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Gardening

Get advice on how to grow food in your home garden.

Lower Hutt is a great place for gardening. A large part of the city used to serve as market gardens, and in many places we are blessed with luscious river silt soils.

With a bit of planning, the clay rich soil on our windy hillsides can be fantastic for growing food all year round.

Why is gardening useful?

It can take money off your food bill. Food gardening can give you access to fresh, tasty and healthy food and can also reduce your weekly shopping budget.
It can keep you healthy. Gardening can can increase your personal resilience and ensures a healthy diet regardless of your economic circumstances.
It keeps you fit. Gardening can provide gentle exercise and is a good activity to do outside without the cost and strain of having to go to a gym.
It's good for the environment. Maintaining a native or decorative garden enhances biodiversity and helps look after our bird and insect populations by giving them habitats.
It's clean. Gardening doesn't have to involve chemical sprays. See our brochures below for lots of tips on natural, chemical free gardening.
It's cheap. You can build a garden from recycled materials, save or swap your own seeds, propagate your own plants and make your own compost and fertiliser.
It's good for your mental health. Gardening is creative and helps you connect with nature's beauty in a peaceful environment. It gives you the satisfaction of nurturing and caring for something.
It impresses the neighbours. A well looked after garden and vegetable plot can be the talk of the neighbourhood. Whether you want to take a stand for food self-reliance, liberate your lawn or convert the front yard to potatoes, you are sure to impress!