Operation Green Thumb-Wellington's Community Gardens   

Introduction: Operation Green Thumb (OGT)-Wellington's Community Gardens is supported by Wellington City Council (WCC) and funded by Lottery Grants. 

 We have been around since 1994 and have most of our gardens in WCC housing complexes but there are 4 public gardens we helped set up or support:  Owhiro Gardens and Happy Valley Rd, Brooklyn run by Mokai Kainga Maori Centre, another in Kilbirnie, St Matts Taita, & Tawai and Clyma Parks for those locals in the Trentham area.  All up there are about 150 plots dug up around Wgtn at 15 sites. 

We also support other garden projects around greater Wellington and Upper Hutt. We try to be as organic as possible and do not condone the use of sprays.  We have a small seed bank and publish our own gardening posters and guides specifically for Wgtn's dubious gardening climate.

Our Aims: are to assist in the set up of new gardens for those people who have no land of their own so they can grow low-cost food.  So if your are unemployed, on a benefit, retired or on a low-income and have no land of your own OGT is available free of charge. If you live in a WCC complex and already have a community garden there you are welcome to apply for a plot. 

  • Our featured photo is the summer harvest now upon us.  Note the great cucumber grown in Lower Hutt by Janys and how quickly zucchinis can turn into big fat marrows when you are not looking.  Oh well good for muffins, fritters on the bbq, in the burgers.
  • Great to see more community gardens sprouting up and people growing their own veg.  We were the voice in the wilderness years ago and now we gardeners have claimed our space to grow-yay                                        
  • OWHIRO GARDENS HAVE PLOTS AVAILABLE IF YOU NEED-HAPPY VALLEY RD

          WGTN RING ROBERT AT MOKAI KAINGA 383-4922

GARDENING POSTERS FOR SALE P&P $7-EMAIL ME.

If you live in the city and have no land of your own but want to have a plot contact the co-ordinator listed below.  Garden space is becoming a premium now at the 4 public gardens but we hope in the future to be able to offer more gardens in Wellington.  You do save money gardening as well as knowing the veg is fresh and spray-free.

Phone: Sue Boyle (Dip Hort)- Co-ordinator- 04 9342629 Please do not ring on Sundays or late at night, gardener is resting.

Mailto: greenthumb@paradise.net.nz

Garden News

  • Gardening poster for Wellington available for sale-gives a blow by blow account of what to do in our climate, orders will be taken, only $7 incl p &p
  • Green Thumb Gazette is out for summer, will distribute around the gardens .
  • Seed bank is done and will buy more seeds for the gardens soon.

 How do we keep our soil fertile, that's the prime job of gardeners-growing the soil?  Every weed you pull out and throw away you are just exporting nutrients, you must mulch your garden, for example with pea straw, or grass clippings.  Add your kitchen scraps and just cover with the mulch.  Don't dig, let the worms do the work. 

PLOTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE AT HAPPY VALLEY ROAD, TENANTS AT DANIELL ST FLATS.

We wish to acknowledge the generous support of:

Lottery Grants

Wellington City Council

Upper Hutt City Council

The Community Trust of Wellington

Trust House Charitable Trust

The Nikau Foundation

The Wellington Cancer Society

 Think about rotating your veg around so the soil doesnt get exhausted from the demands of the same plants in the same spot year after year.  Here is a simple chart for you:

  • YEAR 1 potatoes-peas/beans-roots-brassicas
  • YEAR 2 peas/beans-roots-brassicas-potatoes
  • YEAR 3 brassicas-potatoes-roots-peas/beans
  • YEAR 4 roots-potatoes-peas/beans-brassicas

SPRING MONTHS ARE: September-early, October-mid, November-late

September (fickle weather, still too cold, don't trust it)

  • Like I said don't get sucked into veges that like it warm and sunny.  There's always a nasty southerly blast left in Sept.  It causes broccolis, cabbage, silverbeets etc to bolt (go into forced flowering or remain stunted)
  • Time to prepare with some lime for those crops that prefer it:  beans, peas,cabbage, broccoli, get a good mulch laid down, patch weeded.
  • Fine to put in those early tried and trues-silverbeet, spring onions, lettuce like Mesclun mix, or Red Oak Leaf.
  • Soil and night temps are still a bit low so those favourites like corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, beans and peas wait for next month unless you have a very sunny sheltered plot.
  • Put out spuds this month to 'green up' and sprout a bit. Or put in 'Rocket' a beauty medium sized spud that matures in 30 days.

