BIG Harvest on Campus

Amazing! The Campus Farm only started in March this year, but the once bare field of grass quickly turned into a vibrant garden and our first harvest is surely worthwhile showing off. It's all organic, all natural.

Plot B's potato abundance...

...and their impressive pumpkins!

Bounty

Summer harvests at the Big Garden have been bountiful and certainly tasty...

Gardening continues year round on Monday and Thursday mornings and alternate Saturdays, more info here

Potatoes!

Big Garden potato harvesting today.
A bucket full from 4 plants seemed good going. Health client volunteers gently unearthed and dug them up, marvelling at the pinky red treasures.
Volunteers also harvested and shared some glossy courgettes, spiky skinned poly-tunnel grown cucumbers and shiny rhubarb chard with its vibrant red stalks. And, of course, lots of pole beans. Beans, beans galore!
Yum

Buzzy Day @ the Campus Farm

Today our much anticipated little helpers arrived with Orlando, our lovely beekeeper. After a long and bumpy ride across town, which made them go very quiet as Orlando told me, the bees finally arrived at their new location next to the Campus Farm.

A few impressions from "Greeting the Bees"

We are initially getting 2 hives, with room to keep up to 6

Orlando is bravely taking off the tape to "Release the Beests", as he said

And here they are, the first bees dare to emerge from their hive

...ready to have a look around, exploring their new location (all still a bit confused as it seems...)

Aren't they fascinating?

Now let them settle in for their first night on campus (always exciting), ready to have an exploration flight in the morning (over to our lovely broad beans, nasturtiums and courgettes, please) and hopefully we'll get some delicious honey, too. And looking forward to get to know them better!

Station Community Garden, Transition Wivenhoe

The Station Community Garden is in its second year at Wivenhoe railway station, making use of the garden area around the disused station house. Network Rail gave permission for the garden last year when Off the Rails and Transition Wivenhoe worked together to grow mostly monster squash and sunflowers!

This year the range of food from this small space has grown: different beans, kale, tomatoes, beetroot, salad crops, potatoes, courgettes, peas, leeks, different brassicas and more!  While harvesting today, a kind donation of 2 more water butts arrived, thanks Tom; and veggies were shared with passers by. All are welcome on Sundays at 3pm to share and learn food growing skills, and sometimes Kelly Kettle tea! Call Jo 01206 827649 for more info.

 Wendy the station puss guards the scarecrow, bless.

Campus Farm Photos 2

Our newest additions: the herb spiral

Big raised bed, made from doors cut in half

This year: Courgettes, squashes & pumkins

Big Garden Bean Planting!

On June 11th it was bean planting out day at the Big Garden, High Woods Country Park, a fantastic team effort! The Big Garden community food growing project is open for gardening (no experience needed) or just visiting on Monday and Thursday mornings from 10am to 1pm and alternate Saturdays, between 11am and 3pm. All are welcome; tools, gloves and tea provided. More info here

Campus Farm Photos

Day 1 We start digging...

After hard-work digging: our first 5 beds are ready

Paths are covered with newspaper and wood chip mulch

How exciting: Our first plants and seedlings

Campus Farm Project

Introduction

Fuelled by visions of the Green Task Force, a committee of staff and students to enhance sustainability on campus, the University of Essex went ahead in March 2011 to transform about 1 acre of land within Wivenhoe Park into a Campus Farm. At the moment there are 6 allotments which are each shared by a group of people. The aim of the project from the beginning was not only to enhance sustainability, to promote various organic gardening methods but also to create a stronger sense of community between members of the university, staff and students alike. In the future the Campus Farm might be extended to include chickens and bees as well. 

It's great to see how the project has grown over the last few months and how a mere plot of grass land has been transformed into a vibrant garden in such a short period of time. Every group has a different approach and it's this diversity of ideas which makes this project so interesting. You really get the sense that all people involved try to be as sustainable as possible. We used material from nearby skips to build polytunnels, raised beds or compost boxes. We recycle leaf and wood chip mulch, compost and grass cuttings which are otherwise unused left-over resources from the Wivenhoe Park maintenance . We are still struggling to find ways for more sustainable ways to collect and use water, but we are hoping to sort this out in the near future. We are also still in need of more gardening tools and a little shed or box in which we can store them in.

The Farm can be found behind Wivenhoe House to your left. Come and have a look or get involved yourself! ;-)

The Campus Farm Project can be found on Facebook as well.