Community Garden News 

We’ve survived and the garden is looking good!

This really is a time of thanks and gratitude, as at the hottest and most trying time for our crops we were faced with a total watering ban for a large part of the last month. We were not able to use the hose and water from our very generous neighbour at 49 Oxford Street…this being our only source of water. 

Initially this meant gifts of water in containers from a local winery, and aged “earthquake water’ from other gardeners; one of our volunteer waterer’s even brought her own water, from her bore, wheeled in on a trolley. We were then donated bore water, delivered in a 1000ltre tank which we were able to attach to wine hoses and flood the planters…such  relief after the lifting and throwing of buckets over the crops. This along with donations of straw mulch and a 200kg bale of dags from the Dag Man in Masterton has saved the garden. Many, many thanks to all who have assisted and donated water, time and mulch!

While we are dealing in gratitude…the Larder at the Medical Centre is well stocked at this time of year and this is not only the produce of the Community Garden. It is also stocked by individual donations of produce from generous local gardeners, who have excess veges and fruit which they bring regularly to the Larder. Without these donations the Larder would not be able to offer the variety and abundance of produce that it does. So, thanks to these folk too for their contribution of healthy food for the Martinborough community. Remember, produce at the Larder is free for everyone.

At the Garden we are well netted up to avoid the dreaded white butterfly influx that hits brassicas at this time of year… we have this year invested in insect nets, as we were thwarted last year just using light netting…good to deter birds, but not tight enough to deter butterflies.

We are giving some areas a well -earned rest, with a good soil turn, compost feed, and mulch as current crops are harvested: preparation for the autumn plantings.

Once again many thanks to the water carriers and mulch providers for helping to keep the garden alive!