The Growing Project is the outcome of community-led research that, since 2021, has involved consulting with local residents and experts in food, ecology and horticultural. It seeks to enable our community to mitigate the loss of natural wildlife habitat and the declines of biodiversity. By doing so it will create opportunities for skill-sharing and learning, for bringing people together and closer to nature in ways that can build resilience as we face challenges from the effects of a changing climate, rising food prices and social isolation.
Having been successful with an application to the Ouse Valley Climate Action call, we are now accelerating our plants to complete more elements of the plan over the coming year.
Scroll down to see more on the specific components…
Wild Verge and Ornamental Trees: Planted in Winter 2021
In Winter 2021, we planted our first set of trees alongside the overflow car park. Having tenderly watered them over the last two summers, the trees are now well established.
WildFlower meadow: Planted in Summer 2022
The WildFlower meadow was the second project for the group. Created by IDVerde, the meadow has provided a spectacular display for their two summers. We are working with IDVerde to maintain the wildflower meadows with plans to add scything as part of the maintenance.
Fruiting Hedgerow and Orchard: Planted in Winter 2022
Over 100 fruiting bare root hedge plants and 5 apple trees were planted in winter 2022. Once established, the hedge and trees will provide fruit for both the community and wildlife alike, whilst providing a more interesting environment for those walking around the site.
Water Saving Community Demonstration Garden: Planned for 2024
Designed by David Sheil Studios,
The area in the north-east corner is an underused dead area that will be brought to life by creating a Demonstration Garden. Specific Demos in the Garden will Promote the Primary Issue of water-saving (which is climate change relevant), with ideas appropriate for adoption in local gardens and allotments such as:
- Raised Wiki-Bed (a water-saving garden bed integrating a water reservoir)
- Raised Hugelkultur (a long-term combined compost and growing bed with reduced water dependence)
- Raised ‘no dig’ beds, demonstrating various strategies to reduce watering such as mulching and green-manure planting.
- Water collection, storage and irrigation
- Compost demonstrations that can be adopted in local gardens and also encouraging people to bring their household waste for recycling.
- Solar-gain garden, demonstrating a succession of raised beds designed to benefit from maximum solar gain and integrating a vertical frame for climbing plants.
- Kitchen garden, demonstrating mixed sowing of herbs and annuals appropriate for easy kitchen access.
- Herb beds, demonstrating a herb spiral and sowing for culinary and healing herbs.
- Sun-garden which will also provide information on sowing according to monthly lunar cycles
- A pollinating hedge, providing a boundary to the main garden area, and demonstrating pollination
- A vertical wall garden, demonstrating strategies for growing on vertical surfaces.
- There will also be space for workshops and training and the range of garden beds and demonstrations will provide ample opportunity to maximise this potential.
Rain Planters and Rain Garden: Planned for 2024
The UK is projected to undergo a change in weather patterns, leading to wetter winters and drier summers as a result of climate change. However, when it does rain in summer, it is expected to be more intense, resulting in an increase in surface water flooding frequency and severity, particularly in urban areas with lots of hard surfaces like roofs and car parking. During heavy rainfall, sewer systems can become overwhelmed, leading to the release of untreated sewage into rivers and the sea.
One potential solution to this issue is the use of rainwater planters and rain gardens. These green infrastructure solutions collect rainwater and allow it to be released slowly into the ground, reducing the amount of water that enters the sewer system. Rainwater planters are container gardens that capture intense rainfall and store it for later use. They can be placed on rooftops, balconies, and other urban spaces, providing an attractive addition to the landscape while also reducing the risk of flooding. These interventions also provide a biodiversity benefit, which are recognised and quantified by Natural England (through their recently released Biodiversity Metric 4.0) under the new biodiversity net gain condition of the UK’s Environment Act passed in 2021.
Rain gardens, on the other hand, are landscaped areas that are designed to capture and filter stormwater runoff. They are typically planted with native vegetation, which helps to absorb water and filter out pollutants. Rain gardens can be constructed in a variety of locations. They provide multiple benefits, including reducing the amount of water entering the sewer system, improving water quality and softening urban environments.
Our rain planter and garden plan, Designed By Lindsay Thomas, includes multiple rain planters that collect water of the Downs Leisure Centre, whilst also creating a rain garden as a run off which will provide a nicer environment around the existing outdoor seating area in front of the Leisure Centre.