Soil & Health member Jenny Williamson shared some photos from her garden near Feilding, taken in February 2025.
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Jenny Williamson’s favourite vegetable is beetroot, which grows extremely well in her garden. She grows two varieties: Detroit Dark Red (pictured) and Monorubra (a cylindrical variety).
The green leafy plant is Daubenton’s kale, a perennial plant that Jenny grew from a cutting planted in the spring. It’s growing well even in part shade. Read more about perennial brassicas here.
ABOVE: Left – Detroit dark red beetroot Right – Daubenton’s kale, grown from a cutting
The silverbeet pictured is Rainbow Lights, and the pumpkins Jenny is growing this season are Queensland Blue and “just the usual supermarket grey”. Jenny saved seeds of both of these from the previous season.
“I have had tomato blight and have not been able to solve it, unfortunately,” says Jenny. “I’m not keen on spraying. I grew the tomatoes from saved seed from last year so I’m disappointed in this result. Others I got from a friend are looking all right, and of course the cherry tomatoes don’t seem to be bothered by anything.”
Sometimes success comes unexpectedly. “I have also had a great crop of bok choy (or maybe it’s pak choi) which I did not sow. It just came up and must have been in my compost, although I have not had this vegetable in my garden for several years!”
ABOVE: Left – Rainbow Lights silverbeet; Right – Queensland Blue pumpkin
https://organicnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250122_140305-scaled.jpg19202560Staff Writerhttps://organicnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/OrganicNZ-2024-Masthead.pngStaff Writer2025-02-25 15:07:222025-02-25 15:07:23Photos from Jenny’s garden
Sarah Smuts-Kennedy has dedicated her life to cultivating change – not just in the soil, but in the way we grow, learn, and connect to the land. From her early days as an artist to becoming an advocate for biology-first regenerative horticulture practices, she has helped reshape how we view the potential of food production in our cities and its capacity to heal the soils we grow in.
Sarah shares her transformational journey, the challenges and triumphs of founding For the Love of Bees (FTLOB), their model farm OMG and the Earthworkers Hort 101 educational pathway.
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ABOVE: Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, establishing interest in the OMG farm in central Auckland, 2017
Tell us a bit about your background, Sarah. You’ve had quite a diverse career journey.
I’ve had an unconventional path, to say the least. I was an actor for over 20 years, from the ’80s through to the early 2000s. In the early 2000s I moved to Australia and became an artist and in 2005 I got to travel to India and exhibit my art in New Delhi. That experience really changed my perspective on the world. I began to use my art practice to explore the environmental issues we were facing, like deforestation and coal mining in Australia.
By 2010, I realised that my art wasn’t having the kind of impact I wanted. I was highlighting problems but not providing solutions. So, I decided to make a shift. I enrolled in a Permaculture Design Course at the same time I began an Master of Fine Arts and started working with biodynamic practices, committing myself to learning how to regenerate land I had just moved to which we named Maunga Kereru. I wanted to focus on solutions and find ways to share these practices with others.
ABOVE: Sarah in her studio at Maunga Kereru, 2023
You’ve had quite an impact in the regenerative urban farming community. How did For the Love of Bees and Earthworkers come to be?
In 2014, I worked on a collaborative artwork called ‘The Park’, which aimed to bring bees into the city and encourage people to engage with their local food sources. Through this project, I connected with Daniel Schuurman, who introduced me to the idea of using fungi to improve plant health.
I realised that while art could bring attention to environmental issues, it was through practical action that real change could be made. This led to the creation of For the Love of Bees, a project focused on reimagining urban environments as safe spaces for bees. We wanted to build a community that would prioritise biology-first regeneration horticulture. Over the years, that vision grew into Earthworkers, an educational platform designed to equip people with the skills they need to regenerate the land and grow food sustainably.
To date, over 200 people have graduated from Earthworkers, many of whom are now working professionally in the sector, spreading the knowledge they’ve gained through workshops and projects of their own.
ABOVE: Pōwhiri for the Rongoā gardens at Wellesley St, central Auckland, pre OMG (2017)ABOVE: Sarah (at left, wearing a hat) with Earthworkers participants at OMG (Organic Market Garden) in 2021
What led you to focus on education and mentorship in the agricultural sector?
I’ve always believed in learning from those who are actually doing the work. There’s so much theory out there, but hands-on experience makes the difference. After taking various courses and learning from experts like Graham Sait and Jodi Roebuck, I realised that no one was offering an educational pathway that combined learning with ongoing mentorship.
When you’re starting out in regenerative farming, so many questions arise in the field. Without proper support, it’s easy to fall back on old habits or resort to quick fixes – like pesticides or even organic fertilisers that may not always benefit the ecosystem as a whole. That’s why we integrated post-course mentoring into Earthworkers Hort 101.
The idea is that students don’t just leave with knowledge; they have a community to lean on as they continue to learn and grow. The mentorship component ensures that they implement the practices and make decisions that prioritise soil health—the foundation of any regenerative system.
ABOVE: Left – Sarah Smuts-Kennedy at Maunga Kereru, which she describes as a syntropic research gardening project. Right – Sarah teaching at an event at Solstice Organics, Whenuapai, organised by OrganicFarmNZ in February 2025
What makes Earthworkers Hort 101 different from other agricultural courses?
Our course is built around a biology-first approach to regenerative farming. We focus on soil remediation and fostering healthy ecosystems as the foundation for sustainable food production. Biology-first means prioritising the health of the biological engine of the soil, which leads to healthier plants and greater economic resilience for growers.
