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.