Term 1 Garden Adventures: From Hotcakes to Caterpillars!

After a hotcake-dry summer that left our garden grilled and gasping for water, we were amazed to find some resilient treasures still growing beneath the soil. Out came rainbow carrots and some of the funniest-shaped potatoes we’ve ever seen! Our courgette plants also surprised us with a bumper crop of bright yellow courgettes. Many of our younger tamariki weren’t quite sure what they were. “Is it a banana?” one asked.

One of the most exciting discoveries this term was spotting monarch caterpillars and butterflies for the first time in our garden. We had planted swan plants in the hope of attracting them, and it worked. The butterfly laid eggs, and soon tiny caterpillars began munching away. The tamariki were absolutely thrilled to watch the full life cycle unfold.

We also focused on seed saving this term—carefully collecting seeds from beans, carrots, dill, broccoli, and parsley. The kids loved filling the seeds into little containers, asking curious questions and wondering if this would be a never-ending cycle of planting and growing.

As we head into the cooler months, we’ve started planting our winter seeds. The tamariki were fascinated by the variety of seed sizes—and amazed that something as small as a broccoli seed can grow into such a big vegetable.

And of course, during those extra hot summer days, nothing beats turning on a spinning sprinkler  flower! The tamariki had a blast running through it, laughing and cooling off—while the garden got a much-needed watering too. 

We’re looking forward to term 2, with more planting, harvesting, and exploring what our garden has to teach us. The cooler season brings new adventures.