But it’s not just about theory – it’s about learning through doing. Our five-day intensive course is split between a deep dive into soil science in the classroom, and hands-on fieldwork. We teach everything from the microbial world and mineral cycles to soil testing and plant health monitoring. In the afternoons, we take these concepts into real-world settings – farms, community gardens, or home gardens – where students see regenerative systems in action. We teach on model farms that actively use the principles we promote, because seeing is believing. We teach people to investigate their own site’s condition and only make the amendments it needs, with a less-is-more approach.
Most importantly, after the course ends, we don’t just send students on their way – we provide ongoing mentorship. Our alumni network has become an incredible resource, with experienced graduates mentoring new students and sharing their knowledge. This sense of community is one of the most valuable aspects of the programme.
ABOVE: Sarah (centre in pale grey) and participants in Earthworkers 101 at Kaicycle, Pōneke Wellington, 2021
“True learning happens in the field, side by side, hands in the soil.” – Sarah Smuts-Kennedy
Why do you believe that food biology-first regenerative production is key to addressing environmental challenges?
Biology-first regenerative agriculture is one of the most powerful tools we have to combat biodiversity loss and heal farm ecosystems. It restores soil health, which leads to better food production and resilience against climate extremes.
We see the results firsthand – year after year, crops thrive, yields improve, and produce lasts longer due to higher nutrient density. This means healthier food for consumers and fewer pesticide residues, which is a growing concern for many. Farmers want to grow better, but they face barriers: time, money, and the risk of change. That’s why education and support are critical. We’re now seeing larger-scale growers becoming interested in regenerative techniques, and we believe it’s important to offer a locally supported pathway that harnesses the knowledge of their own communities.
ABOVE: Sarah teaching her neighbour from Kauri Ora, February 2025
What’s next for you and For the Love of Bees?
Separating the farm (OMG) from the Earthworkers educational pathway was a tough decision, but it’s allowed us to focus fully on expanding Earthworkers. We want to develop resources to help people learn how to regenerate their land, no matter where they are, and support our alumni who are expressing a desire to train to be regenerative agronomists like Daniel.
I get excited seeing how our alumni continue to innovate and inspire others. We’ve built a strong community, and by supporting each other, we can keep growing this movement. Ultimately, my goal is to keep learning, keep teaching, and keep building a world where people are more connected to their land and food. If we can do that, we’ll be well on our way to healing both our landscapes and our communities.
ABOVE: Sarah with school children in Auckland at Highwic Historical House. This was a pasture painting project, in collaboration with Auckland Council, Enviroschools, Parnell Rotary, and Newmarket and Parnell primary schools.
Any final thoughts on teaching and learning?
It has always been important to me that teachers practice what they teach. While I am not a commercial grower, I have spent the last 15 years deeply immersed in regenerative growing. Maunga Kereru, my 10-acre property just 45 minutes north of Auckland, has served as both sanctuary and laboratory—a place where mistakes have become lessons, and experiments have shaped my evolving understanding of ecosystems.
One of my greatest teachers has been the land itself—specifically, a 400-square-metre food forest that I regenerated from an engineered, compacted clay driveway. Over 15 years, this hard clay has transformed into the heart of food production at Maunga Kereru, providing evidence that even the most degraded soils can be revived through thoughtful interventions and design.
ABOVE: Photos from Sarah’s land, Maunga Kereru, Mahurangi West. Left to right: establishing compost, working bee, spring blossom amidst lush growth
I began learning how to teach here—first with my WWOOFers, then through workshops with the biodynamic community, and later with the FTLOB and OMG communities. For the past eight years, I concentrated my teaching at the FTLOB OMG farm, but my systems were always tested and refined here at home. More recently, I’ve returned to teaching at Maunga Kereru, where students can see permaculture, biodynamic, syntropic, raised beds, and traditional horticulture integrated side by side.
My knowledge is valuable, but I wouldn’t feel confident teaching Earthworkers Hort 101 without Daniel’s 40-plus years of experience as a grower and agronomist leading us. I am still a student, and each time I participate in an Earthworkers course, I integrate more complex ideas into my knowledge base. As Daniel always says, we are all learning together.
We invite the growers who host Earthworkers Hort 101 on their farms to run modules, and we encourage students to bring their own experiences into the conversation.
After all, true learning happens in the field, side by side, hands in the soil.
ABOVE: Levi Brinsdon-Hall, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy and friend at the first working bee at OMG, 2018. Photo: Aaron McLean
Earthworkers Hort 101
24–28 March 2025, Hamilton
Hosted by:
Coral Ramiro and team at Earth Stewards
Brit and James Stembridge of Tomtit Farm
Chris McIntosh at Ethos Café’s new start-up farm
These three farms will showcase regenerative farming practices in action. Participants in the course will learn from these growers who have experience of managing farms and offer models of what’s possible using biology-first regenerative methods.
As he deepens his knowledge of organic and regenerative horticulture and the links with soil, food and health, Chris McIntosh has found his life journey coming full circle.
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Seeds planted in childhood
Raised on his grandparents’ farm, Chris McIntosh had a childhood steeped in traditional practices. “They cooked everything from scratch, preserved food, and had animals,” he recalls. His grandfather, a market gardener from Holland, unknowingly planted the seeds of horticulture in him. These experiences became his happiest childhood memories and set the foundation for his later passion for growing food.
As a chef, Chris’s approach to food was always health-driven. “Most chefs focus on flavor. My first question is, ‘Is this healthy?’”
Health challenges forced him to scrutinise ingredients and their sources. “When you start asking where food comes from, it becomes pretty scary.” This curiosity and necessity drove his journey into horticulture.
