the goodlife family
Askcan notdowhat your town for you… Rebecca Lees explains the edible landscape evolving in Geraldine.
I
magine, for a moment, walking around town, basket in hand, picking fresh produce for that night’s tea. Now, imagine all that produce is free and grown by your fellow townsfolk. I think that’s incredible! And this is what the grassroots movement Incredible Edible is all about; growing food in public spaces for everyone to share. Not a cent is exchanged, just a smile and good conversation. For us, this ticks all the boxes. We had heard what an amazing impact Incredible Edible was having in the UK and visited the town of Todmorden in northern England to meet one of the founders of the movement, Pam Warhurst. Pam and her friend Mary started Incredible Edible five years ago and have since transformed their town. The local health centre now grows nutritious berries, herbs and fruit, instead of the old spiky plants that used to be there. Todmorden has an edible trail on which people can learn about bees while picking fresh herbs. After a walk down Pollination Street, people can stop at the butchers, where local meat and eggs are plentiful. These simple ideas, over time, have strengthened community spirit, expanded opportunities for local business and tourism, and had a big impact on education. We were so inspired, when we returned to New Zealand, my husband Sam planted garlic next to the roses outside the Geraldine library. It was a bold move, met with raised eyebrows, especially as the garlic was soon overtaking the roses in height and grandeur. Next we built and planted a raised bed outside our home. People’s interest was piqued and an enthusiastic group of locals
soon came together to get Incredible Edible Geraldine off the ground. A cheeky phone call to the owner of a vacant section in the centre town and, voila, we secured some of Geraldine’s most prestigious real estate as our hub. Huge raised beds have been constructed at the new site, planted up with the help of supporters who responded to local newspaper articles. We’ve had a steady flow of locals offering land, building materials, gardening equipment, plants, compost and, most importantly, their time. Now that is incredible. Already, after only a few short weeks, the revolution has begun. We’ve spotted corn planted along boundary fences, edible hanging baskets sunning themselves along the main street of town, peas popping up along school boundaries, and people giving away their excess produce on our Facebook page. Geraldine High School’s primary industry students have been growing huge amounts of Incredible Edible seedlings for our hub, and the local primary school is planting grapes along their boundary railings, for the kids to get in on the action, too. So, in asking “what you can do for your town” may I make a suggestion... join the revolution. Start your own edible urban landscape. We’re all good at something, so why not share it around. Whether you plant edibles in your front yard, a lemon tree outside your library or just let someone know what it’s all about, plant the seed in your community. Get yourselves in on the action and join us as we watch it thrive.
Clockwise from above: The team behind Incredible Edible Geraldine; Geraldine supporters installing the raised beds in the hub; Geraldine Primary School students starting their edible landscape with a grapevine donated by Geraldine Garden Centre.