When longtime local Ryan Bellerby began creating his own patch of paradise on a lifestyle block along Wrights Rd three years ago, it led to so much more than just establishing the natives and food forest he’d envisaged to sustain his young family.
Now Ryan’s not only planting and propagating – by torchlight at times – in his own backyard, he’s hosting garden gatherings among his flourishing banana plantation and instigating food forest plantings at Raglan Area School where he was once a student.
How did all that happen – and so fast? Well Ryan reckons he took a good look around last year at his Eden-like garden that started from bare paddocks and thought “this is great for us but it doesn’t have an impact on the community”.
So with the backing of the school’s horticulture department and help from a few like-minded souls big on permaculture, Ryan set to and organised, late last year, two food forest plantings on a gentle slope of the school’s back sports field where the BMX track snakes downhill.
“The plan is to volunteer our time and planting material for this project,” he told the Chronicle, “so we can prove to the community what is possible and get an idea of the costs.”
With that in mind a charitable trust has been set up, funds have been pledged from local businesses like Raglan Food Co, and mulch donated from both New Leaf Tree Services and Mynd Mushrooms where Ryan works.
More high-value fruit trees are soon to be purchased and put in the ground.
In a few years the school students themselves will be able to take over what is now being established, Ryan predicts, ultimately adding to their own environmental education.
Education and food sovereignty – or control of one’s food system – are big on Ryan’s agenda. He admits they are the driving force behind these passion projects.
Although having grown up Te Uku-way on his parents’ ‘Hidden Valley’ lifestyle block, Ryan says his interest in all-things-garden was only piqued six years ago when his first son River was born.
It was at this point he traded the townie lifestyle in Raglan West for eight acres of country living, and literally put down roots. “I wanted more space for my kids to grow up,” he says, so they in turn could learn about nature and sustainably produced food.
The 35 year old insists he knew nothing about living off the land before River’s birth, but was “blown away” by a banana-growing workshop at Solscape eco retreat soon after. He realised then he needed a big backyard in which to experiment so bought his property and started planting out two acres of the eight, even before putting a tiny house on site.
In went 3000 native trees – a mix of manuka, kanuka and slower-growing species like kahikatea and rimu – plus 100 banana plants of the edible variety which have since produced hundreds more.
Bananas are so easy – and free – to propagate, says Ryan, indicating the lush growth of the three varieties planted on his patch. Research shows they’re the most popular fruit consumed worldwide, he adds. “And we can grow so many different varieties in our climate.”
Northland however is the country’s only banana-producing region, Ryan says, the fruit being sold no further south than the Auckland market while most goes overseas.
All good reasons to literally go bananas and get planting right here in Raglan, Ryan laughs.
And there’s no stopping him. With just three years from planting through to fruiting, Ryan’s first crop will soon be ready to harvest. The green, immature bunches of fruit are now all but bursting from their purple flowers and will ripen within the next six months.
Already Ryan has hosted a group of keen locals at his place for an afternoon of banana-talk – a gathering organised by Whaingaroa Environment Centre which regularly encourages growers to connect and share their knowledge.
The focus on bananas proves just how diverse food-growing in Whaingaroa can be.
