Community Gardens seek volunteers

In July this year it’ll be ten years since Grant Douglas, David Armstrong, Ron Sharp and Tara Forde established Motueka’s Community Gardens on a pocket of Tasman District Council owned land on Old Wharf Road, with the aim of providing a community food garden for the sustainable production of organic food through time.

Dedicated volunteer and committee member Ellen Baldwin has been at the gardens since the “get-go” and is appealing for more volunteers to head along.

“In the early years we got volunteers quite easily but as time has gone on it’s become harder and harder,” says Ellen.

“The young have the initiative to start a venture but leave it to the elderly to keep it going. In most organisations it’s the elderly that keep them going.”

While a large area of the gardens is divided up into around 30 private allotments of which Sue Walker manages, the front area and tunnel house are the community gardens which are reliant on volunteers.

“We give to Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul and any other organisation that’s in need and also the volunteers that do work in the garden take home produce. There’s a lot