Snck - Community Kitchen Garden
South Norwood, Croydon
5 days
Community Garden
South Norwood community kitchen is the first project where I get to use my knowledge to help support a community and also my first job working in London.
The design process for this took many months as funding needed to be acquired. Once the design was in place we changed accordingly to what was within budget and the main principles were to have a large growing space that didn’t impose much of the garden as most of the garden was needed for recreational purposes. We achieved this by using the marginal space of the garden. This was to support the natural wildlife and also bring wildlife for people to watch and enjoy it while they’re at the community kitchen, as some people are there not just for food but also for support.
Between the wildlife area and the book hotel I added a natural planting plan with using logs, compost , woodchip and multiple plants to support wildlife but also edible plants so it became an mental part of the garden the final part on the back wall in the Shady part of the space had a water bottle collecting water from the guttering, a small storage unit for tools and equipment and a wash pack table so they can process the vegetables and fruits before they go into the kitchen.
The underside of the table had shiitake logs that can enjoy the moisture passive moisture coming off the table to keep those wet they will produce later in the season. There were two whiskey barrels with trees and herbs, one had Jasmine that we planted to climb around the seating area, so the aromas can be enjoyed. There was also more herbs that were planted in an original decking that was there before, to elevate the area. The end result also had a seating area where people can sit and enjoy the garden and have their lunch. It made the project a lot cleaner looking and also safer for the garden as previously there was lots of trash and rockery and it just made it a little less safe for people to enjoy the space, now the space is functional practical and aesthetic.