Project Description
ENVIRONMENT
growing in harmony with nature
Rather than simply minimising our environmental impact, we take it one step further. We work to heal ecosystems, increase biodiversity, rebuild soil fertility and use renewable resources.
We do this by designing our spaces using permaculture principles. Permaculture seeks to create a ‘permanent culture’; a way of life that is sustainable and in harmony with the natural world that we are an inseparable part of. It is a design process that observes the patterns and principles at work in natural ecosystems, and reflects these when creating our own gardens, homes and community spaces.
One pattern that can be observed in nature is that there is no waste. We mimic this in our gardens by cycling all organic matter that arrives on site back into the ecosystem; from cardboard boxes to chicken poo to seeds. We plant saved seeds each year and create compost and wildlife habitats. On a wider scale, we use reclaimed and locally sourced materials and expertise where possible. Old car tyres and pallets from local businesses are transformed into wormeries and bird boxes. Foraged seaweed is made into liquid plant feed.
increasing biodiversity
Ecosystems find their resilience through diversity. Likewise we avoid monoculture and use companion planting – that is, growing different plants together that mutually benefit one another.
We grow a wide variety of multifunctional plants that produce food and medicine, attract beneficial insects, as well as provide food and shelter for wildlife. We are adapting our growing to the changing climate and modern urban lifestyles. This means experimenting with low-maintenance perennial food plants, early and late varieties to extend the season, and urban forest gardens, producing a high yield of different edible crops in a small space.
Caring for bees and wildlife
We keep bees for their ecological benefit as well as for honey. Our beehives, on the Sovereign shopping centre, pollinate gardens all over Boscombe. Our expert beekeeper ensures that the hives are kept healthy and have enough honey for themselves as well as us.
We are ‘untidy’ gardeners and proud of it! We leave lawns unmown and allow native wild plants to grow freely in the corners and edges of our gardens. As well as this we create and look after urban wildlife habitats, such as back garden hedgehog corridors, wildlife ponds, log piles and bird boxes.
BUILDING HEALTHY LIVING SOIL
In natural ecosystems there is no bare earth. Soil fertility increases each year, as dead plants and leaves rot down, feeding soil organisms. We replicate this process by keeping our beds covered all year with growing plants, or a mulch of compost, cardboard or woodchip.
By focusing on feeding the soil, the soil in turn feeds our plant, human, insect and wildlife communities. All of our gardens are organic and chemical-free, and use regenerative techniques such as no-dig gardening, sheet mulching and making plant feed from comfrey.
renewable resources
Nature is powered by current sunlight. We reflect this by reducing our use of fossil fuels. We also use renewable energy wherever possible. We harvest rainwater for irrigating plants, use solar panels to power ‘The Shack’, our off-grid garden office, recycle greywater, run a community composting scheme, and even make compost from human waste.