The Organic Walled Garden
Listening to the land breeds a remembrance in our Being, a humility in our soul, and reconnection to the mystery of Life.
News from the Garden
Over the years the wonderful organic walled garden at Gaunts has seen many things. Â Talented and passionate gardeners have come and gone with various approaches and methodologies. Â Gaunts has always been an Organic garden and different people with different skills have harvested an abundance of natures bounty.
With such a large space though it’s always needed a steady influx of Wwoofers (willing workers on organic farms) and volunteers. Â There has been times when the garden is fully functional, times where it’s tidy, presentable, well organised, and times where nature reclaims herself. Â We are currently in a phase where new, or maybe represented systems and ideas are emerging/re-emerging.
“A lot of the process in the garden are intuitive. Â We are learning as we go, things to do, and things not to do. Â The relationship with the space we are working in teaches us, and the plants teach us. Â It’s a beautiful magical process of slowing down, paying attention and deeply listening.”
Stages of Growth
From Garden to Table
Helps always needed
Organic Garden
Drawing from technologies both old and new to respond to the emergences of our times.
Connecting with Other Communities
We are aware of a whole host of community networks springing up all over Bournemouth. Â Recently we went to visit the project at ‘Grounded Community’ Boscombe to see their growing and free food charity. Â Along with other farms and emerging movements the ground seems it’s being prepared (excuse the pun) for these groups to network. Â Its inspiring us to feel into ways that we can also add to the pool, join and open to new possibilities inspired by a blend of what Gaunts has always offered, aligned perhaps with whats needed in these times. Â We are having a slow gentle look around to see whats possible.
Systems & Ideas of Growth.
So in 2023 with a skeleton team we are dusting off after Covid still and assessing the landscape. Â If we can afford the luxury of Permaculture, Biodynamic principles and emergent technologies both ancient and new, we might employ them in the gardens at Gaunts. Â At present we are doing our best and open to the formation of a new team and opportunity.
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Where do we go from here.
Having spoken to John Cooper, a horticulturist and very knowledgable man who served in the Gaunts Gardens as head gardener for many years, he says that the first thing before anything is to instil a love of growing.
We have preparing and fundamentals as 1st base, clearing the decks of dusty and abandoned tools, procedures and memories exuding from remnant collections of ‘things’. Â We have an area for propagation, raised covered beds for the early foods ands a poly tunnel that really needs a summer fix.
Our gardens are a combination of exploring principles, listen to the gardens own wisdom and watching carefully as we try not to get in the way of collaborations and mutual exchanges that take place in nature all the time. Â I enjoyed John telling me about how he coaxed the Queen Bee into the hive with a sugar lump, and the ways the bees then pollinated the tomatoes plants, detectable by the worker bee nibbles in the yellow flower petals.
John used crop rotation, intelligent planting and trial and error to feel his way into what the garden can produce, and Gaby our current ‘garden mother’ is finding her own way.