ABOVE: Left – Chris is well pleased with the corn crop at Ethos in January 2025. Photo: Wade Aukett, Anglican Action Right – Chris in the Ethos kitchen
Starting with Earth Stewards
Chris found the culinary industry to be a toxic environment, so he left, and took a leap of faith. He had no job but had always dreamed of starting a farm. A friend introduced him to Warwick Hutchinson, who offered him land to begin Earth Stewards, a certified organic urban farm project in Hamilton inspired by North American regenerative farming pioneers like Curtis Stone and Jean-Martin Fortier.
“I approached the farm with methods I learned online,” Chris explains. But the labour-intensive practices of broadforking and double digging weren’t sustainable. He pivoted to no-till horticulture, laying heavy compost directly on the soil, which worked well initially. Over the years of growing Chris has realised that one size does not fit all in horticultural practices.
ABOVE: Chris (centre, arms folded) with a group visiting Earth Stewards in 2019. Photo: Sarah Smuts-Kennedy
Ethos: A new chapter
Chris’s second urban farm project reflects his deeper understanding of horticulture. It’s a café called Ethos, located within the social enterprise of Mahi Mihinare – Anglican Action farm, also in Hamilton.
“Starting another growing project gives me a chance to apply everything I’ve already learned. But it also makes me realise there is so much more I want to know about regenerative horticulture.”
From creating his own potting mix to understanding soil chemistry, he emphasises the importance of getting it right from day one. “If you don’t get a good start, you don’t get a good outcome.”
Soil testing has become really essential, something he has learnt from the mistakes he has made which have taught him valuable lessons. “This season for example, one bad input material has affected all our growing beds, and I’ve had to spend months trying to recover from it.” This was bought-in compost that turned out to be very poor quality.
The Ethos project also gives Chris the freedom to explore the connection between food culture and horticulture. “Food culture is born around what we can grow in season locally, not what we can import. I’m trying to find my identity within the food industry and our culture.”
The integration of this new urban farm with the Ethos café means he is focused on using surplus produce to create preserves adding value to their produce. “This way, we make the most of what we grow, while educating customers on seasonal, local food.”
Lessons learned
Key takeaways from Chris’s journey include:
Observation is a horticulturist’s greatest tool: “Nature is always speaking to us. Everything in nature is perfect. Why am I so arrogant to think I know better?”
Holistic thinking: Health, soil, and community are interconnected. “You can’t just focus on one aspect and hope the rest falls into place.”
Importance of systems: “As a chef, I’ve learned the value of good systems. Without them, nothing flows, whether in the kitchen or in the garden.”
Hosting the Earthworker Course
Chris is extending his learning, connection and growth not only by participating in the Earthworker Course, but at the same time by offering to host the course coming up in late March at the Mahi Mihinare conference facilities where Ethos is located.
“I want to be part of the biology-first regenerative horticulture movement and learn from others on this path. I already have a few years of urban farming under my belt, and I recently completed the Nutri Tech Solutions course in Australia with Graeme Sait, but I know Daniel [Schuurman] has more to teach me here on my own site, and I also sense being part of the Earthworker network will be invaluable for growing my confidence and ability as a horticulturist.”
He sees this as an opportunity to refine his skills and contribute to a broader community of regenerative growers. “I hope to support other projects and participate in further education opportunities to become an agronomist like Graeme Sait and Daniel.”
“I’ve spent years practicing, but now I want to understand how the system works beneath the soil. To become a good steward of it.” – Chris McIntosh
ABOVE: Spring garden at Ethos Cafe gardens. Photo: Wade Aukett, Anglican Action
Mentorship: Daniel Schuurman’s support
A key figure in Chris’s journey has been Daniel Schuurman, the lead teacher and mentor for Earthworkers. Daniel has over 45 years of lived experience as a grower, giving him a long-range perspective as an agronomist and consultant. He began supporting Chris during his time at Earth Stewards and has continued to guide him through the challenges of his new project at Ethos.
“Daniel’s depth of knowledge and ability to connect science with lived experience have been invaluable,” Chris says. “His mentorship has helped me navigate complex challenges and saved my arse a few times. Slowly his support is helping me build necessary foundational knowledge. ”
ABOVE: Chris and Daniel at the vege gardens at Ethos discussing how to remedy the impact of the poor quality bought-in compost. Photos: Sarah Smuts-Kennedy
A transformative opportunity
The Earthworker course will be a transformative opportunity to deepen his understanding and connect him with like-minded growers. “I have a million questions a week, and being part of the Earthworker Alumni network will allow me to tap into a growing community of regenerative practitioners who prioritise ecosystem and community restoration.” For more information about the Earthworker Alumni network, see the first article in this series here.
Chris is excited to learn specific practical skills, including:
Making his own biological inoculations for seeds and brewing applications for soil and foliar use.
Understanding the nitrogen cycle and how minerals like phosphorus interact with fungi.
Improving his composting techniques to prepare for creating his own seed-raising mix, inspired by Earth Stewards manager Coral Ramiro.
Developing effective mulching strategies to improve soil health and water retention.
How nutrition affects plant health, impacts on a plant’s ability to photosynthesise, be pollinated effectively, and encourage its relationship with soil microbes.
The five-day immersion into the chemistry and biology of thriving horticultural systems is particularly exciting for Chris. “I’ve spent years practicing, but now I want to understand how the system works beneath the soil. To become a good steward of it.”
Chris feels passionate about making biology-first regenerative horticulture his life’s work. He’s especially eager about the prospect of joining a small cohort of Earthworker Alumni in 2025, participating in a research group that will receive expert coaching to achieve a higher level of mastery. “This is an incredible opportunity to deepen my expertise and contribute to the future of regenerative horticulture.”
The bigger picture
Chris’s vision extends beyond his garden. He dreams of a world where people reconnect with the land and embrace community living. “Everyone has moved away from horticulture because of the materialistic dream of city life. We’ve lost our connection to the very thing that sustains us.”
