Children’s community garden efforts starting to bear fruit

Children in the Old Balreask Woods area of Navan will be enjoying the fruits of their very own orchard over the next few months and years.

The unique urban community garden in Old Balreask Woods, Navan has been proving a major hit since local children were involved in its development early in lockdown in 2020.

The laneway garden is still a major hit with local children as well as the entire community and now there are plans to plant over 50 fruit trees in the area. After two years, the local children are now all little gardening experts and with the help of some local adults they are creating the orchard in two unused areas in the estate.

“These were boringly drab wasted locations that will be transformed in the coming weeks,” explains John Coen chair of the residents association.

“The adults were helped by the children to dig out the holes and plant the trees.

“The children even continue to help out with the regular watering of the newly planted trees in what is becoming a community effort bringing people together and encouraging everyone in the area to get to know each other.”

John explains the trees are semi dwarf so the children can reach the fruit and they will not grow overly large as the years go by.

The types of fruit trees include red and green apples, pears, cherries, plums and damsons.

“Our aim is to transform unused somewhat unsightly non-utilised areas into a naturally vibrant area that will be an ever evolving colourful canvas that will change with the seasons.”

“The project also includes an educational element to it by showing not only the estate’s residents but also the general community along Swan Lane and it’s environs how nature can be positively progressed with the added advantage of providing various nutritional and varied fruits for free.”

John points out that the project encourages biodiversity and, over time, will create a sanctuary for wildlife including birds.

“Over time, we will introduce birdhouses and bug hotels in these orchard areas which we hope will be built by the children.”

They also have plans to plant bulbs flowers like daffodils, tulips, snowdrops, bluebells in the newly formed orchard in the autumn.

“This will enable the orchard areas to be colourful throughout the year in spring, summer and autumn.”

“We received funding from ChangeX to grow these orchards and got some great advise from the ‘Wild About Navan’ Workshop held in the Solas Glan Community Garden in Ardbraccan.

“Larry from Beechmount Garden Centre in Navan sourced all the trees for us and gave us practical advice on how best to complete this mammoth task.”

The laneway garden at Old Balreask Woods was created in spring 2020

The garden was set up “by the children for the children” who built, grew and now maintain it.

“We decided to set up the garden at Easter 2020 and the children really made it their own from then,” says John.

“It has really captured their imagination. They have planted every type of vegetable as well as herbs and flowers, including record-breaking sunflowers” he says .

“It was a derelict looking area and was beginning to attract anti-social behaviour. Now it is transformed into a vibrant area which attracts children not alone from Old Balreask Woods, but the entire surrounding areas, as well as elderly people who enjoy using it for their walks.

“We also have older people who cannot maintain their own gardens coming to help out here.

As well as an opportunity for the children and the residents to grow their own food, it has also been a learning experience.

“We have children who had never eaten a vegetable before starting to eat them because they had been involved in the process from seed, growing, harvesting, bringing them home and having them cooked.”

Last year a seat for the garden was provided by a young resident of Oberstown, as part of his Gaisce Award programme.

“What was an unused laneway has been reclaimed to become a eco-friendly colourful space the whole community can enjoy.

“It has brought the community together, it has created awareness and it teaches the children where food comes from,” says John.