Compost Awareness Day

Lydia from Pickled Compost demonstrating the Bokashi compost method.

The tipi was buzzing with good energy last weekend as we gathered for a day all about compost. Lots of conversation was shared, flowers foraged, and our guests left with full hearts 🌻

We kicked things off with a warm welcome and a bit of our backstory here at Mangaroa — how this old dairy and pine block is slowly turning back into a thriving patchwork of food, forest and community. Then came Lydia from Pickled Compost, who brought a load of knowledge to show us how meat, dairy, and cooked kai can be turned into rich, healthy soil using Bokashi composting methods.

Phil from the Good Carbon Farm followed up with some real magic from the Akatarawa Valley — showing how compost and biochar can team up to make the kind of soil that hums with life. Then the mood shifted into something more gentle and creative, as the fashion students from Whitecliffe led us through a beautiful hands-on dye session, using natural colours from the whenua to print onto silk. Harakeke greens, bark browns, flower-petal pinks.

The optional garden tour in the arvo was a quiet highlight. Wandering through the rows of kai, checking out the garden beds, chatting about soil-building, mulching, and organic methods.

Big mihi to everyone who showed up, shared their curiosity, and got stuck in. And a huge thanks to Upper Hutt City Council for supporting May Compost Month — the soil revolution starts in our backyards.

Missed this one? No stress. There’s always something bubbling here at the farm. Keep an eye on our events page for the next hui or workshop.