By hosting the Earthworker course and sharing his journey, Chris hopes to inspire others to return to the land and take responsibility for their food and health. “If we work with nature instead of against it, we can create a sustainable future for ourselves and our communities.”
Sarah Smuts-Kennedy is the founder of For the Love of Bees and OMG (Organic Market Garden in central Auckland), and co-founder of the Earthworkers programme.
Earthworkers Hort 101
24–28 March 2025, Hamilton
Hosted by:
Coral Ramiro and team at Earth Stewards
Brit and James Stembridge of Tomtit Farm
Chris McIntosh at Ethos Café’s new start-up farm
These three farms will showcase regenerative farming practices in action. Participants in the course will learn from these growers who have experience of managing farms and offer models of what’s possible using biology-first regenerative methods.
https://organicnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/20250121_142918-cropped-med-res-scaled.jpg11632560membershiphttps://organicnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/OrganicNZ-2024-Masthead.pngmembership2025-01-23 11:41:062025-01-23 11:41:07From paddock to plate and back again
Lenny Prinz and Jodi Collins are next generation homesteaders living in Ōpōtiki, Eastern Bay of Plenty. In 2009, Lenny started as a fungiculturalist: growing mushrooms and cultivating their spawn. Jodi is a potter and artist, committed to growing the couple’s children with the principles of sustainability and child-led learning.
Lenny has expanded the utility of farmed mushrooms by developing compostable packaging using mycelium, as an alternative to polystyrene. Jodi also works using zero-waste principles. In her creative work she upcycles and recycles to produce art with humour and meaning, and more formal pieces.
Nutritional therapist Paula Sharp met Lenny and Jodi at an oyster mushroom workshop, and tells their story here.
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Organic lifestyle
Ōpōtiki, gateway to the East Cape, has become home for Lenny and Jodi’s family. Their homestead was built in 1907 and now boasts a huge spray-free vegetable garden using agroforestry methods. There are ducks, young chickens turning over the compost heap, while mature hens roam and lay their eggs (unpredictably at times) near their mobile coop.
Three generations live here: Lenny’s father, Lenny and Jodi, and their three children, Juliana (10), Albaer (7) and Iver (2). Life is hectic as they balance planting, growing and harvesting with hunting, home schooling, creativity, mushroom cultivation, the science of mycelium, and agroforestry education.
Lenny’s parents emigrated from Germany in 1990 in the wake of Chernobyl’s creeping contamination concerns. They chose to settle in Whakatāne and later Pikowai, near Matatā, in order to provide an organic lifestyle for their family. Lenny, now is his 30s, is doing the same thing for his family. Lenny and Jodi’s ethos is multi-layered: to connect people with the land and growing, to invest in the future of their family and community, and to live a sustainable and honest life.
Jodi is an advocate for homeschooling, and can offer advice for parents and carers in the homeschooling network, or considering being part it.
ABOVE: Left – Jodi at work on her art Right – Some of Jodi’s playful creations
Spawning and supporting
In his small sterile (and mobile) laboratory, Lenny grows mushroom spawn. Fourteen years of experience, previously in Raglan, mean that Lenny is an expert in his field. Pink and grey oyster and native tawaka (poplar) mushrooms are currently his most popular.
It takes approximately 14 days to grow Petri dish spawn to colonised substrate ready to fruit. The substrate is a carrier product (for example straw or sawdust), and it’s colonised when the spider web strands of mycelium grow through it. One of Lenny’s business activities is to send spawn and colonised substrate around New Zealand to different growers. They fruit the mushrooms and sell them or use them within their own businesses.
Lenny is driven to support regional growers, particularly now as many small entities have suffered in the post-covid period. Many business costs are increasing, but Lenny is reviewing how to make his products cheaper and more affordable so they can reach more people and help the survival of small businesses. He also coaches and mentors start-up growers to be fully functioning businesses, teaching people how to grow from spawn to then market mushrooms and/or grow their own spawn for marketing purposes.
ABOVE: Left – Lenny Prinz with his compostable packaging made of mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms. Right – Close-up of oyster mushrooms.
Native mushrooms
Lenny is successfully experimenting with native edible mushrooms in order to supply spawn or mushroom fruit to the New Zealand culinary market. He spends time foraging, on the hunt for endemic species that he can replicate as spawn, picked from local surroundings. New Zealand’s strict biosecurity laws mean there’s no opportunity to import different mushroom varieties, but this doesn’t faze him in the least. “We just need to eat closer to home. I want to make our native mushrooms available to Kiwis.”
Native edibles that Lenny cultivates besides the tawaka and oyster varieties are the New Zealand native shiitake, pekepeke-kiore (New Zealand lion’s mane), enoki, hakeke (wood ear), garden giants (or wine caps because of their colour), turkey tail and the New Zealand reishi (of the Ganoderma family).
Lenny is interested in the nutritional and medicinal value of mushrooms. His most popular medicinal varieties are turkey tail, reishi and hakeke. Turkey tail is a tough, leathery mushroom that is best brewed as a tea or tincture and supports immunity. New Zealand reishi is renowned for its immune-boosting qualities too and supports sleep. Wood ear or hakeke is used to treat colds, reduce fevers, and to strengthen the cardiovascular system. (If you’re new to medicinal mushrooms, always consult a professional before use).
Soil health, mycorrhiza and carbon sinks
The link between mushrooms and other produce is very clear to Lenny; it’s soil health. Good quality soil produces nutrient-dense vegetables, fruit and animals. Mushrooms, specifically mycorrhiza fungi, have a big part to play in soil quality.