October (starting to get windy, time to plant)

  • Spring is proving to be like last year-bit cooler at times, enough to slow seedling growth and plants
  • But go for it all the same:  tomatoes, spuds, zucchinis, lettuce, spring onions, peas, beans, s/beet, beetroot, corn everything can go in now.
  • Mulch up progressing seedlings with grass clippings, pea straw ($14/bale in U/H) don't get ripped off for anything more at these swanky garden centres.
  • Herbs in now, coriander (brings around the wee Hover Fly that loves aphids), parsely, mints (keep contained or take over)

November (windy for sure now, protect seedlings, mulch, enjoy the beauty of the flowers)

  • Keep on progressive sowings of lettuce etc for continuity of supply
  • Mold up spuds
  • Mulch, mulch, mulch your no-dig gardens and let the worms do the work
  • Last month really to put in curcubits (pumpkins) as they take a while to mature
  • Watering, staking, planting.

SUMMER MONTHS ARE: December-early, January-mid, February-late

December-early- summer (windy, dry, bugs are out)

  • Get everything in this month-getting late for pumpkins, eggplants that need a long season.
  • Continue sowing lettuce seeds for continuity of supply
  • Protect new seedlings with drink containers or wind break
  • Plant tomatoes, beans, peas, spring onions, spuds (main crop now) lettuce, bok choy, cabbage, cauli, broccoli (white butterfly is out and laying her eggs so use an organic pesticide or shield with cloth-an absolute pain in the ar#e for ruining a good brassica.
  • Wind increasing so mulch your garden with grass clippings, pea straw to retain moisture and give food for the worms
  • Water evenings and early mornings if poss.

January/February-mid and late summer (hot, dry, water restrictions, try early am and pm now)

JANUARY-midsummer-and it's windy as.....

  • Keep planting seedlings for continuity of supply.  ie lettuce, spring onions, rocket, radish, peas, beans.
  • Mold up spuds and mulch-more water now
  • Liquid fertiliser on tomatoes
  • Mulch everything to hold in moisture and suppress weeds
  • Grow lettuce quickly with plenty of water-replant at intervals
  • White Cabbage caterpillar having a field day in brassicas-dont grow them or shield somehow
  • Water evenings or mornings now
  • Stake tomatoes properly or they end of the ground like mine did with this wind

FEBRUARY-late summer, how quickly it's going-harvest time, bugs are out.

  • Keep picking the crop-beans will be flying, zucchinis, tomatoes, spuds, s/beet and anything else you put in.  The rain has helped build up soil moisture but keep MULCHING.
  • Sow seeds for autumn now-cabbage, caulis, broccolis, pak choy-but be aware the white butterfly will be out so try and shield with chicken wire or net til it's time to plant out-about 6 weeks.
  • Sow radish, lettuce, spring onions for quick growing continuity of supply, or buy seedlings instead.
  • Water early mornings, evening-avoid spraying leaves to avoid mildew.  50/50 water & milk fixes that.

AUTUMN-MARCH, APRIL, MAY

March/April-Early and mid-Autumn

  • Harvest time carries on for tomatoes, squash-50/50 milk and water when you get powdery mildew on leaves of pumpkins and zucchinis.
  • Time to plant seedlings- all those brassicas-broccoli, cabbage-sadly the cabbage white butterfly is still active so you will need to use derris dust.  Get them in by April max to give them time to grow before the weather turns cold and slows growth. Look out for vegetable Shield Bug on tomatoes eat holes in fruit.
  • Remove diseased, old finished plants
  • Fertilise and keep on mulching-straw (pea is good), grass clippings.  Take runners of strawberries as they come on and share.

Rotate your veg around-see chart up the page a bit further-it is wise to rest soil with different crops.

WINTER-June, July and August

Plant lupins if you want to overwinter your plots-then slash and dig in as the flowers buds form for a modest nitrogen boost

POSTERS WILL BE ON SALE AT COUNTDOWN MAIDSTONE ON MARCH 8 & 9TH FOR THOSE UPPER HUTTIAN GARDENERS-SUPPORT US SO WE CAN SUPPORT YOU.  WISH LIST IS RENEWAL OF SEEDBANK, FERTILISER, TOOLS. COST-A MEASLEY $4-IN THE ENTRANCE WAY

For those enquiries from Upper Hutt this is especially for you for winter

If you are in a frost prone part now is the time to:

  • Sow or plant broad beans-they do not get hit by frosts, are slow growing but you will reap a good crop.  Afterwards mulch those nitrogen fixers back into the soil for your spring crops to benefit from a bit of N.  Reasonable 500gm bags from Oderings- b.bs need some support/staking.
  • If you are protected from frost its too late for brassicas, get in some quick growing Pak Choy, spinach, leeks, garlic for later on.
  • Watch out for those blasted Pukekos who love pulling out the leeks and then just leave them lying around.
  • Stay warm and rest uptil the madness of spring-mulch the winter garden to knock down weed growth and feed the soil-pea straw, straw, old grass clippings

 Want help or advice starting a community garden of your own gives us a ring or email Sue