The Resilience Garden Open Day September 2013

The Resilience Garden project develops ordinary gardens to provide an emergency supply of fresh food for the immediate neighbourhood. A significant amount of home grown food for the householder all year round is a useful side effect.

This garden, in Coxley, was built using reclaimed materials, at very little cost. A raised bed system is used as the local soil is a heavy clay, difficult to raise vegetables on. The growing area was created in stages over five years, using tyres as a retaining wall to enable easy expansion as soil became available.

It took quite a lot of soil to get a good depth in the vegetable beds. This was mainly reclaimed from building sites. Structure was added by mixing it with kitchen waste and manure. A home-made spray of comfrey, nettle and seaweed provided extra minerals. All the food is grown using organic methods and applying permaculture principles for low maintenance.

The garden was in a useful state of transition for the Open Day as the initial tyre layout had reached the final stage; the shape and size of the plot was now fixed. The tyres were being emptied and replaced by a low brick retaining wall. The higher stacks on the windy corner were still in place, demonstrating how versatile these temporary structures can be.  When the permanent wall is complete, willow hurdles will provide a wind break.

A new bed was being formed on the other side of the garden, using the old tyres to surround a patch of gravel ready to fill with soil. An edible green manure, such as rocket or cress will be planted there by the end of September

Despite the cold rain setting in about lunch time, we had a dozen visitors over the course of the day, all of whom braved the outdoors to explore the garden. The plant identification game did have to be abandoned and the workshop became a lively kitchen table discussion, but all told, it was a good day!