Our Community Investment team and residents at Bridge Court, Exeter, put their green fingers to work during spring last year, to create a sustainable vegetable garden that recently yielded a bumper second harvest.
Lesley Browne, Community Connector at LiveWest, said: “This project is something that was started, following on residents’ wishes from our Neighbourhoods in Focus work.
“The aim of the project was to enable people to come together and grow together, once it was safe to do so.”
Bridge Court is a development of flats, and most residents have balconies, which need to be kept clear to comply with fire regulations. The opportunity of starting a vegetable garden was warmly received.
Lesley Browne added: “The project wasn’t without its challenges. Bridge Court has a lot of steps around the properties and most of the ground that could be used for planting is sloped.
“We were able to find an underused, level gravel area to set down a few raised planters, a shed and water butt. We also upcycled some wooden Packing crates to create more planting spaces.”
And so the work of careful sowing began. Potatoes, cabbages, carrots and greens were planted in spring along with strawberry plants and onion sets.
Despite the lockdown restrictions, and few hands tending the garden in isolation as a result, the garden flourished, and yielded bumper crops that were distributed to residents and shared with other neighbours in the community.
Lesley Browne added: “The idea is for this project to be sustainable. One of the planters has been used to grow comfrey, which can be used to make an organic fertiliser.
“There is also a compost bin for all vegetative waste to be composted down. The residents will be able to use these to replenish the planters in the future.
Leanda Flower, Community Investment Manager at LiveWest, said: “LiveWest launched its ‘Creating Greener Futures Together’ strategy in October last year, with the aim of increasing awareness of our environmental plans and impact, as well as positively influencing us and our customers to be more environmentally aware.
“We are really pleased to see how well the gardening project at Bridge Court has taken off and the opportunity it has created for the residents to work together and grow their own produce.
“The garden project is one of many positive steps towards our big mission of creating a clean and sustainable future for our customers, colleagues and families.”