‘Active socialising’ flourishing at Palmerston North’s Savage Crescent community garden

Anna Goodall with the newly established Savage Cres community garden.

In 2023, Anna Goodall decided to establish a vege garden for the Savage Cres community in her backyard.

With the help of Manawatū Food Action Network and Growing Gardens and Communities, the garden is now home to raised beds full of winter veges, busily growing until they’re ready to harvest and feed the Savage Cres community.

Having never had time in the past to grow fruit and veges, other than a few tomatoes and lettuces, Goodall is enjoying her new foray into vege gardening. She is busy soaking up knowledge and advice from the diverse group of volunteers who help each Saturday.

She calls the working bees active socialising.

“It’s an easy way for people to get to know one another, talking whilst working in the garden.”

Her community garden is also a collection point for the community’s household food waste, as part of a new community composting initiative being rolled out by Manawatū Food Action Network to deal with household food waste at a neighbourhood level.

To date, Goodall has registered 15 participants who regularly deposit their food waste into a wheelie bin at the site. Since the initiative began 12 weeks ago, participants have diverted 415kg of food waste from landfill, or 26kg per household. This food waste is being composted on site, where the mature compost will be transferred to the raised beds to replenish the soil with nutrients.

Goodall is supportive of initiatives that alleviate financial costs to the community and address environmental concerns such as climate change.

She is also the lead for the Palmerston North Women’s Friendship Group and has established Facebook groups Friends of Savage Park and Savage Community Group, aimed at enhancing the community spirit and environs of Savage Cres.

Through these, she has friends from all walks of life, who regularly meet up for events and outings that take their fancy - from lunches and dinners out, to picnics, shows and festivals.

To find out more about the community composting initiative email kai.security@enm.org.nz or go to enm.org.nz.