Most mushrooms (button, oyster, reishi etc) live and feed on dead matter, whereas mycorrhizal mushrooms grow in close, symbiotic relationships with the living roots of plants or trees. Mycelium strands of the fungi attach themselves to the root of the host, expanding the reach of the root to absorb and transport nutrients and water to the tree. In return, the tree provides the mycorrhiza with sugars and starches produced through photosynthesis.
We would recognise mycorrhizal fungi as the edible fruiting bodies of mushrooms such as truffles, chanterelles and porcini. There are many more which are not edible. Edible mycorrhiza are notoriously difficult to cultivate, but all grow well in the wild. There is even more magic to this relationship: these fungi act as natural carbon sinks. They can hold carbon produced by the host in their tissues and the surrounding soil. Like biochar, mycorrhizal fungi have a part to play in our carbon solution.
ABOVE: Left – Lenny was involved in the installation of this no-dig vegetable garden at the McKenzie family’s home as part of Te Pātaka Kai a Toi mentorship project
Right – Globe artichokes at Jodi and Lenny’s family farm
Sharing the knowledge
Lenny shares his knowledge as a sustainable gardener and mushroom educator. He supports regional growers, and coaches start-up enterprises to fully functioning businesses.
On his land he runs mushroom growing workshops and shares sustainable gardening tips with curious people. He doesn’t keep secrets around his growing techniques but shares his knowledge and experience so others can try it out in their own gardens or with their mushroom growing. For example, after years of using different activated straw as his growing compound for the mushroom mycelium, he has found a soya and pine pellet mix which is affordable, less time consuming and more sustainable.
Gardening and community food sovereignty
Similarly, he shares his version of food forestry, using his land as his example; it works for him. Lenny and Jodi use a variety of growing practices. They’ve created a vegetable garden using companion planting, organic matter, no-till farming practices and agroforestry (larger plants sheltering vulnerable leafy greens and providing pollinating insect food). And it’s working to keep the soil healthy and crops abundant – last season the kūmara patch produced some tubers weighing as much as six kilos each!
Lenny and Jodi have planted a fruit orchard and sell spray-free seedlings cheaply. They’re always thinking of how to give back to the land and its people. More recently Lenny has worked with Ihi Kura Gym to create a garden supplying food to its members, and with Te Ao Hou Trust to project manage local growing ventures. Lenny is helping to grow growers, using the foundations of food sovereignty.
ABOVE: Left – the beginnings of a food forest at Ihi Kura Gym, as a border around a children’s play area Right – raised beds at Ihi Kura Gym, Ōpōtiki
Compostable fungi packaging
Over the years, Lenny has immersed himself in the science of mushrooms and the various uses for mycelium and mushroom compounds. Perhaps the cap on the top of his fungi is that he’s part of a team spearheading compostable packaging.
As chief technology officer for the company BioFab, Lenny has been instrumental in developing an alternative packaging material made from agricultural waste and mycelium, aimed at replacing polystyrene. This multi-use product can be domestically or commercially composted within 30 days.
BioFab recently located its operations to Australia in order to broaden its reach in the Australasian packaging market. Its mission is ‘to significantly reduce the harm toxic materials are causing to the planet and encourage a world where waste streams regenerate, rather than destroy our natural environment.’ www.biofab.bio/
ABOVE: An example of the compostable mushroom packaging from BioLab
Growing humanity
Perhaps even more important than growing mushrooms, fruit and vegetables is that Lenny Prinz and Jodi Collins are growing humanity. They’re focused on the health and wellbeing of their family, their community, New Zealanders and making change globally. And there’s no doubt this inspiring couple are making a positive difference.
ABOVE: Jodi and Lenny with their children Iver, Albaer and Juliana PHOTO: John Bell
Casing layer: A layer of water-holding material, layered on top of a substrate to promote mushroom growth.
CO2: Carbon dioxide gas is exhaled by mushrooms.
Colonise: Mycelium is grown from one substrate to the next. Once the intended substrate is completely dense with white, it is fully colonised and ready to produce mushrooms or be transferred onto the next substrate.
Culture: A pure mushroom strain.
Flush: When mushroom substrates produce mushrooms.
Fruit-body, fruiting body, mushroom: The edible part of the mushroom
Gills: The underside of the cap, thin lines
Incubation: Period of time between substrate inoculation to mushroom.
Mycelium: This is the bulk of the mushroom; it is a fine root like structure that secretes enzymes digesting material externally.
Mycology: The study of fungi.
Pasteurisation: Process that kills most spores and other non-beneficial organisms in bulk substrate.
Spawn: Sterilised grain or sawdust with a selected mushroom culture grown through it.
Spores: Mushroom ‘seeds’. Tiny microscopic single celled reproductive product that are dropped from the gills of the mushroom.
AUTHOR BIO: Paula Sharp is a nutritional therapist working globally via Zoom to support women’s health, restore gut health and digestion, hormonal balance, skin and hair, sleep, shifting weight and health pre- and post-surgery. www.paulasharpnutrition.com
She is also a guest speaker, giving talks to companies on nutrition and mindset. In London she worked in the organic fruit and vegetable industry, and now she is based in Whakatāne, growing her own extensive spray-free garden.
https://organicnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/IMG_4121cropped-scaled.jpg11862560membershiphttps://organicnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/OrganicNZ-2024-Masthead.pngmembership2025-01-22 11:21:182025-01-22 13:51:36Mushrooming with next-gen homesteaders
Coral Ramiro is the manager of Earth Stewards certified organic urban farm in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, and an alumna of the Earthworkers Hort 101 programme.
She tells her story to Sarah Smuts-Kennedy.
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Coral’s journey to organic regenerative growing
Sarah began by asking Coral how she became a regenerative grower and how the Earthworkers course helped shape her path.
