A new community food forest is taking root in Ngātimoti, with volunteers planting hundreds of trees, shrubs and flowering plants to create a productive forest garden for future generations.
The newly established site is located in the village reserve beside Ngātimoti School.
The project has been established by Crafted Earth plant nursery owner Joel Briffault, alongside Duncan McIntosh, Marios Gavalas and Jade Hogan. Using a syntropic growing method, similar to permaculture, Joel hopes the food forest will both educate people about growing their own food and eventually help feed the community.
“It’s looking at a natural forest and recreating that with our desirable species,” Joel explains.
He says the site will eventually mimic nature, with multiple layers including ground cover, smaller shrubs and large canopy trees.
About 350 plants have been added so far, including pittosporums, which will act as a shelter crop, and tree lucerne, which pulls nitrogen into the soil. Other species, such as comfrey, Mexican sunflowers and herbaceous perennials, will provide biomass, while 150 flowering plants will attract beneficial insects.
Another 100 plants will be added in the coming weeks.
“It’s basically sucking the nutrients out of the ground during the growing season, and then it drops on the surface of the ground, therefore making it available for other plants to leach, so cycling the nutrients,” Joel explains.
He imagines a future where the site produces berries, avocados, nuts, stone fruit and apples, with students able to wander over and supplement their lunchboxes.
“They can come here and get organic, nutrient-dense food just by walking over to the field. It’s kind of a no-brainer.”
A small financial boost from leftover Abel Tasman Educational Trust funding helped kickstart the project, but Joel says it is largely a labour of love.
His business, along with Tasman Tree Fella, supplied mulch for the site, while Crafted Earth also provided many of the plants.
The food forest is located on Tasman District Council land and is overseen by a reserve committee. Joel says both organisations have been supportive of the initiative.
He believes the site’s central location and north-facing aspect make it ideal, while future expansion opportunities could increase its impact.
Joel would also like to run grafting and propagation workshops from the site once the project is established.
While it will take several years before the food forest begins producing significant amounts of fruit, community backing is already strong. About 25 people attended the first planting day last month.
Anyone interested in getting involved can contact ngatimoticommunityfoodforest@gmail.com
