From saleyards to Bountiful Harvest

Bill and Colleen Campbell have, with the help of willing volunteers, turned an old saleyard into a community garden for the people of Waverley. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO 011113WCSMGARDEN1

A passion for gardening and helping out their community has resulted in a Waverley couple spearheading the creation of a community garden for the town.

Bill Campbell has been a professional gardener for 29 years and, with wife Colleen, early this year decided a community garden would be a great way to give back to his town.

"We started by looking for a piece of land and Claire Symes, from the [South Taranaki District] council, helped us track down a section in Waverley, and we came up with an agreement to take on the land with a nominal lease from the council," Mr Campbell said.

He later applied for, and was successful in getting, a grant from the McBroom Estate through the Taranaki District Health Board. With support from fellow parishioners of the Waverley Baptist Fellowship the garden-to-be, a former saleyard, was cleared of bricks and stones and began to take shape.

Mr Campbell also decided on a name: Bountiful Harvest.

"It really fits the idea because bountiful means 'abundant' and to give away, which is what it's really all about. Today's society seems to be take, take, take, but this is giving back to the community."

He said another aim of the project was to encourage younger people to learn to garden as, according to Mrs Campbell, gardening seems to be the last thing on anyone's mind today. Her husband agreed.

"You can go down to the shop and buy a cabbage for a few dollars, or you can grow it yourself for next to nothing," Mr Campbell said.

Further down the track the Waverley Primary School's horticulture group will get involved too, but until then it's the Campbells and a handful of volunteers taking care of the garden. Among the 20 different varieties planted are citrus and apple trees, silverbeet, pumpkin, potatoes and, along the western boundary, a "hedge" of feijoa trees.

The initiative has had great support from the Wanganui Garden Centre and the local branch of RD1.

"I want to say a huge thank you to Chris and the crew, they've donated vouchers and plants and given us big discounts, and the team at RD1 have sponsored us for all the water systems.

"They've been very good to us."

One thing the garden needs is more willing helpers. If you're interested in helping out with the Bountiful Harvest community garden call the Campbells on 06 346 5584.