Residents at our supported housing scheme in Cornwall have been growing their own vegetables from seeds to help the environment and to get involved in nature.
From growing sunflowers and lilies, to carrots, peas and herbs, Connor and his support worker are currently on a mission to successfully grow their first tomatoes in the new greenhouse.
After pioneering the gardening project alongside his support worker, the garden has been a glowing success.
With the tomato project currently underway, Connor, a resident at the scheme, said: “We’ve got all of the tomatoes in small pots which we grew from seeds. We reckon we have nine good ones for the Grow House.
“I enjoy the garden lots, it’s exciting to see that we are growing more and more things.
“It’s nice to be out in nature and it’s very nice to feel a part of the garden and a part of the project. I get excited to see it all grow as I like looking after the plants.”
Starting the mini garden project back in 2021 to do more outside and remain active during the coronavirus pandemic, the three-year-old garden has produced many homegrown goods for the community and its residents close by.
At Kernow Court, which has 12 flats and offers low level support, the garden has encouraged more of the residents to get in touch with nature and grow their own vegetables from home.
As the garden has become one of the main talking points at the scheme, more residents have got involved by painting flower beds and designing bird tables for the local wildlife.
Tamsin Roberts, our Support Worker at the scheme, said: “I thought that the garden would really benefit Connor and our other residents so I thought we could use some of our outside space for a garden.
“We have lots of different areas here, but it just shows that you don’t need a big garden to grow your own produce and we’ve found that out. There are lots of different ways people can get involved. It’s just lovely being outside.
“Everyone could see the fruit and vegetable arriving and it's got everybody involved. We’ve done radishes, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, herbs and few other vegetables too.
“I think it’s just amazing, it means we can have our catch ups whilst we are in the garden and chat. Connor really enjoys it.
“We’ve got tips from Google which has been our best friend with learning how to grow all the vegetables.
“The beauty of being a support worker is that we get to go outside, which is really nice especially in Newquay. We can just go along and walk at the beach with the residents. It’s nice here.”
The scheme is the home to 12 flats with low level support to help our residents.