Imagining new/old models of food
and community in the suburbs.
Visit our syntropic organic urban farm, growing nutrient dense food, connecting community and healing ecosystems.
We acknowledge Te Ātiawa ki Kāpiti as mana whenua, recognise their mana motuhake as well as their enduring connection to the land that we are currently custodians of.
The Green Garden is an alternative exploration of what suburban life can look like. On our urban farm we experiment with ideas around connection, healing, ecology, food sovereignty, community and mindfulness.
We draw on permaculture design principles and practice organic horticulture, informed by the latest soil science. We are in our final year of a three year journey towards being Hua Parakore certified.
We focus on practices that elevate the mana of Hineahuone, the atua of soil and heal the ecosystem. This means we are no-dig, and use very minimal external inputs, focusing on circular fertility practices that increase the lifeforce, and workforce, within the Soil Food Web.
Want to know more? Follow The Green Garden on Instagram or consider one of the options below – stay, workshop or visit.
Stay and learn with us
Come for a minimum week long stay on our urban farm on the Kāpiti Coast. Soak up ways in which we cultivate meaningful amounts of organic, nutrient dense food using the Soil Food Web and the power of photosynthesis.
Check out our property, availability and previous wwoofers feedback here on the Willing Workers on Organic Farms website.
“It’s impossible to rate my time highly enough. Sarah and Marcus are such interesting and kind people and Albie and Fred are awesome kids. The accommodation was lovely and family meal times were really special. I spent days in the garden with Sarah learning the basics of organic gardening. She’s really patient and great at explaining. The garden is incredible so her methods are definitely working! Hopeful that I’ll see the Hopkinsons again someday, they are some of my favourite people I’ve ever met on my travels!”
Gil, Glasgow, Scotland
“I was instantly welcomed into the family and felt entirely comfortable to relax in the house or have my own space in the little batch. The garden is incredible; I was lucky enough to be staying when Sarah had a workshop on with locals to learn about regenerative growing. I learnt so much in my one short week there and I really didn’t want to leave. Sarah and Marcus are absolute legends. The kids are very cool and chill, so smart and so nice to each other. Also, the food I ate there was some of the best I’ve had in all of my travels. Honestly sublime. I cannot sing their praises enough. I had a truly special and memorable week. Love you guys!
Caitlyn, Swansea, Wales
Book a workshop
Keep an eye out on the Instagram feed or the workshops page for upcoming workshops either at our urban farm, or out and about in the community.
If you have a group, school or organisation that would like a workshop on enacting Te Tiriti in our growing lives, or growing your own food using the soil food web and photosynthesis, get in touch with me directly and we can design something to suit your needs.
Come to an Open Day
Over 350 people attended our last Open Day on 23 November 2024 as part of the Raumati South Garden Trail.
Keep an eye on our Instagram feed, or here, for more details of a 2025 Open Day date.
Or if you have a group, school or organisation that would like a garden tour – get in touch with me directly and we can design something to suit your needs.
Follow us on Instagram
Be inspired by Joanna Macy
Three times a day, we eat the world that we want to live in. How we produce our food, and connect with the living systems that surround us is fundamentally important to our collective futures.
Joanna Macy, eco philosopher,- along with many other thinkers and leaders – such as Dr Jessica Hutchings, Bayo Akomalafe, Vandana Shiva and Robin Wall Kimmerer help to set our wayfaring direction forward at The Green Garden.
To learn more about Joanna Macy’s thinking, watch this short video below.
Contact
027 428 1655
All images created by me, without the assistance of AI.
Sarah Alice Hopkinson 