Duncairn Community Garden: The Journey So Far
GROW WILD IN NORTH BELFAST
Earlier this year we were lucky enough to receive the Kew Gardens “Grow Wild” grant that enabled us to start slowly transforming the outdoor areas around the centre. We have big dreams for every patch of land but are starting slowly and welcome you all to join us in 2026 as we continue on this wilder, more biodiversity friendly path! If you’d like to join the Duncairn Community Garden newsletter for all garden activity & workshop updates, please email liadain@174trust.org
GARDEN SURVEY: MAY 2025
We started back in May by taking a small group to walk around outside the centre and to survey what is already here and imagine future possibilities! It was wonderful to hear ideas and thoughts flowing from just a short walk around.
SUMMER SOLSTICE PLANTING: JUNE 2025
Another group spent the Summer Solstice weekend Sunday planting a native plant patch in a bed of very poor soil full of rubble and stones! There was some worry about soil quality and whether the plants would do well or not, but with some hard grafting to remove large stones, nutrient rich chicken pellets and seaweed meal, and of course - choosing native plants that thrive in our climate - the whole area has really gone from strength to strength!
DIG IN! NOVEMBER 2025
Inspired by the success of the native plant patch, we have another area chosen to for a native wildflower meadow along Duncairn Avenue. This area will need some tending to - to remove the grass and ensure the seeds have a chance next spring! We spent a wet Saturday morning in November covering the rough area with jute to suppress any growth over the winter. We also had time to weed and mulch the native plant patch and pot up some Spring bulbs.
VEGETABLES PLANTERS X BRINK!
Sadly, the wonderful Brink! garden in the city centre had to close doors during the summer. They are still active and nomadic, and they put a call out to all gardens in the city to take what they could, so we have some starter veg planters to get us set up! We look forward to seeing an old Duncairn dream come to fruition next spring with the planting and sewing of a Stew Garden.
NATIVE HEDGEROW X BELFAST HILLS
We had a wonderful visit from Belfast Hills Patnership Woodland Officer, Laura Shiels, last October. The Belfast Hills Partnership (BHP) is an independent charity which seeks to improve how the hills around Belfast are managed and cared for. They work with local councils and government, community groups, nature conservation organisations and businesses committed to caring for the Belfast Hills and their people. They will be providing bare-root trees to plant a native hedgerow along the perimeter of the garden next Spring. This will act as a wildlife haven over time, and also a protection for any future garden developments.
GROW NI
Our garden developments so far have been guided and supported by Craig Sands from Grow NI. GROW NI are a charity working with communities around Belfast to improve health, wellbeing and social connections through community gardening. They take care, alongside wonderful volunteers, of the Waterworks community garden and we are so excited to join the wonderful network of already existing Community Gardens all around the city - North, South, East and West. We recommend following them and supporting all the work they do.
DUNCAIRN MURAL
We have invited our newest artist-in-residence Caroline Murphy to create a mural for the side wall on Duncairn Avenue that ties in with the wild flower meadow that will be sewn next Spring. Some of you may have seen the murals she painted in The Good Room, and we’d love to bring some of that energising, engaging work outside for all to see!
We would love your input and ideas on what message can be shared on this wall, whether linked with themes of community, arts, the environment, it could be a quote from a poem, song, a Belfast saying, we are open to all ideas! Please do feel free to share your ideas/thoughts below and if you’d like to get involved in the future garden workshops please get in touch.
GROW WILD GRANT & Free GROWING GUIDE
Our garden journey was made possibly by the Grow Wild Community Grant from Kew Gardens. If you have an idea to bring more nature into your community, we couldn’t recommend this programme enough! They have a free practical guide plus £2,000 grants to help groups transform urban spaces with native plants and fungi. Find out more below:
