When Lucy Holdaway was growing up on Waiheke Island it was ponies, not gardens, that kept her busy outdoors. It wasn’t until she bought her first home seven years ago, that the Cambridge vet discovered her passion for gardening.
For Lucy, few things rival the buzz of stepping into her own garden and harvesting what she’s grown.“I love it when I cook a meal and most of the ingredients are from my garden. And it’s a thrill to gather fresh flowers to fill my vases, or pick a bunch for a friend. It’s especially rewarding when I grow something right from scratch.”
Lucy raises most of her plants from seed and it didn’t take her long to fill the small garden around her house. Finding space for all the veges she wanted to grow was becoming a challenge. Then one day she popped down the road to the nearby community garden to ask for a lemon. She got chatting to Joe who was tending his plot. One thing led to another and she found herself signing up for a plot of her own.
Unlike most community gardens in New Zealand, ‘Leamington Gardeners’ in Cambridge is modelled on the English allotment set up, where keen gardeners can rent and ‘take ownership of’ their own individual plots. Each plot holder pays an annual fee to Leamington Gardeners (an incorporated society) which in turn pays the Waipa District Council for the use of the land.
“Some of the gardeners already have good gardens at home, but they enjoy the extra space and the sense of community,” says Lucy. Her own 2x4m allotment bed is just a stones throw away from her home and she is thrilled with the extra growing space she now has.
“Being able to grow a wider variety of produce than I can at home has been amazing. Also it was great having it all previously set up and ready to go with the ready made garden beds, pathways, watering and compost bins. ”The allotment gardeners also have access to shared gardening tools, many that have been donated over the years.
As much as the extra growing space, Lucy values the companionship of those who tend their plots alongside her. “We look after our own plots but there is a lovely sense of being around other people in a relaxed low key kind of way.” Most times, when she goes to tend her garden there is at least one other person there.
She loves to see what the other gardeners are growing at different times of year and what they have success with.
“Everybody is always open to questions and happy to share information. We all look out for each other.”
If someone is away on holiday, they can do so in the knowledge that others are watching over their plot and they can communicate with each other via the Leamington Gardeners What’s App group.There is the occasional group barbecue and garden trips to enjoy.
Lucy helps out on the committee which meets regularly (along with other members) to talk over what’s happening in the garden. They will discuss what needs fixing or if they need to purchase anything, and which allotments might be available for new members. Two or three working bees are arranged each year, with meetings beforehand to decide what needs to be done.
“Then we just turn up and crack on with it,” says Lucy. “It’s all done within an hour or two which is so satisfying!"
"Many hands make light work and those big jobs are less emotionally taxing than when you are doing it on your own.”
They will often have a cup of tea afterwards. “There is no electricity so we all bring our thermoses. Ailsa, our secretary, made a beautiful batch of scones for our working bee last weekend.”
On a foundation of beautiful Waikato soil, the garden beds have been lovingly tended over many years with layers of compost and mulch. So they are very fertile plots where crops thrive mainly on the compost that is made on site.
The gardeners are grateful to have a member with connection to the Hamilton Zoo - every now and then a trailer load of well-rotted ‘zoo poo’ is brought in and stockpiled for use as they need it. This year they have also bulk purchased a load of pea straw.
Lucy has been inspired by fellow gardener Bill to get involved in the composting system. “We are aiming to make it as efficient as we can,” she says. “There are certain weeds and diseased material that we never put in there, as it doesn’t get very hot. We are looking at turning it into a hot compost system, but there is a bit more research and study we need to do to get it right.”
The compost corner comprises a well organised series of timber bins. Beside it is a worm farm in an old bath, Jeremy's pet project. Repurposed garage carpets, salvaged from a local retirement village, cover the pathways to block the weeds and provide a smooth surface for walkers and wheelbarrows.
Around the perimeter of the property there are communal garden areas. This year they planted pumpkins beneath the citrus trees. At harvest time the gardeners will take what they need and any excess will be given away. As well as oranges, mandarins, lemons and limes, they have planted feijoa trees and a passionfruit vine.
This summer, Lucy grew sunflowers along the sunny boundary fence for all to enjoy. “It was interesting to see the difference between the ones I sowed straight into the ground and the ones I started in little pots. They all grew and flowered but the direct sown ones were stronger," she reveals.
Spilling over one corner of Lucy’s plot, a patch of bright orange marigolds glows bright like a beacon, luring us down the path on a grey rainy day. In late summer, she is marvelling at the productivity in her vege patch. She visits the Cambridge Farmers Market all year round, but at this time of year she rarely needs to buy veges.
“The yield this summer has been amazing!” she enthuses. “My runner beans have been really tasty and I have a dozen butternut pumpkins nearly ready.” She is still picking cherry tomatoes and zucchini, while the bumble bees are loving the last of the onions she planted last autumn. She let them go to seed so that she can enjoy the globe shaped flowers and their visitors.
Lucy regularly replenished her vege plot with organic matter in the form of compost and mulch. She experiments with found materials such as sheep dags and seaweed, to gently feed and protect her soil. She is planning on using seaweed to make her own liquid fertiliser.
There are no strict rules about how to garden in your own plot, most of the gardeners prefer organic fertilisers and avoid sprays.
In recent years, Lucy has drawn inspiration from local market gardener, Brit of Tomtit Farms in Matangi. This season she is loving being part of Brit's organic gardening workshops, 'Return to the Mara'.
"The course is attended by an amazing bunch of Waikato gardeners. It reinforces the incredible community that is built around like-minded people," says Lucy. "I admire Brit's way of gardening and her beautiful thriving farm. She has been super helpful and is planting seeds in my mind that I think will take my garden to the next level."
Back home in Lucy’s living room, vases brim with dahlias of every colour - all picked from the garden she has planted around her house. Among the many other flowers Lucy loves to grow are hollyhocks, cosmos and scabiosa. A super pretty scabiosa with deep maroon petals and lilac pollen came from her sister’s garden.
Lucy’s sister Marie is such a keen gardener that she has made a career of it. Along with some other friends, the siblings have started an on-line chat group where the ‘green-fingered gals' share their gardening adventures - comparing notes from Waiheke Island to Cambridge to Christchurch.
Perhaps not surprising for an animal-loving vet, Lucy says one of the best things about gardening is simply being immersed in nature. “It is invigorating just being outside hearing all the sounds of birds and insects. I love it when I see insects among my plants, living and eating - and pollinating my flowers!”
