Many Hands...

It’s been quite incredible to watch the garden grow over the last three weeks, both physically on the ground and mentally in the minds of all involved. The garden really is starting to take its form. From a field of basil and grass we are now seeing the base plan of the demo garden reveal itself. So once again a huge and organic thankyou, and a large helping of mud and sweat to all involved in getting this far.

Thirsty Work….

One of the projects aims is to use the garden as a tool, bringing people together and proving the concept of "many hands makes light work".  We have witnessed this since day one, but now more than ever the garden’s ability to act as a uniting force is clear for all to see. 

The collective effort of students, workers and volunteers remains vital to the progress of the garden, and their hardwork has resulted in real changes. We have seen the transformation of a green unruly field into a carefully charted blue print, and we are working to bring  functional linearity together with the shapes and processes of nature. Its truly inspiring to watch the garden develop in this way,  with each contribution fusing to create a whole that is more than the sum of its parts.

Building Together

Starting with a pile over two metres high and six metres long our large heap of recycled wood is quickly depleating.  We have made over one hundred metres of material for raised beds; nearly a quater of the way through. Resting the busted thumbs and nail wounded feet, now its back to the junk shops to find a fresh supply of wood to transform into wonderful and useful creations.

Hard Labour

We lost count of the number of rocks that have been collected from the local dump site over the last few weeks. The collective hard work has been a truly monumental feat.  All by hand, tonnes of stone has been moved; transformed from the disused material of one site and given the double function of drain and path material in another.  It’s been great to collect these objects and see the rewards of thinking outside the box. 

Battling against the rain it has been a hard slog completing the paths of the garden.  If you are following our blog you will know that the first spade hit the ground just three weeks ago, yet with hardwork, five shovels and a dozen pairs of hands, the majority of the paths have been mapped, excavated, and graded throughout the garden.  

Elsewhere, the garden has been cleared of vegetation, leaving just a surface cover to protect our precious soil, and we are on the hunt around the university grounds and beyond for lovely materials to build new layers of nutritious future soil to fill our raised beds.

There are testing times ahead for sure, but we are committed to keeping it organic, local and always positive.  We are on a roll, and we are going with it.