•  Monthly in-person wānanga at Tomtit Farm in Matangi, Waikato;

• Mentorship with Brittany Stembridge, organic grower, nutritionist, and founder of Tomtit Farm;

• Seasonally appropriate seeds provided each month, so you can sow alongside the programme;

• Organic seedling packs throughout the season to help establish your māra;

• Biological inoculants and natural growing inputs to trial in your own garden, supporting living soil and plant health;

• Practical garden resources and materials to help set your garden up for success, including seed trays, propagation tools, shade cloth, supports for climbing crops, and seed-saving supplies;

• Hands-on learning in the gardens, exploring topics such as:

  • Seed sowing and propagation;

  • Composting and building living soil;

  • Garden planning, space design, and seasonal rhythms;

  • Plant health, pest balance, and natural inputs;

  • Encouraging biodiversity in the backyard garden;

  • Seed saving and succession planting;

  • Growing in ways that support long-term soil fertility;

• Seasonal reflection and integration activities to help embed your learning;

• A private support group for questions, guidance, and encouragement between sessions;

• You want to grow an abundant backyard garden that nourishes not only your household, but the soil, insects, birds, and the wider ecosystem;

• You’re ready to garden with confidence, knowing what to plant, when to plant it, and why it works;

• You want to understand the living soil beneath your garden and the ecosystems that support healthy plants;

• You want to work with nature rather than against it, learning the rhythms that shape a thriving garden;

• You feel the pull to reconnect with Papatūānuku through the simple act of growing;

• You want practical tools and knowledge to grow healthy kai and beautiful flowers at home;

• You believe in setting up future generations with the skills and understanding to grow food, care for the land, and live in closer relationship with nature;

• You want to be part of rebuilding communities where people have access to nourishing food, thriving gardens, and the knowledge to grow both;

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Because growing food and flowers is more than a skill, it’s a relationship with the land.

Because there is power in returning to the garden, not just as a place to grow food, but as a place to learn, observe, slow down, and reconnect with the rhythms of the seasons.

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At Tomtit Farm, we believe thriving gardens are built on living soil, biodiversity, and care for the wider ecosystem. Return to the Māra is designed to help you grow with that same intention and confidence.

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This programme isn’t just about harvesting more tomatoes or flowers. It’s about building the skills to understand your garden as a living system, working with the soil and the seasons, and becoming the kind of grower who trusts the process and finds joy in it.

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Because when we return to the māra, we remember how to grow alongside nature.

• A thriving home māra;

• A toolkit of practical seasonal growing skills;

• Seeds saved from your own harvest;

• Confidence in your ability to grow food and flowers;

• A deeper understanding of soil health and how to create abundance from it;

• A stronger connection to Papatūānuku and the rhythms of the seasons;

• A community of fellow growers walking the journey alongside you;

• A sense of sovereignty rooted in soil;
   

Because growing food is more than a skill, it’s a relationship with the land.