26 October 2011

Pt Chev Community Garden Named Regional Finalist

Some exceptional No.8 wire ingenuity – including a bike-powered, rainwater irrigation system – has seen the Pt Chevalier Community Garden named one of two national finalists in the New Zealand Gardener 2011 Gardener of the Year Awards community garden category.

The off-the-grid system came about because after one year of operating, the garden was hit with a savagely high water bill. “Action had to be taken,” says one of the women involved, Deryn Cooper.

Tanks Alot and the Ecostore donated tanks which the volunteers sited at the lower end of the property, so they could collect rainwater from the roof. But they didn’t have access to electricity to pump water up the slope. Then a member saw comedian Te Radar on TV using an old washing machine pump driven by a stationary bicycle designed by Radar’s dad, Malcolm Lumsden. They invited Radar for a visit to advise. He and Malcolm helped out with the design and Unitec’s metal workshop finessed the tech stuff and the welding. Now, depending on how fit you are, you can either volunteer to sit on the bike and peddle or for the less onerous task of holding the hose and aiming it at the plants.

The community garden, about the size of a small backyard, is hidden behind the harbour suburb’s historic Old Homestead. Skill levels range from true gardeners to enthusiasts, but as Deryn says, “People learn as they go”. Right now, one member is trialling growing a local peach variety from seed; another is growing kumara, using a mix-and-mingle method (mixing kumara with cabbage, lettuce and beetroot to fool lurking bugs. They’re also running an experiment trialing different fertilisers on their garlic patch (worm tea, sheep pellets and liquid pony manure).

“This is the first year we’ve had a category for community gardens in our annual Gardener of the Year awards,” says NZ Gardener’s Editor Jo McCarroll. “And the response has been incredible. But we were looking for community gardens which weren’t just productive but which had a bit of an X factor. The judges loved the bike-driven water pump! It’s such a lateral, sustainable and downright clever solution!”

The story of Pt Chev Community Garden – along with the story of the other community garden finalist and the finalists in the regional and school garden categories – is in the magazine’s November issue, on sale on October 31. Winners in the 2011 Gardener of the Year competition, in association with Kiwicare Garden Products, will be decided by public vote: full instructions on how to vote are in the November issue or on the magazine’s website (www.nzgardener.co.nz).

The overall winner of the community garden category will win $1000 of Mitre 10 vouchers and $1000 worth of Kiwicare Garden products. The overall winner of Gardener of the Year, chosen from the regional finalists, will be named the 2011 Gardener of the Year and receive $3000 of Mitre 10 vouchers, a year’s supply of Kiwicare Garden Products and a luxury trip for two to the 2012 Ellerslie Flower Show in Christchurch.

Voting for the supreme winners of NZ Gardener’s 2011 Gardener of the Year Awards closes 30 November and the winners will be announced on 19 December.

ENDS

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