New Plymouth man’s quest to create free food for all

JEREMY WILKINSON

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody loves free food, and New Plymouth man Steve Brill is hoping to make home-grown food available to all.

Inspired by Guerilla Gardening in the United States, Brill has started a roadside garden project simply named “Food is Free” and is calling on the Taranaki community to start planting food crops in often unused roadside grass plots.

His idea is simple – people plant on their property bordering the roadside and put up a sign offering passers-by an opportunity to harvest what they need.

Brill is leading by example, having set up seven of the gardens around New Plymouth, growing everything from kale, cabbage and corn to strawberries.

 

 

 

Brill has been donated 20 of these signs, he just needs more gardens to post them on.

“It’s pretty much just me at this stage, and it’s a lot of work,” he said. “Although, I’ve got a few techniques up my sleeve like using mulch and cardboard to limit the time I spend weeding and watering.

“Mulch also holds water really well, means the gardens are very low-maintenance and you don’t have to water them too often, although this winter rain helps, too.”

However, Brill is in need of volunteers and donations of mulch and compost, but most of all he just needs more people to start planting.

“I don’t care if you’re a millionaire or don’t even have a dollar, the idea behind these gardens are they’re for everyone,” he said.

“Essentially, the more people that get behind it the better.”

Brill said he hadn’t always been so keen on healthy eating but after experiencing a few health issues a few years ago he began to get more interested.

“If you eat crap food you feel crap, if you eat good food you feel good, it’s that simple really.”

So far Brill’s gardens are up and running but the plants in them are still growing.

There are two free for the public to access on Omata Rd in New Plymouth.

Taranaki Daily News