Bia Linn (community garden)

Growing food in local gardens offers many rewards. Food you grow yourself is healthy, free, organic, local, zero-carbon and fair-trade, and remains available even when other food supplies experience difficulty. Gardening brings neighbours together on a common project, and allows people to exchange ideas. It uses space around our homes that would otherwise have been unused or covered in unproductive grass at great expense. It builds back the soil that has often been depleted.

The space in May 2009, before FADA's acquisition

We also wanted to build the garden out of recycled materials. Plants can grow in almost any type of container, if they have sufficient sunlight, soil and drainage, including in reused rubbish. We wanted to demonstrate that cost should not discourage people from growing their own vegetables in whatever space they have.

FADA volunteers building garden beds

After much discussion with area groups, FADA received permission from local authorities to use the area behind Newbridge’s Town Hall – a former church on Main Street. We received the keys to the lot on 21st May, 2009, and began work.

Our volunteers first gathered materials for the creation of raised beds, topsoil, compost and plants, and a number of local individuals and companies were very generous. Once we had the materials, our volunteers helped assemble scaffolding planks into garden beds and fill them with stones and earth.

June 2009

Two weeks later, the space looked very different, and the physical construction and planting of the garden has already brought different groups of people together – longtime residents with recent immigrants, professional gardeners with beginners.

The garden now teems with edible vegetable, fruits, herbs and flowers, and there are also flowers and bushes to attract wildlife. We even have our own cat and the slugs seem to be leaving us alone for the moment.

In the garden, local people can learn about food production from the basics of seed planting to food preservation. The area shall be constructed of different types of planters, growing environments and demonstration areas.

The garden will officially open 18 July 2009. The event will feature several speakers and activities. Lucy Bell will demonstrate how to make a wormery to transform kitchen waste into high-quality soil. Members of FADA will also speak at the event: Ellen Quaid about composting waste, Kate Park about how to use various kinds of edible flowers in cooking, and Brian Kaller on the long-tem gardening technique of permaculture. FADA member Maureen O’Connor will speak about the Fair Trade movement, which organises international trade of products grown and made for humane wages in the Third World.

Children will also have the opportunity to take part in a treasure hunt, and FADA members will give away runner bean seedlings and information.

Area residents who would like to contribute to the garden are welcome to donate tools, watering cans, yard brushes, signs, maintenance equipment, paint and brushes, bin tags and seeds. If you have ideas, items to donate or time to volunteer, please contact info@fada.ie or call in on a Saturday between 12 pm and 2 pm.