Zest for plants

Auckland pupils may still complain about doing chores at home, but cooking and weeding the garden have become schoolday highlights since Citrus in Schools was set up. Amy Rosenfeld explains.
The Citrus in Schools scheme initiated by Judith Holtebrinck of Mt Eden Village People has children planting and caring for citrus trees in their schools.
Village People intends to have 100 trees planted by the end of July. Ms Holtebrinck says she started the scheme to encourage a healthy community.
"Food prices have been rising and it's getting hard for families to keep up. It's a good way to ensure there'll be free, healthy food available for the future," she says.
So far, 11 schools have received trees to plant in their grounds.
Justine O'Hara-Gregan, who's helped coordinate the fruit tree planting at Good Shepherd School, says the project has been a good learning experience for students.
"A lot of the kids are coming to this with nothing; no knowledge of soil or dirt, but they're picking things up very quickly and, before you know it, you've got them going into a garden where things are actually growing and they're helping to make it happen," she says.
"There's been a lot of hooking into other people in the community, getting their ideas and input. Different parents and children will get involved and we might say, 'Well this didn't work so well, why don't we try this?'."
She says collaboration with Edendale School nearby, which also received Citrus in Schools' fruit trees, has helped to generate new ideas.
Good Shepherd School also has a vegetable garden, and uses the produce from this and the fruit trees for cooking classes which, in turn, helps the students to try new foods.
"They're trying things that maybe they just would've gone 'ooh yuck!' if it was pushed at them on a plate at home, like the other day we had them eating radishes and hummus."
Regular market days, during which children sell their produce, and partnerships with local businesses, such as collecting coffee grounds from local cafes, have helped to involve the community in the scheme.
Ms O'Hara-Gregan says the school has had great feedback from parents and students alike, and would love to continue with Citrus in Schools well into the future.
"Ideally, we want a whole orchard where children can go and pick fruit as a healthy snack for lunches. It's just great to know that this is going to be there for kids in the community long after these ones have left school."
Dig in
Mt Eden Village People has more fruit trees for interested schools and hopes to expand the scheme during next year's planting season.