“My journey into regenerative farming began far from the soil and was an unexpected turn,” says Coral. “I actually trained as an interior designer in Spain, but had to move to London in 2008 after the recession made it impossible to find any work there. It was in London while living in a tiny flat with no access to nature, that I started to notice I was developing a longing for a connection to the outdoors.”
So when the opportunity arose to volunteer at one of London’s educational farms, Coral joined the team.
“I have always been a vegan passionate about sustainable food systems, so I quickly gravitated towards the growing team, where I discovered a deep sense of belonging with like-minded individuals who shared a desire to create a food system that nourishes both people and the planet.”
ABOVE: Left – polycropping at Earth Stewards; right – Coral Ramiro Photos: Sarah Smuts-Kennedy
Challenges: catalysts for change
But despite her growing passion, she faced challenges breaking into the sector due to a lack of experience. This was a catalyst for Coral and her partner embarking on their big OE (overseas experience), first going to Australia before ultimately landing in New Zealand.
“I completed my Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) at Whanganui Eco School before I was lucky to secure my first role in the sector at Earth Stewards in 2019, just as the farm was getting off the ground,” says Coral.
During Covid-19 Earth Stewards lost its manager and Coral was encouraged to step up and take the reins. It was a daunting task, but luckily six months later, she was invited to take the Earthworkers Hort 101 course, which proved to be a pivotal moment in her career.
Earthworkers course: valuable learning
“The course really opened doors for me,” says Coral. “It helped me become an informed decision-maker. I needed to understand something before I can truly embrace it. The course gave me the base knowledge of why we do what we do, especially when it comes to growing regeneratively and organically. I came away with answers that gave me clarity and confidence in my role as a market garden manager.”
One of the key takeaways for Coral was understanding the science behind regenerative practices, particularly the relationship between soil microbiology, chemistry, minerals, and nutrients.
“It was overwhelming at first. I had a headache for days trying to absorb all the new information, but by the end of the course, I really understood how everything fits together.”
As a creative person, Coral also loved how polycropping allowed her to apply her design skills to farming.
“I get a lot of joy from the colour patterns that appear across the beds over the growing season. We got really excited at Earth Stewards as a team about planning our polycrops, and it gave us a simple way to contribute and learn together.”
“I needed to understand the why behind what we do—why we grow in ways to protect the soil and the whole ecosystem” – Coral Ramiro
Supportive network of growers
In addition to the valuable knowledge gained, the Earthworkers course provided her with the opportunity to connect with other like-minded growers.
“Through the course, I met Jenny Lux of Lux Organics and Brit from Tomtit Farms, and we’ve formed a lasting, supportive connection. Our farms collaborate by sharing produce, seedlings, and knowledge, and we’ve visited each other’s farms, like Jenny’s in Rotorua. It’s been a reminder that we’re not alone. Being part of a network of like-minded growers makes all the difference, especially in a field where the challenges can feel isolating.”
Coral has found the Earthworkers support network to be crucial for her and the Earth Stewards team, especially when it comes to managing pest and disease pressures.
“Having access to the post-course WhatsApp group has been vital. It’s reassuring to see other growers experiencing the same challenges—it makes you feel better about the difficulties you’re facing.”
ABOVE LEFT: Earthworkers participants at Highwic House, left to right: Coral Ramiro, Richard Conyngham, Jenny Lux, Pippa Hayes and Kaitlyn Lamb ABOVE RIGHT: Coral, standing in the centre, and Brit Stembridge at the front, with other Earthworker participants at Highwic House, learning ‘flipping beds’ with no-till systems. Photos: Sarah Smuts-Kennedy
Stepping up to share knowledge and innovation
“Brit and I are excited to host the 2025 Earthworkers Hort 101 course at Earth Stewards and Tomtit Farms. The Earthworkers course was a game-changer for us, and being able to see these practices in action at the FTLOB (For the Love of Bees) model farm OMG in Auckland really made it feel real and achievable. Now, as we step into hosting the course on our own farms, we hope to inspire local growers in Waikato to embrace biology-first regenerative growing systems.”
Coral’s enthusiasm for soil science as a result of the Earthworkers course led her to undertake more study with Dr Elaine Ingham via the Soil Food Web. Participants in the next Earthworkers course in March 2025 will be able to see some of the research project she did.
Earth Stewards is certified organic with OrganicFarmNZ. It has come a long way since its early days, and Coral and the team will share some of the farm’s innovations with course participants in March.
Enhancing soils with compost and cover crops
“One of the things we’re really proud of is our ability to grow all the inputs we need to produce high-quality compost. We’re now self-sufficient in compost production, which we use for our seed-raising mix. Knowing that we control the quality of our seedlings has made a huge difference.”
“We’ve also had our first successful season managing our cover crops, allowing us to have in-situ mulch on most of our beds. This has drastically improved our moisture management and weed control, while also providing nutrition to the plants as they grow.” “This season while we were planting out our seedlings we experienced the soil being bouncy underfoot for the first time, and found preparing for planting carrots much easier. Over time we are seeing a change in the physical conditions of the farm as a result of the practices we are using.”
ABOVE: Abundant growth in the Earth Stewards greenhouse. Photos: Sarah Smuts-Kennedy
Finding the best sales model
At Earth Stewards they have also made real progress with their sales system, which they discovered is just as important as the growing.
“We started out doing farmers’ markets and had just started implementing the CSA (community supported agriculture) model as Covid started,” Coral recalls. “In a few weeks we went from doing a few CSA boxes to over 100, which put us under untenable pressure. It took us a while to find the right balance, and model, for selling our produce, but now we have a thriving shop on site which is open one day a week with talk of opening another day.”
“On sunny days there is a queue to buy produce which comes from a few local growers we are collaborating with. This gives us a very practical way to contribute to local growers who are also needing to sell their produce.”
