This year, with support from Anstiftung, we established two small gardens on the grounds of our project house, Home in Exile, in Markgrafpieske. This builds on the work we began last year, when we maintained a small garden at the Inwole project house in Potsdam with support from Urbis-Stiftung.
The grounds at Home in Exile are already home to a variety of fruit trees, including a magnificent walnut tree. They are thriving, and the women have already started enjoying some of the harvest, especially plums and apples. The peaches should be ready in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, we are harvesting courgettes and have already enjoyed the first strawberries from the plants we put into the ground this year.
Alongside this, we are experimenting with a range of vegetables and herbs.
Some crops are flourishing, particularly the courgettes, English potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Our herbs, including rosemary, thyme, and peppermint, are also growing very well.
Not everything has gone according to plan, however. Snails have become a challenge, feeding on the leaves of vegetables such as kale, spring onions, and spinach. Experienced gardeners have advised us that the most effective way to deal with them is simply to collect them by hand and remove them from the garden.
The tomatoes in the greenhouse have also been a disappointment so far. Although the plants are growing tall, they have not yet started flowering. During our Summer Action Days in July, we welcomed guests with expertise in different fields who led a variety of workshops. The gardening experts suggested that the greenhouse roof should either be cleaned thoroughly or replaced entirely to allow more light to reach the plants.
Watering the garden is another challenge. As nobody is living at the project house permanently yet, the women caring for the garden have to travel from different parts of Brandenburg to water the plants. Fortunately, we see this as only a temporary difficulty. Once the house is fully occupied, residents will be able to care for the garden on a daily basis.
We also know that there is still much for us to learn. Understanding the soil at Home in Exile and discovering which plants grow best there will take time and experience. We hope to learn from local gardeners and neighbours, and we are grateful for any advice or support they are willing to share. Every season teaches us something new, and we look forward to seeing our garden continue to grow alongside the community around it.
