Kia Ora + welcome to our gardens. Let us tell you a little about who we are + where we’ve come from.
We are Jodi + Tanya Roebuck and we developed Roebuck Farm, an intensive 2/3rds of an acre market garden HERE growing + delivering produce into restaurants + retail in our area.
We are proud to be an award-winning small-scale intensive market garden and recognised for our commitment to sustainability + mentorship of other growers.
We specialise in fast day-to-maturity crops and same-day harvest + delivery. It’s a model that can work for everyone + really supports both farmers + the community through increasing changeable weather challenges and pandemics.
We love what we do.
We are passionate about growing food sustainably and profitably.
We know what we offer is unique + we would like to encourage others into building the bridge back to local + sustainable food systems.
We first met at art school back in the 90’s. Jodi studying Design + Tanya Fine Arts, but even though, we both had the super fine + fun tutelage of John McLean + Tom Kreisler. Before long we headed up to Koanga Gardens in Northland, New Zealand’s only heritage seed bank, with Jodi as an apprentice then Garden Manager + Tanya in propagation + building the first Koanga Heritage Seed Store. Koanga Gardens supported Jodi on his first trip to study with John Jeavons at Ecology Action in California + then life was never the same ……
Jodi Roebuck has traveled extensively practicing sustainable models in both agriculture + horticulture before establishing Roebuck Farm and is now recognised as one of the world’s finest market gardeners. We extend the tradition on our farm of mentorship as Jodi first received with John Jeavons. Jodi has now collaborated with Four Seasons Farm, Curtis Stone, Jean-Martin Fortier, at Pitch Fork Farm, Rose Creek Farm, Joel Salatin, Darren Doherty + dozens more.
We’ve raised our two adventurous daughters Isabella + Rata May to value connection to food sources + creativity. Isabella is now at uni studying commerce + Rata May about to start her last year at secondary school, both living rich, independent lives + we are so proud of them.
While the girls were both in school, Tanya was there too, teaching her obsession French Art History + Visual Art across the fields of painting, printmaking + sculpture. She recently made the break from teaching and is now home on the farm full time managing microgreens, wash & pack and doing her own painting.
Tanya maintains her own painting practice, her work can be seen in her studio at home + in our on-farm tiny home accommodation @habitat_at_roebuck.
Our Impact
Mentorship is the bottom line for transferring farm knowledge. We love the engagement + directness of it.
We host hundreds of growers from both ends of the scale to the farm every year for workshops, training + tours. And we consult with farmers further away online.
We continue to work hard + enjoy the physicality of it. At the same time, we are basking in knowing the impact we make on start-up + established farms around the world by mentoring + sharing how we do things ensuring growing food is both sustainable + profitable.
