The harvest is ready once again – come and grab some fresh vegetables and herbs from our community gardens.

The glass roof and walls of the former Cacti House, adjoining the Winter Gardens, at Queens Park have been removed for health and safety reasons, and the space – along with several nearby garden plots – has been transformed into a community garden for everybody to enjoy.

You can also find community gardens in Ōtakaro Park, and we are trialling another opposite the Bluff Service Centre.

Invercargill City Council Open Spaces and Recreation Strategic Advisor Chris Bowen said the community gardens were a joint effort between Council, South Alive, Healthy Families Invercargill, and the Murihiku Kai Collective.

“Council has heard from its community that food security is a really important issue to them. Initiatives like this really contribute to the wellbeing of our people, and it is fantastic to see collective efforts like the community gardens not only sprout up, but be so well-received,” he said.

The issue of food security was being included in various Council strategies going forward, he said.

“Our gardeners have done an incredible job and the community gardens are teeming with delicious, fresh produce such as kale, celery, silverbeet, chives, parsley, and thyme. There’s definitely a great variety there, so we’re sure people are going to be able to whip up some pretty delicious feasts using the bits and pieces they pick.”

Please take only what you need, leaving some kai for others to enjoy. Remember to pick just the leaves or produce, not the whole plant, so it can flourish and continue to feed others.

The produce is spray-free, but please don’t forget to wash everything before using.

Happy eating!