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St Mary’s Fruit Tree Orchard

St Mary’s School Enviro Team wanted to provide fresh fruit for their hāpori whānui and community. They wanted to encourage students to eat more fruit, learn about growing and taking care of fruit trees as well as encourage wildlife to their school like insects to pollinate the flowers.

To do this their Enviro Team proposed a space that they thought would be a great place to make an orchard. It was beside an existing garden shed, sheltered from the wind and easily accessible by vehicles. The area was very dry though and the rainfall in Blenheim is often low. So they knew they would also need to think about how they could provide a watering system. This would help the fruit trees grow and bear fruit.

They researched the types of trees that would be suitable and how many trees would fit into the space. A survey was then put out to get feedback from all students before choosing the types of fruit trees. Once they had decided on the trees, they were purchased with a Growing for Good Grant from Countdown. They were then ordered and delivered.

Each class contributed by coming at a set time with their buddy class to help dig the trench for the irrigation. Once the irrigation was in, they worked out how far apart the trees should be planted and dug the holes. 

Orchards are a valuable addition to Kids Edible Gardens. They build links with different cultures and show respect for the diversity within our communities by providing a space that everyone can enjoy and contribute too.

Kids Edible Gardens teach valuable lessons about where food comes from, what it takes to grow and how to cook healthy kai as well as how enjoyable it is to share.  As students share their experiences at home, whanaungatanga grows within their family as well as their wider community.

Well done to the St Mary’s School Enviro Team, what a great action project; they have shown us a great example of how we can build Sustainable Communities through Kai.