Active critters are gardeners' friends

Worms in a bathtub, chooks in a tractor and bees out of the hive … it will all be happening at a free home gardening workshop at Hollard Gardens in Kaponga on Sunday (12 June).

The “Garden Critters” workshop will focus on the benefits bees, chooks and worms bring to the food garden.

Workshop speakers will include beekeeper Rex Walker, whose previous sessions at Hollards have proved popular.

After Mr Walker has explained the ins and outs of bees and beekeeping, garden staff will show how to make a worm farm out of an old bathtub, and demonstrate how to build a “chook tractor”.

The “tractor “ is a moveable chicken run that can be rotated around vegetable plots that are between crops. The feathered “tractor drivers” do three jobs: Eat the tired vegetables, dispose of potential weed seeds and add nutritious manure.

Sunday’s workshop will be held in an area at Hollards known as “Bernie’s Home Garden”. Named in honour of garden founder Bernie Hollard, the Home Garden is a demonstration area where a number of different food growing principles and ideas are put into practice.

The workshop is part of a year-long programme of free public events at Hollard Gardens, Pukeiti and Tupare, the three heritage properties owned and administered by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region.

For more information, see www.hollardgardens.info, www.tupare.info and www.pukeiti.org.nz. Social media users can also follow the Regional Gardens on Facebook (TaranakiRegionalGardens) and Twitter (@TaranakiRG).