WHAT DOES THE FARM DO?
A small group of environmental and gardening enthusiasts started the farm three years ago on an area of waste ground rented from the council, part of the much larger Westbank project. We have worked hard to keep the farm going through Covid and the lockdown because we feel projects like these are vitally important at so many levels - whether it's simply to help more people to grow more food locally, or as a place where we can explore and demonstrate local solutions to the Climate Emergency.
We grow a wide range of fruit and vegetables which we share amongst our volunteer helpers or give away to local charities. We love to show people how to grow food, to get them started in their own gardens, but we aim to show people much more than that...
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| Strawberry picking last summer |
WOODLAND, REGENERATION, WETLAND, MEADOW AND PLAY AREAS
As well as our fruit and veg growing areas, we have developed different kinds of mini-environments to let people see a range of natural processes at work. People can see how one element can support another - for example, how frogs from the wetland will eat the slugs... well, at least some of them... Or how deep rooted herbs like comfrey will bring up nutrients from deep down in the ground and can be used as a natural fertiliser.
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| Baby Walnut trees we've grown from seed |
LOCAL YIELDS - WORKING WITH NATURE
We show how the land would revert to woodland if untended and how we can tweak that process to achieve more of the yields we need locally. We also show how natural land management can increase biodiversity- land that was previously barren wasteland is now full of worms and other micro-life. As well as high-quality food, we will be growing medicinal herbs and mushrooms, and have been making furniture from our willow and reclaimed wood.
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| Excellent crops of tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, onions, garlic etc etc... even a couple of aubergines and melons... |
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| ... and lots of very tasty grapes |
VOLUNTEERING AND VISITING
See our
FACEBOOK PAGE for details of volunteer days and open days. We have been delighted to have so many parties of schoolchildren visit the farm and get involved with growing, or learning new skills, and we plan to build on what we can offer schools.
VENUE
We've left half of our enormous new polytunnel open, making an excellent venue space for courses, and for group activities related to growing food and sustainable living in general. So far we've hosted:
- Woodwork courses: basic woodwork with hand tools, for women and men
- A fruit tree pruning, and basic orchard and woodland management course
- Meetings for the Seed Savers group
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| Basic woodwork - polytunnel makes an excellent, light teaching space |
COURSES ETC WE PLAN TO HOST SOON
- Introduction to Permaculture Design
- Mushroom growing
- Foraging
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| Open Day Summer 2021 |
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