Growing Stories - Emmaus Beautiful Garden
Each month we take a trip to one of the network’s amazing growing projects to find out a bit more about the plot, the people, the harvests and the hopes. This month we are catching up with the gardeners at Emmaus Beautiful Garden in Seaforth, a project adjoining the incredible Emmaus House, a charity that provides a home, as well as education, training and work to people who have experienced homelessness.
“Stand back for a minute and see yourself helping the planet, know that you are an important catalyst in the regeneration of essential life. “
What is your growing project called? And where can we find you?
Emmaus Beautiful Garden , 1 School Lane, Seaforth
Tell us a bit about your project… what do you grow, how many people are involved, who uses your produce?
Volunteers and formerly homeless individuals work together to grow food for the residents of Emmaus House with any surplus given to our local food banks. We grow 20 different vegetables and 20 different types of herbs along with a range of garden flowers and shrubs.
And how long has your project been running?
18 months
What activities do your volunteers and workers take part in?
Gardening, weeding, mowing, site development, joinery, art projects, cultivation, propagation, nature studies.
What would be your 3 top tips for starting a food growing project?
1. Make sure your soil condition suits the plant you intend to try and grow
2. Make friends with your local stable - you can never have too much manure
3. Stand back for a minute and see yourself helping the planet, know that you are an important catalyst in the regeneration of essential life.
“Make friends with your local stable - you can never have too much manure!”
What is your favourite food to grow?
Raspberries.
And what garden tool could you not live without?
My fork.
What is the most exciting thing about community food growing?
Being with similarly minded individuals who are really happy to have a go and laugh a lot in the rain.
Tell us what’s next for your project? What are your plans and dreams for the future?
We hope to double our veg production this year so we can help more people who are on limited means. We are hoping to build our community cafe and garden centre and roll out our training programme.
Where can we find out more about your project?
People are very welcome to join us on our open days - and information on the Emmaus Merseyside web page.
Click here to find out more.