Gardening and DIY: Schools' secret gardens opened

Wednesday the 17th April will see the garden gates of schools involved with the Garden to Table programme being thrown open. The tour will showcase the secret school gardens in schools across Auckland in order to raise funds to spread the edible educational programme which teaches children how to grow a garden and cook from it.
The Garden to Table Trust will guide visitors through Owairaka, Edendale and Meadowbank Primary Schools and either East Tamaki Primary or Dawson School allowing garden and culinary enthusiasts to gain a better understanding of the programme and sample some school-grown treats prepared by the children themselves.
Trust Chairperson, Catherine Bell, says the tour will allow people to gain a real understanding of the programme by seeing it in action.

"The activity in the garden and kitchen classrooms really is something you have to see to understand. It is an incredible programme and we hope this tour will encourage our visitors to replicate this seed to plate eating lifestyle in their own homes and schools," she says.

"We're really proud of what the schools, volunteers, partners and children have created during the past few years. Providing an opportunity to showcase this with a tour is a great way to show the success of the scheme and demonstrate the life-long skills the children involved are gaining," she says.

The funds from the tour will raise money to spread Garden to Table throughout the country.

"There is a huge demand for the programme as people have come to realise how essential this real life learning is when it comes to educating

children and the communities they come from," she says.

Tickets are $95 each and include a gourmet picnic lunch and luxury coach travel. Email

n.curinbirch@gardentotable.org.nz to secure a seat.