Building A Community Garden

When it comes to the workplace, it is vital that staff are given the right tools that enable them to take well-deserved breaks at certain times of the day. While we spend most of our time indoors, we thought it would be a worthwhile idea to create a community garden for staff that they can use and enjoy.

Making use of wasteland

There was an area of neglected land located near the entrance of the factory which was sat there doing nothing. Each day, staff and visitors would drive or walk past it but we figured out that this space had some potential. Therefore, we decided that this neglected area could be turned into a place that staff can use and so, the idea of a community garden came to fruition.

This is an area of the factory that gets a good amount of sun and that is why we also thought that this area would be a great place to position our community garden. As most of our staff spend their entire day inside, we felt that it would give them the chance to spend their breaks outside, where they can make the most of the sunshine.

The process

Once that we had decided where the community garden was going to be placed, we had to decide what we were going to do and this is where we had a brainstorming session. While it could have been possible to put the plants and flowers directly in the ground, we thought that we could use planters to brighten up the area and make it easier for staff to enjoy.

So, to begin with, we needed to make sure that the ground was completely level to ensure that the planters would remain safe, secure and sturdy. This was done by using paving slabs which we cut down and placed them on the ground as the base for each corner of the planter. Once we were satisfied with the positioning of the paving slabs we could then begin constructing the planters.

The Build

Each planter is large in size, measuring 2m x 2m and standing at 5 boards high. The aim was to make an impact and make it look and feel as though it really is a garden. At this point, we began to lay the first boards and then constructed the planters, with each board locking into place, providing a solid and stable frame, making them ideal for this area of the factory grounds.

In total, we installed three planters, all of which look great but the constructions was just the beginning. We then filled each planter with around 1800 litres of soil, ensuring that we gave the plants and flowers the correct environment to thrive and grow.

To be continued……