As part of our Grow Well project, we took a group of volunteers for a day out in Bristol. We wanted to explore different types of horticulture and food growing as well as provide other potential future volunteering opportunities. We would love participants to carry on volunteering once our 6-week programme ends, even if they choose not to stay with us.
In the morning we took a trip to Feed Bristol where Matt gave us an in-depth tour of their community veg patch and forest garden. During the tour, we looked into the amazing small businesses that are based there and some of the conservation work that they do. After the tour, we were all taught how to save seeds and had a go at weeding.After lunch, we went to Grow Bristol, a vertical farming project near Temple Meads, where we met Dermot, who gave us our first introduction to hydroponics and aquaponics!
He showed us an example of an outdoor system where water from a fish tank is raised up by a pump to water plants that are growing only in pebbles! The plants are fed by the mineral-rich fish water. There was not a scrap of soil or compost to be seen. Very different to the farm!
We all donned lab coats and squeaky clean crocs to head into the growing container. It is important to keep it a sterile environment as possible! The container looked incredible as it was built from an old lorry. The volunteers learnt how to grow micro herbs without soil, using nothing other than the water from the fish tanks and a growing matting (mostly sheep’s wool).
Dermot has plans to expand into baby leaf salad in the future - still using only water and matting. At the moment the demand for his produce is more than he can currently create. Grow Bristol are supplying restaurants and shops as well as the Easton food assembly and everything is delivered by bike.
We all absolutely loved the day and had lots of questions for both Matt and Dermot. The two experiences were very different and gave our volunteers much to think about.
