating areas.

  • The gardens surrounding the new restaurant will provide hospitality students with the opportunity to learn about edible plants - fruit, nuts, vegetables, herbs and flowers - and how they are grown organically. Students will harvest fresh, sustainably grown ingredients for the Restaurant and Student Centre Cafe. These gardens also aim to inspire visitors and diners to grow their own gardens at home.

  • Many of the required plants will be grown in-house by Horticulture students for their Nursery Production Unit Standard.

SO FAR>>>

  • The Kitchen Garden area has been cleared of weeds and unwanted self-sown natives. The garden has been mulched with peastraw to prevent re-growth of annual weeds..

WHAT NEXT?>>>

  • Lunchtime workshops and working bees will allow staff and students to participate in the development of the gardens. This will be a chance to get out in the sun and fresh air, and learn an organic trick or two for your own plot at home. Watch this page for workshps!

  • Fruit trees including Pear, Apple, Plum and Fig will be trained (espaliered) along the NorthWest Wall of the Kitchen Garden. These will be underplanted with various flowering companion plants and herbs. Summer salads, tomatoes and zucchini will crowd towards the path which leads on to a restful pergola in the shade of the beautiful kowhai and lancewood grove..

  • The Makaana Courtyard will be divided into 'garden rooms' with living screens of espaliered Sour Cherry varieties, along with berry bushes, herbs, grapes and scented climbers. Landscaping will utilise sustainable materials such as local Mt Kettle stone, macrocarpa, larch and wool weed mat.

 

Maori Cultural Garden

The design of this garden aims to encapsulate the qualities of a traditional maori garden, the diverse range of plants used (both native eg. puha and introduced eg. potato) and their continuing relevance in a modern society trying to find sustainable solutions - for example the use of flax for textiles as a replacement for cotton. The garden will also serve to remind us of the interdependent relationship between native plants, insects and birdlife and the importance of conservation efforts in our country.

  • Draft designs from 2008 are being re-visited, following installation of the new Whanau Room.

 

  • The Botanical Gardens Flax Collection was uplifted last year, and the polytech was lucky enough to receive a number of these wonderful plants - they have been selected specifically for their superior qualities for traditional textiles, as well as soil conservation and nectar sources for birds. The majority of plants will border the entrance path to the Whanau room, with the remainder to be planted in the Art school for students studying textiles. The flax will hopefully be re-planted by mid spring.

  • Once designs are confirmed, food gardens can be developed using no-dig mulch garden techniques - the planting of maori potatoes is a priority. The no-dig approach will be used due to the compacted nature of the soils of the site.

Permaculture Gardens - L and B Block

Permaculture, literally translated means 'permanent agriculture'. Seeking to cycle garden wastes back into the soils for food production is just the beginning. Permaculture provides the ecological design template for for applying organic growing methods - a truly sustainable approach to food security in current times.

 

This well established example of a permaculture garden is a hidden jewel in the LivingCampus. If you haven't visited the garden, take the time to step across the busy Anzac Ave and into a lush edible paradise! Permaculture courses run through spring - check out the website for more information.

  • A horticulture student has been hired to assist with the maintenance of the L Block Garden.

  • Entrance and plant interpretation signage is being planned.

  • The continued planting of fruit trees and shrubs, and the propagation of other food plants continues to make this an abundant permaculture experience.

 

  • Existing garden beds are being edged with local Mt Kettle stone - bark and paver pathways will follow, allowing all-weather foot traffic.

  • Several staff joined in on Garlic Planting Day last month. The bulbs have sprouted happily and are looking healthy along the pathway to the front of B Block. Later in the season these will be accompanied by tomato plants - good companions in the garden.

  • Broad beans are standing strong along the B Block wall - above them are two new arrivals - espaliered sour cherry trees. Further fruit trees will be planted by mid spring.

  • New no-dig vegetable beds will be laid out to the north of B block in late spring.

  • A rainwater collection tank will be installed at the southwest corner of B Block, later in the year.

  • Interpretive signage including plant identification, growing instructions and hints, are being developed

 

  • Art School funded Textile Garden - a number of plants from the flax collection will be moved to this garden at Art School. The school is sourcing further plants from L Block Nursery where available.

  • The School of Occupational Therapy has an interest in developing student allotment gardens. This will provide further opportunity for student learning through the care of their own organic gardens.

  • Horticulture School Worm Farm - in planning stages. In 2010 the Vermiculture Unit Standard will become part of a horticulture qualification, and will be managed by horticulture students. This is an exciting advance towards sustainable practice within the Horticulture School.

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