The importance of a sense of community in organic regenerative farming is huge. Farming can be isolating, especially when you’re committed to healing the ecosystem the community gets even smaller. But for Coral and others the Earthworkers network has helped them feel supported and connected to others who are facing similar challenges.
“Together, we’re learning, growing, and turning our farms into models of biology-first regenerative practice.”
Earthworkers Hort 101
24–28 March 2025, Hamilton
Hosted by:
Coral Ramiro and team at Earth Stewards
Brit and James Stembridge of Tomtit Farm
Chris McIntosh at Ethos Café’s new start-up farm
These three farms will showcase regenerative farming practices in action. Participants in the course will learn from these growers who have experience of managing farms and offer models of what’s possible using biology-first regenerative methods.
ABOVE: Earthworkers lead agronomist Daniel Schuurman showing soil samples to Earthworkers participants at OMG in central Auckland. Photo: Kate Micaela
Earthworkers alumni – continuing the journey
Since it was launched in 2020 the five-day Earthworkers Hort 101 course has encouraged nearly 200 alumni to turn food production into an ecosystem restoration tool. Continuing this support via post-course mentoring they have established a network of optimistic like-minded growers who help each other in the day-to-day stresses and joys of learning how to work alongside nature to feed their local communities.
As a result, Earthworkers lead agronomist Daniel Schuurman and Earthworkers co-founder Sarah Smuts-Kennedy are developing the Earthworkers Educational Pathway to include opportunities for those wanting to take their learning to the next stage.
In 2024 For the Love of Bees (FTLOB) ran the Communities of Regenerative Learning (CORL) programme) in Tāmaki Makaurau, supporting six urban growing projects engaging alumni to step into mentoring roles. In 2025 this is being rebranded as the Earthworkers Alumni Research Group and will support a small group of alumni who want to deepen their knowledge using their own projects to do this.
Sarah Smuts-Kennedy is the founder of For the Love of Bees and OMG (Organic Market Garden in central Auckland), and co-founder of the Earthworkers programme.
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Paige Murray explores how we can work with weeds as organic gardeners and growers.
Growing organically, as you well know, is not without its challenges: weeds in abundance, certain insects wreaking havoc out in the fields, not to mention the constant soil remediation and conditioning.
While these obstacles may be at times overwhelming, there are ways to manage them – and let’s be brutally honest here: if you’re taking the leap and growing without synthetic chemicals, it’s unlikely you’ll achieve completely weed- and pest-free crops.
Monarch butterfly on Scotch thistle
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Paige Murray lives near Christchurch and loves any excuse to get outdoors. Passionate about organic and regenerative agriculture, she works for Quorum Sense and Streamside Organics, and spends most of her free time gardening, making cheese and preserves, or climbing up rocks.
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Chaos Springs at Waihi run regular workshops about soil health, composting, and creating on-farm fertility. Jenny Lux reports on a recent workshop.
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Chaos Springs workshops
I have been an avid follower of Chaos Springs since I first went there in 2014 on a field trip as a student doing an evening class in Level 3 organic primary production. Recently I did a cheeky entry into one of their competitions for a free place in a workshop and I won!
So on a sunny spring Friday in October I attended the Creating On-Farm Fertility workshop taught by Steve and Jenny Erickson. This proved to be equally useful and stimulating to me, a market gardener, as it was to the many pastoral farmers, orchardists and general public attending, who all had a common interest in living off the land in some way.
ABOVE: Jenny Erickson (left) and Steve Erickson by the vege garden, looking at the health and quality of the soil. Behind Jenny is a huge lemon verbena.
The biological engine
It all comes back to what Steve calls the ‘biological engine’ and getting that really humming. It’s an analogy that suits a mechanic like Steve, who is the man behind the innovative Cyclone multi-task sprayer. This machine allows you to combine compost, minerals and fertilisers in a liquid format for a single application onto land, and can handle particles up to 15mm – an amazing tool!
Steve (centre) with workshop group and the Cyclone at rightSteve Erickson (centre) with barrels of comfrey extract
The day began with a couple hours of lectures, and a sumptuous morning tea, followed by a BYO packed lunch and a farm tour. We started looking at the plant extract facility, then onto the commercial composting area (with a demo of the Cyclone), and a walk through some paddocks to dig holes and observe soil structure and visible biological activity. We finished at Jenny’s biodynamic home garden, where you could see and also feel the energy of plants growing in balance.
This Chaos Springs workshop attracted a lot of practitioners with many years of knowledge, so there was a really rich exchange of ideas and advice. My only criticism was that it didn’t really seem long enough!
If you are managing any piece of land, I would highly recommend attending one of the Chaos Springs workshops. There is an on-farm composting workshop coming up on 29 November.
Jenny Lux, immediate past co-chair of Soil & Health, is an organic market gardener at Rotorua.
ABOVE: Jenny Erickson with her ashwagandha plant inside her glasshouse.ABOVE: Steve Erickson of Chaos Springs (second from right) speaks of his journey in pasture management over the last 22 years, from a fairly degraded base of ragwort-infested conventional dairy pasture on clay, to a currently thriving mixed sward on a darker clay-loam that provides optimal nutrition for his animals and is maintained only twice a year with a biological liquid spray, all made on farm.
Tanya Batt shares the story of Spring into Kōanga, a seasonal celebration on Waiheke Island. It’s one of the Kai for Community projects run by the Once Upon an Island Charitable Trust These projects focus on reconnecting with true seasonal celebrations and the stories and traditions around growing, harvesting and sharing food in the Waiheke community.
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Egg time!
It’s egg time. Many people often fail to make the connection between eggs, Easter and spring – kōanga. Probably because we celebrate Easter (a northern spring festival) in Australia and New Zealand in autumn.
