Pick Your Own at Mangaroa Farms — Saturday Mornings in the Market Garden
Harvest nutritious veges straight from the soil
Through spring and summer we open the gates to the market garden on Saturday mornings. Pull your own from our weekly selection, and let the kids find out where kai actually comes from. One signup covers your whole family.
Why pick your own
Mangaroa Farms is on a mission to provide local, accessible, nutritious food to our Hutt Valley community. Most people think kai comes from a shelf, wrapped in plastic, likely from somewhere on the other side of the world. Pick Your Own gives you and your family a chance to experience where good food really comes from. A couple hours with your hands in the soil, and you come out with fresh kai without growing it yourself.
Nutritious food, harvested with the family
How it works
Pick. Weigh. Pay.
Simple as. Book your family’s slot, turn up with a bag, and our gardeners will point you at whatever’s ready that week. What you pay depends on what’s in season - every Saturday is a little different, so you’ll pick what’s plentiful on the day.
Book your slot
One signup per family or group. Book the time that suits you.
Pick what’s ready
Bring your own bags and secateurs if you have them. The garden team will show you which beds are open and how to harvest without hurting the plants.
Weigh and pay
Pop your harvest on the scales on the way out. Cash or Eftpos, easy as.
What’s ready
Ready to pick this Saturday
This Saturday’s harvest list lands here during the week, once the garden team has walked the beds.
Coming later this season
The garden decides the menu. As spring rolls into summer, look out for:
and whatever else the season brings.
Weigh & pay
Classic pick your own. Harvest what you like, pop it on the scales, pay by the kilo. Simple, honest, and always cheaper than it should be for food this fresh. Some veges such as pumpkins are pre-harvested and are just paid via "each" price.
The $20 box (on box weeks)
Grab a box and fill it with whatever’s ready - one price, packed as generously as you can manage. As the season builds, so does the box.
Make a morning of it
Healthier than a supermarket run
Pick as slow as you like. Most families make a morning of it, grabbing a coffee or wandering the gardens.
The Coffee Cart
A proper flat white while the kids fill the bag. The cart runs right beside the Farm Shop every PYO Saturday.
The Farm Shop / Kete Kai
Eggs, milk, microgreens, mesclun and locally raised meat - top up the harvest with everything the garden doesn’t grow.
Wander the farm
Say hi to the gardeners and explore the market garden and permaculture orchard
Word gets around
Pick Your Own has a habit of selling out
Know before you go
The practical bits
What should we bring?
Your own bags for the harvest, and secateurs or a knife if you have them. Dress for the farm: hat, water, sun protection, warm layers and footwear that can handle mud.
How does booking work?
One signup covers your whole family or group - just book one ticket and bring everyone. Slots are limited so the garden stays unhurried.
How do I pay for what I pick?
Weigh and pay on the way out - cash or Eftpos both work. Some weeks run a $20 fill-a-box instead, which you grab on arrival.
Is it kid-friendly?
It’s practically built for them. Kids pull the carrots, kids carry the pumpkin, kids sleep well that night.
What if the weather turns?
Light rain is part of farming - bring a jacket. If the weather is properly bad we’ll email everyone before the morning to inform of cancellations.
Where do we go?
The Farm Shop at 98 Whitemans Valley Road, Upper Hutt. Park there and the team will point you to the garden.
Questions?
Email events@mangaroa.org and we’ll sort you out.
Between Saturdays
The next date is nearly ready
PYO Saturdays are announced as the harvest comes ready - the garden sets the calendar, not us. Leave your email and you’ll hear the moment the next morning opens for booking.
The Farm Shop is open regardless
Every Saturday, PYO or not, the Farm Shop and Coffee Cart are pouring and stocked - fresh greens, eggs, milk and good coffee at 98 Whitemans Valley Road.
Visit the Farm Shop page