Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Green thumbs up
The power of vegetables is what draws Keren Mitchell to gardening.
She gets to indulge in her passion each year as a judge at the Nelmac Garden Marlborough festival.
Her favourite part is judging the schools’ edible gardens competition where vegetables play a key role.
‘‘I’ve been absolutely blown away by the standard. They’re encouraging butterflies and insects, composting food scraps from their lunches, and they’re looking to the future knowing that other students will enjoy what they’ve started,’’ Keren says.
The four-day festival, in its 24th year, is an entrant in the community innovation category of the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards.
Chairman Tim Crawford says the scope of the festival is so vast it is difficult to describe.
That may be because the committee tries to provide something for everyone, from workshops for gardeners to private garden tours for those who just like to gaze in awe.
And they keep coming up with new offerings, having added the best civic space category and the Urban Garden Party last year.
But the underlying purpose of community engagement is to promote protection of native species and encourage people to care for the environment.
Volunteers put thousands of hours into improving public spaces, and funds raised during the festival support many community groups with a similar goal, Tim says.
‘‘I guess we view the environment as one big garden.’’
- Jennifer Eder