A very interesting, entertaining, and educational afternoon took place on Saturday 2nd August, hosted by the Muff Community Garden Project, as part of the Muff Festival 2014. People of all ages gathered to enjoy a novel presentation of gardening and culinary information, called ‘Grow it, Cook it’. Delivered in an informal and immensely enjoyable manner, this event benefited beginners and veterans of both codes of horticulture and cookery. Imparting their vast knowledge at the event were BBC Radio Foyle’s resident horticultural expert, Gareth Austin, and Chef, Kerry Rowan, who teamed up to present an exhibition that was interspersed with laughter and amusing stories while providing many practical time and money saving tips for both the garden and the kitchen. During the event, meals and desserts were prepared in lightening quick time almost entirely from the produce of the garden, emphasising how healthy meals can be faster than packaged ones. Delicious samples were subsequently passed around to the welcoming audience.
The Muff Community Garden has gone from strength to strength over the past two years since it began as a green space, attached to the Warren View Manor sheltered housing complex, which was kindly donated by the HSE to the community. Since then, the project has received assistance from Groundwork NI and the Border Villages Social Integration Project. Indeed, this initiative is not only a great example of cross-border co-operation, but also one with an inter-generational aspect to it as well. There are at present eighteen plots in use with the gardeners coming from the Muff locality and the area of Culmore, just over the border in Derry. The garden, which boasts impressive facilities including the use of a polytunnel, greenhouse, raised beds and storage for all, is accessed by all ages of the community from young families with their children, right up to elderly residents of the sheltered housing complex. Katheryn Hegarty, of Warren View Manor, explains “Many of our residents have become involved which I believe has been a great thing for them. As you know the elderly can often become isolated, but the garden has facilitated new friendships and new interests. I read a great quote which I think sums up the experience for many of our gardeners, which was “Plant seeds, grow friendships””.
This shared space has a real community feel to it and can be a platform for many great things in the future. It calls to mind another quote, by Audrey Hepburn, which is “To plant a garden, is to believe in tomorrow”.
Gareth Austin is a Community focused Horticulturist based in Derry-Londonderry and voice of Gardening on the Mark Patterson Show on BBC Radio Foyle. Gareth specialises in Community horticulture, offering a wide range of events, programmes and acitivity on engaging people in the exciting world of Horticulture. Gareth lectures in Horticulture in the North West Regional College and offers school horticulture programs through the Western Education + Library Board. Gareth is passionate about changing land-use to a more positive use, urban food production and showcasing the flora of county Derry through the City of Horti-Culture programme of events.
