Garden Club boost for Porirua

Organic vegetables are now grown on site at Corinna School thanks to the Porirua Schools Garden Club.

The club has set up garden beds, compost bins and gardening workshops for children at five schools in the Porirua basin.

The workshops teach children how to plant, care for, harvest and cook vegetables to promote healthy eating and the use of fresh ingredients.

Alicia Rich has been running the programme for more than two years and said teaching children gardening skills was essential.

‘‘The skills the children learn are most important. We’ve had children say they have taken what they’ve learned and applied it at home,’’ she said.

‘‘We’re really keen on composting to look after the environment by getting the kids to put less rubbish in the landfill.’’

The garden club has a range of supporters already, including Tree Tech and Wesley Community Action.

Tree Tech, a local arborist, supplies the mulch, Te Rito Gardens has helped supply garden beds, Commonsense Organics is sponsoring the programme and Porirua City Council has helped set up compost bins.

Porirua Schools Garden Club has also been nominated for a $5000 grant as part of the Energizer Power of Positive Energy Project. Winners will be announced on July 1.

Ten Energizer project grants will be available for projects that focus on waste minimisation and community involvement.

Rich said the grants would help get more schools on board with the programme by funding garden beds and soil for start-up gardens.

‘‘ At the moment Wesley Community Action helps build up to 25 gardens per year in the homes of children who are especially interested in the programme and want to do something similar in their own homes,’’ she said.

‘‘Having the grant would enable us to build more gardens for children in their own homes.’’