OURganic Gardens – a smallholding with big lessons

Began in 2009 in Joanne and Milo’s own garden, and opened to the public as a garden and education space in 2017
They hold garden walks, volunteer, and connect with nature days.

• People can come and do courses, workshops and they can volunteer. It is open to people in Donegal and beyond that want to run their own community gardens.
• It is also good for college horticulture students, community groups, and workplaces for team building exercises
• It teaches people about organic vegetables, fruit growing using permaculturewhere you grow things not by digging and adding fertilizer, but by letting things grow more naturally, and no‑dig, methods.
• They hold soil biodiversityanimals and nature and soil health projects: working on poor land, using no dig techniques and composting. 
• The gardens sell plant starter-packs and potted plants.
• They hold soil biodiversity and soil health projects: working on poor land, chard to dig soils using techniques like composting, using green manure, and biochar (a kind of charcoal that’s good fopr the soil).
• It was shortlisted for AONTAS STAR Awards in the Adult Learning Initiatives that Promote Well‑being category in 2017.
• It is locally rooted: it is small scale but is deeply connected to community, using things that are easy to find locally

They use hands-on gardening with teaching, and community activities in a way that works with nature, and not against it. It’s not just about growing food, it’s about teaching people, helping them connect with nature, and making the health of the soil better. Sometimes in a garden you need to turn difficult land and poor soil  into earth that is healthier that supports lots of different plants and wildlife. The project knows that it is important that others follow this example and so it gives people the information and things they need to do this.