The Quad Garden Project 2025/2026
It has been a busy year in the garden after a very cold and wet start to spring/summer 2025.
Our small team has been joined by Sarah, a graphic designer from External Affairs, who alongside one of her colleagues, has been weeding and replanting our flower border.
We are successfully growing lots of fruit -听 apples, plums, blueberries, blackcurrants gooseberries and strawberries.听We are hoping to explore a link to a community apple press to find out if there would be an opportunity to turn some of our apples into apple juice.听Due to popular demand we are growing six bags of potatoes, alongside leeks, lettuce, tomatoes, cougettes, kale, chard, beetroot, onions听 and herbs.
Again generous donations of bedding plants听听have helped to fill the pots both in the garden area and on the veranda. The installation of a cold water supply on the veranda has made watering the pots much easier.
While we haven鈥檛 at this point accurately measured the increase in biodiversity, we have continued听 to observe the benefits of improving the site. There are far more insects (including a beautiful dragonfly) feeding off the flowers and increasing numbers of worms in the soil, also evidenced by our resident toad and an increasing 听variety of birds coming down into the garden.
The grass currently has a lovely spread of native wild flowers which are supporting the bees and other pollinators. For the first time a wild orchid has flowered.
In September 鈥�25 and April 鈥�26 听LGBTQIA staff and ResLife staff again held a BBQ in the garden which attracted over 50 people. They hope to make this a regular event, holding the next one during Septembers Freshers week.
It had been hoped to hold the Photography Competition prizegiving barbeque in the garden at the beginning of June but unfortunately heavy rain immediately before the event meant it had to happen indoors instead.
We are planning to have another lunchtime event to give away this years produce and promote the garden, at some point in late August/September.
It has once again, been encouraging to see greater use of the garden over the year by staff and students听听and we hope to continue to encourage use of the garden and the benefits of growing and eating fresh food and spending time outside away from desks.
Everyone is welcome to participate in our gardening activities, both staff and students, no experience is necessary and we hope you find us a welcoming and supportive team.听Whether it鈥檚 an hour per week , once a month or a one off session, ever little bit of help is greatly appreciated in our efforts to keep the weeds at bay, grow some organic fruit and veg to share amongst the 91探花 community and promote biodiversity.
Or if gardening is not for you, just sample some of the produce and enjoy a sheltered green space.
I鈥檇 particularly like to thank Kirstin and Sugandhi for their hard work over the year, alongside our new member Sarah and听 her colleague George. Also Bill, Brian, Steve, Nancy and the rest of the Estates team, Unison and all our other contributors and supporters. Here鈥檚 to another productive year.
If you'd like to become involved please email m.a.campbell@rgu.ac.uk.
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