top of page

My Project
"The Garden as an Ecosystem"

My venture into self-sufficiency and habitat creation was spurred on by my passion for the outdoors and my studies with the Open University as an Environmental Science student.

​

As someone who spends much of her time outdoors and as an avid supporter of knowing where our food comes from and ensuring that it is as local as possible, I wanted to explore the complexities of combining companion planting with habitat creation on a smaller scale – our gardens.

​

Sustainability, companion planting, habitat creation are not unfamiliar terms and often are linked to individuals or companies that focus on specific areas that are all just as important as each other and are in fact linked in a complex web of interactions that can be done on a much smaller scale and are easy to apply into our day to day lives.

​

My plan was to develop a combined ecosystem and study the symbiotic relationships between plants and animals, and to encourage more biodiversity into our garden as well as food on our plates and connect it to the wider ecosystem of an estates old kitchen garden that sits behind us.

​

We live in a tied cottage on a 350 acre estate where my husband helps to manage the biomass, arable and ancient woodlands it contains and works to ensure that there is fluidity between each part of the estate which includes a variety of deer, pollinators and insects that attract an abundance of birds including several species of birds of prey.

​

In January 2021 I was allowed to take over a small section of the old kitchen garden and in a 12m x 8m section of land I started work on designing a network of beds that would include fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers that would encourage a wide range of life back into the garden. The edge of the area has been planted with native UK hedgerow species that will be a varied safe space for mammals and birds to nest and feed in.

​

Companion planting, the use of planting certain plants together that provide a benefit to each other, was intertwined with herbs to deter weeds and wildflowers to encourage pollinators and insects into the garden and aid a stronger crop of produce throughout the year.

​

Using companion planting also meant that different plants were grown together that complement each other with the same or non-conflicting growing conditions but that would have mutualistic benefits in that neither plant will compete for growth but will help each other in varying ways. I also wanted to ensure that the preserved, nutrient-rich soil was kept balanced by planting plants that required different sources of nutrients that would also reduce competition between them but keep the quality of the soil intact. Carrots planted with climbers also meant that they would break up the soil as they grow, providing a much better flow of water and nutrients to the climbing plants.

​

There is of course an element of trial and error with creating a combined garden space and the only way of testing if companion planting and habitat creation works, would be to have some areas that were planted as test beds and these were beds were similar crops grew side by side, or crops were planted alone.

​

The test beds were initially slow to develop and the potatoes planted without mint near them had developed blight and the whole crop was sadly lost. However in the combined areas, pollinators and insects were more prolific by the week and saw an abundance of produce as well as stunning blooms that seemed to survive a turbulent start to the year weather-wise.

​

This combined planting has helped to encourage and improve a mutual, and independent complex biodiversity including a host of wildlife including birds, bats, insects, pollinators and has served well to deter pests and disease.

​

The plants have also played a role in keeping the integrity of the soil fertility by improving nutrient supply, availability and uptake, with tall plants providing ample shade for plants that prefer partial shade and in ensuring that climbing plants do not compete for the sun and in providing support for other climbers that do well in partial shade.

​

Now in its third year, it continues to thrive and has shown a significant boost in biodiversity and crop yield, and this years results will be highlighted in a research paper due for release Autumn 2023.

170947030_1725111237691533_8198572008611906172_n.jpg

Looking to the future

 

In looking ahead to the rest of the year, planning has already started for next years planting and maintenance, and the space will continue to encourage more diverse ecosystems into built up areas thus working towards improving climate change and reducing carbon footprints, while also ensuring healthy, organic and sustainable living into peoples lives through growing our own produce and looking closer at the beauty and inner workings that nature provides on a small scale.

​

We all know that nature is healing in more ways than one, from our mental health to improving the environment itself but it doesn’t need to be done on large scales and doesn’t need a mass of funding to start. As William Shakespeare once said “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin” so why not start within our own spaces and make a difference one garden at a time.

​

To find out more about me, the project and its journey so far, please message me via the contact page. 

​

Thank you.

Samara

bottom of page