Monday 12-12-2022 - 10:48

Hi, my name is Warren Burg and I more or less look after the community garden here at Glyndwr. I have addressed this piece ‘Our’ community garden because it is really here to be enjoyed by all of us, you guys, the faculty and me.

History, this is how I got involved as I volunteered as a green champion whilst doing my history degree here. 

The garden was created by a number of faculty members in 2017 as a way to teach children some key aspects of their environment, i.e. where do plants come from, how does the sun warm the water that we use and in fact what sort of creatures live in water, i.e. the pond.  They did a superb job by getting funding from the Lottery Fund and converting the original building site into this little oasis here on campus. It was created to be an area of peace and quiet and remains so today. It was called the science garden because it was attached to the Techniquest project introducing children to science in a fun way, i.e. the low raised beds and the bottle greenhouse, the solar panels and bee hotel.

Covid then interrupted things, Techniquest moved into town and is now called Explore. That meant the science garden was abandoned and in May of 2021 Jenny Thomas called on green champions to re-open this space. The Students' Union then stepped in, taking joint ownership of the space and purchased a variety of plants to inhabit it. It was decided to re-name it The Community Garden, as you will see by the various signage leading you here. 

Its main function is to give all of us a place to come and enjoy the quiet and tranquillity away from the hustle of academic life.

The theme is one of wilderness, thus you won’t see a manicured garden as in many grand places like the Chelsea gardens or Kew or the other many grand estates around the country. But, there are a number of picnic tables and benches, the sun shines (sometimes), the pond and the occasional bird or two and the gates are usually open M – F for most of the year. It is closed now leading up to the Christmas break as the days are so dark it isn’t much fun in gloomy conditions but will re-open in the new year.

After my degree I got interested in horticulture, probably because when Jenny asked us to help reopen the garden someone said ‘right, lets get rid of the weeds’ and I said ‘okay, but which are the weeds and which are the flowers!

So, you can see I am starting from the bottom on this. So, if you are interested please feel free to come along and get involved, ask Katie how you can do so.  Last year a couple of students came along, Guillaume and Fabio. They helped tidy the place and Fabio, who had never planted anything in his life came along with a packet of seeds and asked me what to do with them. This resulted in courgettes and chilli pepper plants, the fruits of which have been enjoyed in the SU bar. Fabio has returned to Germany and wants to continue with growing things.  

As for me, I treat it as a place to experiment and learn and practise the little bit that is sinking into my head with the horticultural course I have embarked upon.  I got interested in starting at the beginning, i.e the soil and discovered the second miracle of plant life. We all know of photosynthesis, the miracle that takes place above ground with a plant but below is just as magical, the world of microbes, bacteria and fungi that cultivate nutrients that feed the plant. Just think, how do forests and open grasslands manage to sustain themselves without we humans pouring ‘stuff’ onto them? 

In starting from the ground up I have learnt about the value of garden compost. When we started back in 2021 the three compost bins were full of dried grass and plants and just sitting there, doing nothing and yes, they would have decomposed in a year or two's time, but I have discovered how to produce our own compost in just over a month! All without any chemicals. Soil health is the key to healthy vibrant plants. When you visit the garden you will see a board posted behind the three compost bins giving you an idea of how I do this. It is mostly material around us, tree leaves, cardboard and paper, grass clippings, kitchen scraps, used coffee grounds saved after your cuppa from the café and anything else that will decompose in my mixture of ‘greens and browns’ plus my ‘magic’ ingredient – chicken manure pellets, it is high in nitrogen and helps with the microbial activity that breaks down all the organic matter.

Okay, that’s my introduction, I hope you have enjoyed it and come along to enjoy the garden as well. It doesn’t have to be to do anything, many people come on a sunny day with their lunch or even a group chat. 

Warren

 

Written by Warren Burg, Green Champion Volunteer. Edited by Elissa Griffiths, Digital, Design and Communications Coordinator.

 

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