However if you are lucky enough to have the company of a few chickens, that connection will come as no surprise to you. At this time of year you can be sure of an egg for breakfast. But for many of us, eggs (if you eat them) come from shops and shops always have eggs regardless of the season.
When we lose the connection between our seasons and celebrations, a vacuum is created and celebrations become superficial. Instead of connecting us to our environment, they become focused on what we can buy and how things look, and reverence is often diminished or lost. Upcoming spring Halloween celebrations demonstrate this perfectly.
ABOVE: Laying the tāpapa beds, Piritahi Marae, Waiheke Island, September 2024
September: Laying the tāpapa beds
Here on Waiheke, we’re seasonally celebrating with Spring into Kōanga – a story in two parts.
The first part took place during September with the return of the pīpīwharauroa (shining cuckoo), in the māra of the Island’s Piritahi Marae, with the laying of the tāpapa beds from which will grow the tipu of the kūmara. These tipu (shoots or slips) will then be sown later in October or early November.
The September event was led by whaea Maikara Ropata, and kaumatua Eugene Behan-Kitto, a master kūmara grower who learnt his growing skills from the late Kato Kauwhata (Ngāpuhi), kaumata and inaugural chairperson of Piritahi Marae. The hope is to grow enough tipu this kōanga, for both the marae māra and other community garden groups, and activate island wide uptake of growing kūmara.
Growing stories and kākano (seed) for the hue (gourd) were also shared in an informal kōrero about this treasured plant – another early arrival bought by the tipuna of tangata Māori. When young, the fruit of this plant can be eaten but as a dried mature fruit it was used a storage vessel, musical instrument and taonga. The day finished with a kōrero given by Mike Smith, a climate activist who has recently won the right to take several large companies in New Zealand to court for failure to curtail their carbon emissions.
Kūmara was the first cultivated crop grown in Aotearoa. Its legacy as a primary food source of the people of this country stretches back several hundred years. The māra kūmara falls under the domain of Rongo-mā-Tāne, the atua of cultivated food and of peace.
October: Pumpkins, corn, tomatoes and more
Our second event was held on the grounds of another of our community gardens – the Surfdale food forest – on 20 October. The programme included a talk about growing tomatoes with one of our green-fingered gurus, Eddie Welsh, seasonal kai ideas from the Waiheke Home Grown Trust, a spring posy competition, egg decorating and plant giveaways for the summer garden.
The focus was on two plants in particular: pumpkins and corn. Both plants originate from the Americas, their cultivation extending back thousands of years.
There are lots of traditions and stories associated with corn. In Europe, a ‘corn mother’ or ‘the old woman’ or ‘corn dolly’ was made out of corn (though corn was a generic word used for grain). The corn dollies were kept in the barn to protect the crops during winter, and then ploughed into the ground come spring to ensure a good harvest.
This tradition resonates strongly with another story of corn, which is told by a number of North American First Nations people from the eastern and south-western areas, where from the first mother’s body grew the first maize plants.
Attendees were given free pumpkin seedlings and corn seed, accompanied by a story and a song and were encouraged to bring their harvests to the Autumn Kai for Community Waiheke Food Festival in April 2025. The pumpkin seedlings were germinated by the students of the Waiheke Primary School’s Garden to Table programme. This programme was also the source of the pink popping corn seed that will be distributed for growing over summer, again culminating in a island-wide ‘pop-a-thon’ in autumn.
A primary focus of the Kai for Community programme is to excite and support families to grow food at home, fostering the green hearts and fingers of young children. Both Spring into Kōanga events have been generously supported by the Waiheke Local Board and are part of the Waiheke Island Climate Action plan.
The relationship we have with the land we live on, the food we grow and eat and each other are the cornerstones of wellbeing. Celebrating our seasons brings these three important things together and helps create healthy and happy hapori (communities).
Hollie Pierson with a Kai for Community tea towelOpening ceremony, Kai for Community Harvest festival in April
Tanya Batt is a word warbler and seed sower living on Waiheke Island. Her two passions – storytelling and gardening – have found a happy union in the work she does as a storytelling gardener at a local school and through her role as creative director of the Once Upon an Island Charitable Trust’s Kai for Community (KFC) projects.
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Microbes are a big name in organic agriculture – in fact, they are the reason for everything. I’m not exaggerating here: the first life forms thought to have existed were – you guessed it – of such tiny proportions that you and I would have thought nothing of them. Story and photos by Paige Murray.
Paige Murray
I’m sure you know the basics, but to be clear, ‘microbe’ is the broad term to describe organisms of microscopic size – too small for us humans to see, thus we give them far less credit than they deserve. In this case, I’m referring to the microbes colonising our soils and helping our plants to grow big, strong and healthy. Microbes are like colostrum for babies: without them, our plants would be sickly, weak and lacking a whole heap of important nutrients.
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Paige lives in a tiny house on the outskirts of Lincoln, and loves to get her hands dirty in all ways homesteading. A childhood of growing up on and around farms was the perfect way to understand that agriculture got us, as a human race, to where we are today… and it will shape who we become tomorrow.
The past five years saw Paige working on an organic market garden. It was here that she learnt (in spite of what all her agricultural science lecturers told her) that organics can be economically viable, and is a pretty good way to grow and produce alongside nature, rather than fighting her.
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I have been exploring syntropic agroforestry over the past three years, and in this article I’ve outlined the foundational concepts.
My practical application and experiences of syntropic agroforestry are limited but there is a lot of information available, and some great practitioners up and down the country offering workshops and courses.
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Andy Jeffs lives with his wife Erica in Hawke’s Bay. He manages a BioGro certified organic blueberry orchard at True Earth. He enjoys growing food at home using principles that regenerate the earth.
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