Gardening Resources

If you are new to gardening, there are a number of local courses and experts you can draw on, as well as experienced gardeners in your family, neighbourhood or networks. Have a look at our list with opportunities to learn, where to get your gardening requirements and how to get started.

Locally grown seedlings

Korito Education - Lots more seedlings now available if your gardens are ready for winter planting! kale, beetroot, perpetual spinach, silverbeet, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage and mesclun mix. $2.50 per bag of 8-10 seedlings txt 0211252035 email derinatur@hotmail.com
Oakura Organics - Beetroot, cauliflower, broccoli, coriander, dill, corn salad, and compost to get you started.
Seedsavers Taranaki - local seed saved are sown and grown to be sold as seedlings to the general public in the spring every year. All proceeds support seedsaving in our region.

Learning about gardening

There are a number of courses on offer at different times of the year. These range from beginner gardening workshops for a few hours on a weekend, through to commercial organic growing certification programs

Workshops

Lets Compost- These are free workshops, and participants receive a $40 discount on bokashi, compost bins, and worm farms.
Peihana Farm - Urenui. Peihana Farm offer a range of workshops, including those related to gardening.
Sustainable Taranaki Workshops - Sustainable Taranaki offer a number of workshops around Taranaki related to food production, including those in beginner gardening, composting and fruit tree pruning.

Courses

Landbased Training - New Plymouth. Based at Newstart Gardens, Landbased Training offer NZQA approved horticulture courses what are strongly organic in their teachings.
Kai Oranga - offer mentoring programme to assist whanau to Hua Para Kore Maara Kai.
Korito Education - New Plymouth. Dee Turner of Korito offers permaculture based weekend courses and gardening short courses throughout the year. She also offeres evening courses at WITT.
Oakura Organics - Oakura. Learn to grow 6 month and 12 month packages. Custom design for your own backyard to increase production.
Roebuck Farm - New Plymouth. Jodi at Roebuck Farms offers a range of workshops on everything from introductions to the biointensive gardening system to market gardening.
WITT - New Plymouth. Students learn a theoretical knowledge of plant and soils science, and growing systems and environments over a 28 week programme to earn a NZ Certificate in Horticulture General (Level 3)

Volunteering

Another great way to learn about growing food is to get involved in a local community garden. Check out the community gardens and orchards section for more details.

Gardening clubs and groups

Gardening clubs are a great way to meet and learn from local enthusiasts. Here are a few to connect with:

Permaculture Taranaki - A Facebook group for anyone interested in Permaculture in Taranaki, whether you are a designer, teacher, active practitioner, just learning, or curious.
Seedsavers Taranaki - Seedsavers Taranaki is a local community wide group that share, swap and have fun saving and growing NZ open pollinated seed local to Taranaki and beyond.
Stratford Herb Group - A community group dedicated to sharing knowledge about various aspects of herbal lore (culinary, medicinal, cosmetic and craft).
Taranaki Landgirls - A group aimed at women living on the land, whether a small lifestyle block or large farm. However it is open to anyone who is interested in the subject.
Taranaki Crop Swap - Backyard gardeners meet on a regular basis to share locally grown and homemade food, exchange gardening knowledge and build relationships.
Sustainable Taranaki Community - This Facebook group offers exchange, support and a network of like-minded community members who are on their sustainability journeys.
NZ Organic Gardening - on a national scale, this Facebook group is a large community of gardening enthusiasts that support with questions, ideas and resources.

Gardening services

The businesses below specialise in providing garden services with a focus on productive gardens and sustainability.

Garden Solutions Taranaki - New Plymouth. Ger offers a green garden advisory service, along side garden design and maintenance.
Greenbridge - New Plymouth. Specialists in sustainable design & build for homes, landscapes and food producing gardens.
Heart & Soil Education - New Plymouth. Garden advisory and seasonal seedlings.
Korito Education - New Plymouth. Dee offers a green garden advisory service and fruit tree pruning.
MaD Contracting - New Plymouth. Organic fertilizer spraying application, tree pruning, mulching and more.
The Fruity Gardener - New Plymouth. Edible garden services, including fruit tree pruning.
Taranaki Timebank - with timebank you can trade your skills in exchange for hours. If you need some gardening help you can share your skills in other areas and find someone in the group to help you with the gardens.

Gardening supplies

The following local and specialist garden suppliers offer organic and low impact garden products:

Atawhai Nursery - New Plymouth. Stock riparian plants.
Big Jims Garden Centre - New Plymouth. General garden supplies.
Dried Mulched Seaweed - New Plymouth. Mulched seaweed sold in 40 litre bags.
Contact Noel Walker on 022 626 9184 or noel_walker@xtra.co.nz
Fairfields Garden Centre - New Plymouth. General garden supplies.
Fertile Fields - New Plymouth. Natural and certified organic fertilisers & natural animal health products
Gardenedge - Hawera. General plant nursery
Korito Education - New Plymouth. Offer food forest groundcovers.
MaD Contracting - New Plymouth. Local suppliers of Agrisea natural fertilizers.
Palmers - New Plymouth. General garden supplies.
Redpaths - suppliers of glasshouses, sheds, cloches, insect netting, weedmat and more (Manawatu).
Roebuck Farm - The Roebuck Fork
Return 2 Earth - New Plymouth. Supplier of compost, mulch and woodchip.
Te Kahuri - Eltham. Offer mail order heritage fruit trees Taranaki wide.
The Fruity Gardener - Tataraimaka, New Plymouth. Sub-tropical plant nursery.
Woodleigh Nursery - 300 Mountain Road, New Plymouth. Native seedlings.

Garden tools

Many a garden enthusiast will tell you that garden tools are not all equal. Below we list some specialist gardening tool suppliers of interes from around the country:

Growing Potential - suppliers of Niwashi tools (not based in Taranaki).
New Plymouth Stihl Shop - suppliers of Niwashi tools
The Garden Tool Store - provide traditional garden tools (not based in Taranaki).

Sustainable seed suppliers

Sourcing quality open pollinated heritage seeds is important for many organic gardeners, ensuring these older vegetable lines are maintained for future generations. Local guardians of seed in this category are the previously listed Seedsavers Taranaki, who maintain seed banks in Taranaki that are open to all to swap and share seeds. Other suppliers around the country include:

While not all organic or heritage, Kings Seeds also supply a large number of seeds of this type. Egmont Seed Co is based in New Plymouth with online seed sales available.

If you know of other stockists/retailers/suppliers/services or all round fantastic sustainable sources please let us know so that we can share.