Green Minds Think Alike

The forecast was not promising on my first day at Green Island Community Garden, yet I was met with warm smiles from Robin, who was helping next door with an older woman in her flower garden that was tucked behind the local church. Stepping into a new garden for the first time is like meeting someone you feel you’ve known in another life. There is both familiarity and fondness, along with anticipation and curiosity. The abundance of aromas from basil to compost met my senses with the promise of fresh growth, as if it were inviting me to come in. The blossoms from the apple and plum trees were just starting to bloom in the orchard across from the farm in dainty pink and white ombre flowers. After he finished up next door, Robin met me near the shed that displayed a map of the beds and their crops, and showed me where to I could find any tool I may need from rakes to hoes. I asked him how he became a gardener, and he said he had been gardening since he could remember—starting at the age of five, harvesting radishes and carrots. The image I had of the bearded man as a young child with a handful of freshly harvested carrots brought a smile to my face. He handed me a pair of gardening gloves and knee pads before I got to work on weeding the garlic beds. We barely got through an hour of pulling dead nettle and grass before the rain signaled that it was time to go.

On my second visit to the gardens, I met Marion, who facilitates the gardens that have been there for nearly a decade. This well-established community garden has grown significantly where before you could find a tennis court and train tracks covering what has since been transformed into an orchard and vegetable garden that includes an apiary, worm farm, hoop houses, sheds, and compost. While the first hour of work was sunny, it quickly changed to heavy cloud coverage and rain. Everyone began to pack their things before Marion guided us to the shed, which was now set up with chairs and decorated with tea kettles, mugs, coffee, and biscuits. While it could have easily been the end of the day for us volunteers, we instead spent time sharing stories over a cuppa. I asked Marion how she got into gardening as I did with Robin. “We went away for a school holiday when I was maybe seven. The night we got back, my mother heard something in the garden and went to check. She found me out there in my gumboots and dress holding a torch, and I said I was looking to see if anything had grown since we had left. That is the first moment I remember gardening, and I have been gardening ever since.”

The day did not end after our shared snacks and discussion, as the sun finally shone through the shed doors that were propped open where a dog excitingly dropped her toy at the feet of her owner. We returned to gardening and continued our conversation about the therapeutic benefits of gardening when another volunteer, Yvonne, mentioned that gardening helps boost her overall mood. The shared theme of gardening and well-being is evident at each of the places I have visited as volunteers and facilitators alike share their stories of the parallels between happiness and being immersed in nature. As conversation continued, I learned that the motto for Green Island is “Mahi for Kai” or “Work for Food.” After a day of pruning and weeding, I left with a head of broccoli and several stalks of silverbeet that Yvonne placed into my bag. Although my walk home was less than thirty minutes, another volunteer, Penny, insisted on giving me a ride to protect me from the torrential downpour that eventually ended our day. Kind gestures like this were apparent at each of the places I volunteered, truly demonstrating the hospitality that can be found across New Zealand.

Marion was extraordinary as she shared a similar passion for nature therapy, stating that if she were still in school, she would love to study horticultural therapy. Her interest and desire to help others was transparent as she spends a day each week working with a local school for young women with disabilities. I was able to join Marion during one of these gardening sessions hosted at her home with tea and homemade apple muffins. The girls greeted me as we walked onto the covered porch set up for seed sowing. We quickly created an assembly line, filling the celled trays, planting the seeds, writing the labels, and documenting our progress. Some of the girls preferred certain tasks over others; for instance, one girl placed the “Drunken Woman” seeds into the trays with precision as we joked about the name of the lettuce variety. I asked the girls if they grew anything at home, and another girl exclaimed that her favorite thing to grow was pink flowers like the ones she has at home. I told her about Bell Urban Farm where we grow thousands of beautiful flower varieties each year, including the marvelous pink tulips to be enjoyed in early spring. The joy that lit up in each of the young women’s faces when we talked about seeds, chickens, vegetables, and flowers illustrates how horticulture serves as a mediator for expressing emotion and providing comfort; it surely did that rainy afternoon as we giggled with mouthfuls of muffins and biscuits. While I only spent a brief time at the Green Island Community Garden, I was able to witness yet another inspiring garden that prioritizes sustainability, well-being, and community.