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Little Green Space |
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Little Green Space |
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Extraordinary Peakland Plots Originally published in Kitchen Garden Magazine February 2012
Take
some old tyres, a discarded mirror and some bits of wood, and what do you
have? A pile of rubbish? A bit of a mess? Something for the skip? Not
in Andrew and Sue Stevenson’s Matlock home. It may look like an ordinary
Victorian terrace from the street, but this retired couple have
transformed their house and garden into a shining example of sustainable
living – and are inspiring other local people to act, too. The
house itself has been adapted to cause as little impact as possible on the
environment, with solar panels providing hot water and electricity. An
impressive water-harvesting system, involving no fewer than 16 water
butts, means that Andrew never needs to use mains water to irrigate plants
in the garden. Or to flush the loo, for that matter: a low-pressure pump
directs water inside to flush the toilets, and grey water from showers and
washing up is pumped out to water the ornamental flower beds. But
the couple’s creativity has really been unleashed in the garden. Typical
of many Victorian gardens, the plot is long and thin, and Andrew and Sue
have created a series of terraced garden rooms – some of which would not
look out of place at the Chelsea Flower Show. Reclaimed
materials Unlike
a show garden though, the whole area has been created without spending a
fortune. In fact nearly everything in the garden was free – made from
materials destined for landfill. “I
hate to see good stuff going to landfill,” says Andrew, “and it’s
amazing what can be done with a little thought and imagination.” Andrew
has got to know local builders, who are more than happy for him to collect
materials destined for the skip. And neighbours help out, too, offering
unwanted items to Andrew before throwing them away. “As with everything,
it helps to know your neighbours!” he says. Andrew
is also a fan of Freecycle. He is sometimes inspired by a free find, and
will often plan the next project around a recently acquired object.
“Like any garden, it just evolves,” he says. His most recent
acquisition, a large pile of rare tufa stone, will become part of a
wildlife pond. One
particularly attractive feature is the herb garden. “When we first moved
here, Sue dug over the garden,” remembers Andrew. “It was just a
barren slope, and full of stones. We used the stones to create raised beds
for the herb garden.” A mirror, donated by a neighbour, reflects the
parsley, mint and chives growing here. Other raised beds are constructed
from old tyres, faced with reclaimed slate. Productive
plot Food
is in evidence throughout the garden. A cherry tree provides a focal point
in the seating area, surrounded by chamomile. Pear trees are trained over
a series of arches, made from blue water pipes, and there are crab apples,
goji berries, and hazel bushes. Andrew
is particularly proud of his greenhouse – an earth-sheltered structure
built from reclaimed wood and corrugated plastic. Here peppers, watercress
and tomatoes take advantage of the ideal conditions provided by Andrew’s
home-made passive solar heating system, with hot air sucked down by an
electric fan powered by solar panels. Near
the bottom of the garden is the chicken and duck enclosure.
“Enclosure” doesn’t quite do the area justice, though – this is a
five star luxury residence, complete with pond, climbing frame and dust
bath. The pond was made from
an old wheelbarrow, and is enjoyed by Gertrude and Jemima, the Khaki
Campbells. Andrew
and Sue are self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables, most of which are
grown on their half-allotment, just a few minute’s walk away. Here the
use of reclaimed materials continues with herbs and strawberries growing
in old tyres. They
use no chemicals on the plot. “The ducks love the slugs, so we don’t
use pellets,” says Sue. The couple use a no-dig method, covering bare
patches of soil with homemade compost and off-cuts of carpet to prevent
weeds from taking over. “Then we just let the worms do their work,”
says Sue. Andrew and Sue are members of Transition Matlock, a community group dedicated to making the local area more sustainable. They often invite visitors from the group to come and look around, giving advice and inspiration to anyone who needs it.
School
Grounds Until
recently, Sue worked at the local school, and has kept in touch with
Headteacher Caroline Newton – another local person who is passionate
about protecting the environment. Matlock
All Saints’ The
school has a thriving vegetable garden, maintained by the children with
help from staff, parents and grandparents. Broccoli, sweetcorn and
pumpkins are just a few of the crops flourishing at the school. At
harvest time the vegetables are used in the school kitchen, to produce
school dinners with zero food miles. Children also get to take bags of
produce home, to share with their families. Another
big project at All Saints’ has been the planting of an orchard, with
plum and apple trees. The apples are used in annual Apple Day
celebrations, when pupils get a chance to use a fruit press to make their
own juice. Attracting
wildlife to the school grounds is very important, and a popular
after-school wildlife club has been busy making bird feeders to attract
birds onto the plot. The children have been involved in making
bird-nesting boxes in all shapes and sizes, including a couple of barn owl
boxes, as well as an impressive bug hotel. The
grounds are used for lessons whenever possible. As well as being taught
how to grow vegetables, the children have science, literacy and art
lessons outside. “We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of
the country. Our surrounding landscape is really inspiring, so we get the
children learning outside whenever we can,” says Caroline. Looking
to the future, Caroline has plenty of plans for the coming years. The
school’s next big project will be a soft fruit garden, complete with
fruit cage, which will be partly funded using prize money won when the
school was awarded first place in the annual Matlock in Bloom competition. That
Caroline is always planning for the future is illustrated by one of the
most recent additions to the kitchen garden. A kiwi plant, trained to grow
up a south-facing wall, bears a painted wooden sign: “Will bear fruit in
15 years.” “We
planted the tree for the next generation,” says Caroline, “and
hopefully the sons and daughters of our current pupils will be enjoying
the fruits in years to come!” |
