Our Community Garden

We wanted to prove regeneration is possible on almost any land

We Turned This

Our community garden on the 1st week was a tip

Into This

Our Community Garden shows regeneration is possible on any land

In the community garden we recycle everything we can. Here we have our old beer bootle walkway

butternut squash coming through in our garden. regeneration is possible on ant land

In Just 6 Weeks

Here's How:

Regeneration is so important to the future sustainability of our planet

Regeneration Is Key

For our society to become sustainable the world is in need of some regeneration! We wanted to prove that this could work, on almost any land, and we wanted to ensure the local community benefitted from this too.

So what did we do?

A piece of land that was literally a dumpsite, was used for burning (often plastics) and as a tip for a family compound. On this land, we decided to start a community garden, where we would employ the local community to work on the land, and give away the fruit and veg grown on it to the local community.

Week One

The land was a tip... literally
Ash from burning was everywhere
Plastic, glass, and other waste littered the land

The first step was to clear the land of all the rubbish

Week Two

Land cleared of waste
Preparation and planning began
1st vegetable patch dugout
Fruit trees planted

Rebecca Talbot Growing Green Communities Founder

Week 3 saw our first seedlings come through

Week Three

WE HAVE LIFE

First seeds sown 🌱 and sprouted
Recycled tyre nursery started
More wildlife noticed
The land can breath again

Week Four

After just 4 weeks we had 4 vegetable patches, including one huge raised bed. Our nursery was thriving with seedlings of tomatoes, melons, peppers, chillis, aubergine, and much more, most of which were ready to be transplanted to their productive adult beds.

We had over 20 different plant and fruit trees that had now settled into the garden and started to grow and thrive!

This was all after just 4 weeks, for more news on the garden, and how the transfer from mainly our work to the community's work will be covered in our community garden blog.

Check Out Some Of The People Helping On Our Garden

masmood helped us clear the land, and still works as a gardener today

Mansour

Mansour is a young man from Sukuta village! He helped us so much in the first stages of the garden by clearing the land and helping with odd jobs. He now comes every 2 days to water the garden and can not believe how much it has changed since his first visit.

Aime

Aime is a passionate gardener from Brikama, Gambia. She has been growing a garden there for 7 years, and it's amazing! It's a pocket of beautiful greenery in the middle of one of the busiest places in the country. She sells young plants and provided us with cashew, avocado, papaya, lemon, and orange trees to help start our garden. She will be a long-term planner and gardener in the garden.

Sam is the best and is working for us in the community garden

Sam The Man

We met Sam in the idyllic tranquility of Janjanbureh. We loved him immediately. Sadly Sam has had a troubled life, with great success, only for it to be cruelly taken away from him.

We have formed a fantastic bond with Sam, and we are so happy that he has started working for us in the garden, with a paid salary. This has helped him regain his confidence and he seems so happy to be working with us.