‘Many local residents have little or no garden, so an early decision was taken to create Community Gardens on the Farm. The Gardens take up half a hectare and are both practical and aesthetic. Two-thirds of the area is divided into 50 individual plots so Farm members to grow their own vegetables, fruit and flowers. The remaining one third is made up of attractive flower gardens, areas of lawn and an ornamental pond for everyone to enjoy.
Our horticultural centre includes a 20 metre long greenhouse, a polytunnel and cold frames. Here we grow plants and vegetables for sale or for use on the site. Everything is grown organically, including our collection of over 100 different herbs. The Centre provides an educational facility for children, horticultural training for volunteers and trainees, and horticultural therapy for people with mental ill-health.
We planted native trees and shrubs on our boundaries in 1983. We have since made further improvements to the landscaping of the site, including the establishment of several country hedges. These provide a pleasing environment and a home for wildlife, while at the same time forming a barrier between the Farm and the surrounding industrial estate.
We have created a nature conservation area where trees and wild flowers attract insects, butterflies and birds and where ponds provide a home for frogs, toads, newts and other aquatic life. We have also established a small orchard containing old varieties of English fruit and a permaculture demonstration area.
Visitors often describe the Farm as an ‘oasis in a concrete desert’ which is probably a fair description of the project!
[From the Windmill Hill City Farm Brochure, 1996]
Heritage Farm Tales 